07-18-2010, 12:29 PM
[quote name='genotypewriter' date='18 July 2010 - 08:57 AM' timestamp='1279439858' post='1086']
There's quite a misconception out there thinking massive low-noise advantages can come over night. Nikon somehow seem to imply that they defy physics that all other mortals have to obey. Interestingly enough, in the midst of these supposed noise improvements, Nikon cameras are the least used in astrophotography* applications for some reasons explained in the first link below. The other links are also related to the same topic of "cooking RAW files" or manipulating the data captured by the sensor before writing them to the RAW files.
Cooking RAW Files
Look for the line "this occurs even before the raw image is written to the file" in the Nikon section below:
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/NIK_CAN.HTM
Another article:
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en/Our-...cooked-RAW
Dark frame subtraction is also evident especially in the D3X "full SNR" compared to other sensors:
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en/Came.../Nikon/D3X
Noise vs. Resolution
My own comparison of 1Ds3 vs. D3 vs. a900 ISO1600 RAW noise w.r.t. resolution:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/genotypewriter/3012247230
DXOMark on the same (1Ds3 vs. D3) confirms this:
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en/Our-...omparisons
I know this post can be easily thought of as a N vs. C thing... but instead, I hope the readers here are able to see it as a "photographers vs. manufacturers" thing instead.
GTW
* Astrophotography as in taking pictures of stars and deep space objects through dedicated astro-telescopes. Taking cameras to space to take pictures of space-stations, Earth, etc. aren't what I'm referring to here.
[/quote]
Some side notes.
Nikon's D3 (and D200, D300/D3s probably, D700, probably all Nikon DSLRs since the D200) appear to apply some NR only (or extra?) when exposure time reaches a certain duration. It can vary from model to model (I have forgotten the exposure time values where you see it kick in with the different models).
With earlier Nikons you could force it to write RAW data by using long exposure NR (black frame subtraction) and then turning the camera off while it was taking the black frame. I wonder if that is still possible with the newer models like the D3 and D3s? That would mean that you can prove exactly which impact the NR on the RAW data has.
The Canon 5D mk II got some kind of pattern noise firmware fix. Not sure how that impacts the RAW data integrity.
There's quite a misconception out there thinking massive low-noise advantages can come over night. Nikon somehow seem to imply that they defy physics that all other mortals have to obey. Interestingly enough, in the midst of these supposed noise improvements, Nikon cameras are the least used in astrophotography* applications for some reasons explained in the first link below. The other links are also related to the same topic of "cooking RAW files" or manipulating the data captured by the sensor before writing them to the RAW files.
Cooking RAW Files
Look for the line "this occurs even before the raw image is written to the file" in the Nikon section below:
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/NIK_CAN.HTM
Another article:
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en/Our-...cooked-RAW
Dark frame subtraction is also evident especially in the D3X "full SNR" compared to other sensors:
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en/Came.../Nikon/D3X
Noise vs. Resolution
My own comparison of 1Ds3 vs. D3 vs. a900 ISO1600 RAW noise w.r.t. resolution:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/genotypewriter/3012247230
DXOMark on the same (1Ds3 vs. D3) confirms this:
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en/Our-...omparisons
I know this post can be easily thought of as a N vs. C thing... but instead, I hope the readers here are able to see it as a "photographers vs. manufacturers" thing instead.
GTW
* Astrophotography as in taking pictures of stars and deep space objects through dedicated astro-telescopes. Taking cameras to space to take pictures of space-stations, Earth, etc. aren't what I'm referring to here.
[/quote]
Some side notes.
Nikon's D3 (and D200, D300/D3s probably, D700, probably all Nikon DSLRs since the D200) appear to apply some NR only (or extra?) when exposure time reaches a certain duration. It can vary from model to model (I have forgotten the exposure time values where you see it kick in with the different models).
With earlier Nikons you could force it to write RAW data by using long exposure NR (black frame subtraction) and then turning the camera off while it was taking the black frame. I wonder if that is still possible with the newer models like the D3 and D3s? That would mean that you can prove exactly which impact the NR on the RAW data has.
The Canon 5D mk II got some kind of pattern noise firmware fix. Not sure how that impacts the RAW data integrity.