Kiss my ISO Canon shooters

[Rich Rohrich]

Even though I'm an unapologetic Nikon fan (and in this crowd I seem to be a rarity) I thought you Canon shooters might still enjoy seeing a not very scientific, but kinda fun test I did.

I was doing some high ISO tests with the default camera settings and no special sharpening or NR. These are straight out of the camera, shot RAW opened in ACR/CS5 with no changes in the ACR settings. Once in CS5 they were resized and saved as sRGB JPG at 100%, no NR and no sharpening was added.

I think they could be even better if I used the Nikon RAW converter software, which seems to have a few special tricks to deal with high ISO noise. I still have to try playing with the high ISO NR settings in the camera itself as well, but I thought these simple test might prove interesting to some.

This stuff was unimaginable when I was fiddling with CCD sensors in the engineering lab at USRobotics 10 years ago.

Disclaimer : Any softness is the images can be blamed on me shooting this handheld with the lens pretty much wide open.


Lens (mm): 50
ISO: 800
Aperture: 1.4
Shutter: 1/60
Exp. Comp.: 0.0
Flash Comp.:
Program: Manual
Focus Mode: AF-C
White Bal.: AUTO
ICC Profile: Adobe RGB (1998)
Contrast:
Sharpening:
Quality: RAW

100% crop

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Lens (mm): 50
ISO: 6400
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter: 1/125
Exp. Comp.: 0.0
Flash Comp.:
Program: Manual
Focus Mode: AF-C
White Bal.: AUTO
ICC Profile: Adobe RGB (1998)
Contrast:
Sharpening:
Quality: RAW

100% crop

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Lens (mm): 50
ISO: 12800
Aperture: 3.2
Shutter: 1/125
Exp. Comp.: 0.0
Flash Comp.:
Program: Manual
Focus Mode: AF-C
White Bal.: AUTO
ICC Profile: Adobe RGB (1998)
Contrast:
Sharpening:
Quality: RAW


I screwed up on this and stopped the lens down rather than changing shutter speed to manually meter this so the light levels are slightly different, but take a look at the red and blue on the Pepsi bottle. The saturation that is maintained is unreal considering this is ISO12800. :yikes: Even though there is some noise present in the 100% crop take a look at the type of noise and the edge color consistency. This kind of noise looks more like film grain than noise on a print, and is easily removed.

100% crop

 

[oldguy]

amazing I don't think I have ever ventured over 800 Might have to try it just for fun

 

[Chili]

There is no doubt I'd be looking Nikon if I was looking for a new kit at the moment. I'm shocked that they have had a strong edge in this area for at least 3-4 years now with no real response from Canon.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Here's the ISO12800 run through a single default pass of Noise Ninja in CS2 using the JPG not the original RAW file. Obviously if I did it right from the start on the RAW file it could be much better, but it's still startling how good it is. I'm really weak on NR and sharpening, so the point of doing these high ISO shots was to work on those skills. I think I'm missing out on a lot of final print quality because my skills are weak in these areas. Luckily the camera is so damn good it covers my ignorant ass pretty well. :cool:

100% crop

 

[Chili]

Shooting AX sure as heck would have been a lot easier if I could have shot 12800 instead of fighting to make 1600 useable.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Doug - I was thinking the same thing. This capability can totally change the way action sports are shot, especially indoors.

An 2.8f 70-200mm and ISO 12800 could get you a bunch of shots that just weren't possible before in available light.

It's a brave new world :)

 

[IndyMX]

Wow..

 

[Rich Rohrich]

My thoughts exactly Indy. It's a good time to be a Nikon loyalist. ;)

 

[High Lord Gomer]

Is that a boobie in the first pic? Obviously you weren't focusing on the correct subject.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Is that a boobie in the first pic? Obviously you weren't focusing on the correct subject.

It was Hulu running in the background so I doubt it was quality boobage, but high marks to you for looking for the picture within the picture. You must be killer at Where's Waldo :whoa:

 

[helio lucas]

holy .....!!!!! :yikes:

i really don´t care those brand talk, but i can say one thing. as soon as i bought a cannon i really regreat myself for years. more yet because i really thought in buy a nikon d90 instead... this will hurt me for the rest of my life.

yesterday while talking to a photographer that happens to be my cousin and as a d300, he said a nice thing to hear: " a canon is just like a alfa romeo or a ferrari. you will really like them in two special times, when you bought it and when you sell it!!!"

 

[Okiewan]

You kiddies keep loving your Nikon's, we pro's are too busy making a living with the Canon to play silly iso wars. :p

 

[Rich Rohrich]

You kiddies keep loving your Nikon's, we pro's are too busy making a living with the Canon to play silly iso wars. :p

I clearly don't have the talent to make a living with my camera, but I'm smart enough to recognize when engineering has improved enough to actually make a substantial difference for my kind of shooting. I like night shooting and this is the kind of difference that really opens up some unique opportunities for me that I couldn't get with a Canon.

... ohh and before I forget, Nikon rules and Canon DROOLS!! :nener:

 

[helio lucas]

ahahahhhah!!!
lets flame the nikon, canon guys!!!

no really, lets add some added information.

canon 550d (on US it´s called rebel XPTO something i don´t really care) @ 50mm
no noise reduction, sharpness or any processing other than the camera settings at minimum. raw shooted, converted on DPP (canon software). the 100% crops were made on photoshop by viewing at 100% and croping the full screen. i really don´t know a better way to do it...

1\4000 @ f1.8 ISO 12800 (H) <- H is only for canon lords ;)


100% crop



1\1000 @ f1.8 ISO 3200


100% crop

 

[helio lucas]

1\4000 @ f1.8 ISO 12800 on camera Noise Reduction at maximum setting


100% crop



1\1000 @f1.8 ISO 3200 max NR


100% crop

 

[helio lucas]

now a darker background picture where the noise is more pronounced.

1\1600 @ f2.5 ISO 12800 no NR applyed


100% crop



nothing bad for a 18Mp consumer body with a cheap kit lens?... not that the lens contribut for the noise :think:
and the on camera NR at 3200 ISO is doing a good job, it seems to me.
12800 iso is kind of emergency, small print, setting. maybe that is the reason it must be activated on advanced settings.

i really don´t like comparing 100% crops because of the size of the picture AKA megapixel. it was nice to shoot the same subject to made real comparisson...

and you, nikon´s, don´t have the $L lenses$$$$$ :rotfl:

me neither :fft:

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Thanks Helio, that was interesting to see. I guess I should add my Nikon has a 12mp sensor.

No worries, there is plenty of expensive glass to lust after on the Nikon side of the world. I have a wishlist of lenses that looks like the National Debt, and like you I probably won't own them in my lifetime. :whoa: