But higher numbers of megapixels does not necessarily lead to better pictures.

You’d need to pair this with a seriously advanced (and expensive) lens to take advantage of all those megapixels but on a technical level it’s another notable breakthrough in the world of digital photography. But a 250-megapixel camera is a different story.

‘The new Canon-developed CMOS sensor, however, despite its exceptionally high pixel count, achieves an ultra-high signal readout speed of 1.25 billion pixels per second, made possible through such advancements as circuit miniaturisation and enhanced signal-processing technology.

Canon has demonstrated a working camera prototype which uses the new sensor, which is smaller than a 35mm full-frame sensor.

The new sensor is an APS-H CMOS sensor, which works out to approximately 29.2 x 20.2mm in size.

Accordingly, the sensor enables the capture of ultra-high-pixel-count video at a speed of five frames per second. This isn’t for shooting crazy-sharp footage, but rather to allow cropping and magnifying video images without sacrificing resolution and clarity.

Canon didn’t say when it’s planning to launch the technology.

But don’t expect the sensor to be coming to your compact camera anytime soon – Canon says it’s better used in “specialised surveillance and crime prevention tools, ultra-high-resolution measuring instruments and other industrial equipment”.