A day before the PMA photography show, Sony on Wednesday has revealed what it says is one of the largest and fastest sensors ever available for digital SLR cameras. The new imager is Sony's first to reach full-frame resolution and generates 24.8 megapixels, higher than the 21.1 of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III and even some medium-format cameras. Simultaneously, the sensor is claimed to be useful for action photography through a unique process known as the Column-Parallel A/D Conversion Technique; by including an analog-to-digital converter for each sensor column, the sensor can output completed images at up to 6.3 frames per second. This also has the side benefit of reducing noise at higher ISO levels, according to Sony.

The company has refrained from revealing the role of the sensor, though its performance is believed to be ideal for Sony's first high-end digital SLR, which was briefly previewed at last year's PMA expo and may be announced as early as tomorrow in the form of the Alpha A900. Both the A300 and A350 entry-level DSLRs were briefly leaked through Sony's website earlier this week and may point to larger announcements at the event, which begins tomorrow.