<p>The main reason is that while CMOS has made great strides in overcoming it's limitations, there are still some advantages that CCDs hold.  I wasn't able to find anything completely up to date, but <a href="https://www.atik-cameras.com/news/difference-between-ccd-cmos-sensors/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this article</a> from 2017 has a few examples.</p>

<p>There's more ability to get consistent results from each pixel and get higher quality analog to digital conversion with less amplification necessary on the CCD.  The cost is much higher obviously as CCD has always been a more expensive option, but it still holds some specialty advantages.  If you need those advantages and have the money, it's still worth buying.</p>

<p>Looking at the difference between that camera and the next model down, you can see that the CCD does have a low light performance advantage over the closest equivalent CMOS camera in that line.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-08T19:31:22.110Z
How big is the low light advantage? 2 times?
Delta Oscar Uniform
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-08T19:45:56.620Z
@JonathanIrons that depends how you measure it, what does 2 times mean?  No, it isn't 2 times by any measure I can think of, it's a small advantage, but low light also probably isn't the only advantage CCD still has.  Both CMOS and CCD have gotten very very good at low light and CMOS noise filtering has gotten very good as well, so both technologies can go very, very low light, but when you are buying a $5000+ camera, you are looking for very small optimizations, otherwise you'd be buying a $500 camera.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-08T11:49:52.800Z
2019-07-08T12:01:00.887Z
2019-07-08T12:01:00.887Z
AJ Henderson
<p>I have met my dreams in a camera called <a href="https://pro.sony/en_FI/products/shoulder-camcorders/pxw-x500" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PXW-X500</a>
I thought CMOS had killed CCD after cheapness, global shutter revolution and years of advancements? Why is CCD still a thing?</p>

<camera><camcorder><image-sensors>
Why is CCD still alive?
Delta Oscar Uniform
# Why is CCD still alive?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-07-08)

I have met my dreams in a camera called [PXW-X500](https://pro.sony/en_FI/products/shoulder-camcorders/pxw-x500)
I thought CMOS had killed CCD after cheapness, global shutter revolution and years of advancements? Why is CCD still a thing?

**Tags:** camera, camcorder, image-sensors


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-07-08. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

The main reason is that while CMOS has made great strides in overcoming it's limitations, there are still some advantages that CCDs hold. I wasn't able to find anything completely up to date, but [this article](https://www.atik-cameras.com/news/difference-between-ccd-cmos-sensors/) from 2017 has a few examples.

There's more ability to get consistent results from each pixel and get higher quality analog to digital conversion with less amplification necessary on the CCD. The cost is much higher obviously as CCD has always been a more expensive option, but it still holds some specialty advantages. If you need those advantages and have the money, it's still worth buying.

Looking at the difference between that camera and the next model down, you can see that the CCD does have a low light performance advantage over the closest equivalent CMOS camera in that line.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: How big is the low light advantage? 2 times?  
> **username_1**: @JonathanIrons that depends how you measure it, what does 2 times mean?  No, it isn't 2 times by any measure I can think of, it's a small advantage, but low light also probably isn't the only advantage CCD still has.  Both CMOS and CCD have gotten very very good at low light and CMOS noise filtering has gotten very good as well, so both technologies can go very, very low light, but when you are buying a $5000+ camera, you are looking for very small optimizations, otherwise you'd be buying a $500 camera.  

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