Is It True That Cooled Cameras Are More Sensitive Than Non-Cooled Cameras?

Temperature can have significant impact on noise sources prevalent in cameras, which contributes to the total readout noise of an image sensor. As such, the reduction of temperature through “cooling” of image sensor components or electronic circuits can improve image quality and performance. However, the advantages and disadvantages of cooling reveal that cooled cameras may not necessarily be more sensitive than non-cooled cameras. This paper will examine the underlying effects of cooling in cameras and their sensitivities.