Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/06/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi ok maybe "every bit as good" is a bit of a stretch. But if you read into his conclusions at the end, "As we have proved in our comparisons the step in resolution from 12 MP to 16 MP; 16% isn't as big as you may expect (it's not for instance as big as the step from 8 MP to 12 MP; 22%). Thus at a nice-lens-buying difference of $3,000 the D2X offers much better value for money than Canon's EOS-1Ds Mark II. Don't doubt Nikon's strategy of sticking to a cropped sensor. The advantage of only using the 'sweet spot' area of the lens is clear, full size 35 mm sensors may have long been the dream of the digital photographer but they do place much bigger demands on the lens." plus his last line "It's fair to say that with the D2X Nikon are well and truly 'back', a killer combination of the superb D2 body, a high resolution CMOS sensor and the added bonus of high speed shooting when you need it. What can I say? The ratio of Pros to Cons really sums up my whole feeling for the D2X, it's exactly what we expect Nikon to produce, a solid robust high performance digital SLR with superb image quality, build quality and a confidence inspiring sense of presence. You know, I may well buy one myself!" then one realises it is not that much of a stretch :) I shoot Canon in addition to Leica, not Nikon. But i think it's good to have competition to jolt Canon from time to time :) ---------- David Teo On 05-Jun-05, at PM 09:24, F?lix L?pez de Maturana wrote: > > Have I read same test? Excuse me for quoting literally Phil Askey -I > hope with his kind permission- > > "A check of the detail crop however shows that at ISO 1600 and 3200 > we're losing detail to the smoothing effect of noise reduction. A quick > scan of the graph below shows that noise levels between these cameras > are actually quite similar up to ISO 800 (with or without noise > reduction), with noise reduction switched Off the D2X's ISO 1600 noise > is marginally higher than that of the EOS 1Ds Mark II. Set noise > reduction to High and you get the cleanest looking images and lowest > measurable noise levels but at the expense of image detail (see samples > below graphs)" > > "In development terms this new sensor may not be as mature as those > found in Canon's digital SLR's but it real terms it performs almost as > well, the only difference seems to be Nikon's choice of standard > sensitivity range which is ISO 100 to 800. Turn off the High ISO noise > reduction and shoot at ISO 1600 equiv. (HI-1) and noise levels will be > higher than we'd like, turn noise reduction back on and you begin to > lose detail (my preference is keep the detail as the noise isn't that > objectionable)." > > "Having now matched the in-camera sharpening we can see that while the > Canon's resolution advantage can be seen in areas of fine detail it's > not a storming lead" > > Leica DMR option for 1.3 crop sensor is an economical decision > consequence of cost influences and it's the first time I see Leica > not going to the top notch absolute quality but is doing concessions > to practical factors. May be it will be necessary for survival.