Technical Guide (Pixel Shift Edition)

Pixel Shift
What Is “Pixel Shift”?
Pixel shift allows you to take multiple pictures while shifting the camera's image sensor by a single
pixel or less and to merge them to generate a higher-resolution image than that which can be
obtained through normal single-frame shooting.
How Pixel Shift Works
The Bayer image sensor installed in general cameras including Nikon cameras can only capture one
type of color information (R, G, or B) per pixel. When displaying in RGB, the remaining colors must be
interpolated from the surrounding pixels. In the following example, color information is captured in the
ratio of R:1, G:2, and B:1, and each RGB channel captures the color information of the remaining pixels
through the interpolation process.
In pixel shift shooting, taking multiple pictures while shifting the image sensor by one pixel unit allows
G or B to be captured at the pixel location where R was captured. Since RGB can be overlapped
without interpolation, moiré, and color fringing caused by the interpolation process can be reduced,
improving color reproducibility in the details.
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What Is “Pixel Shift”?