Canon has developed an image sensor with a resolution of 250 megapixels, PCWorld reports.

The 19,580 by 12,600 pixels in the APS-H format sensor, measuring about 29.2 millimeters by 20.2mm, constitute the highest pixel count for a CMOS sensor smaller than full-frame 35mm size, the company said.

The resolution is 125 times full HD video, about 30 times 4K video and some 7.5 times 8K, a format with 7,680 by 4,320 pixels that will be used in regular broadcasts in Japan in 2018.

Improvements in signal processing and circuit miniaturization give the sensor a signal readout speed of 1.25 billion pixels per second. The sensor can also capture high pixel-count video at five frames per second.

The sensor was mounted into a prototype camera and was able to capture images in which the lettering on a plane flying some 18 kilometers away can be made out. The stunt involved optical and digital zooming, as well as magnification of a very small area of the photo.

Canon envisions potential business uses for the sensor in surveillance, crime prevention and high-resolution measurements.

Security cameras have become a focus for Canon amid wilting demand for compact digital cameras, once a mainstay product.

Earlier this year, it acquired Swedish security camera maker Axis communications and recently announced it will launch a security camera next year with an ultra-telephoto zoom lens and an F-value of 2.4 that can grab color imagery in near-darkness.