Readout Speed
How quickly a sensor's entire array can be transferred off the chip, usually quoted as the time to scan the full frame.
Measured in
ms
In depth
Readout speed governs rolling shutter severity, maximum flash sync with electronic shutter, viewfinder refresh and the top frame rate. A conventional sensor takes 20 to 30 milliseconds; a stacked design manages under 5. It is arguably the most consequential sensor specification that manufacturers rarely publish directly.
Examples in practice
A 4 ms readout means a fast pan shows almost no skew, where a 25 ms readout would visibly lean vertical lines.