![]() We prefer to photograph subjects with fine detail (near and far) and look at how well camera and lens, (with or without sharpening in ACR and/or Photoshop), render them. As for detail, we have no interest in photographing resolution charts. One can be aided by the measurements created with image-specific noise profiles made in applications such as Noise Ninja and Noiseware 3. ![]() The latter is particularly difficult because apart from the world of test-charts and instrument-based measurements, judgments about noise and detail as they affect the appearance of real world photographic prints (our interest) are rather qualitative, and depend on image size and viewing distance. If you are interested in the details, please read on.ġ HTP, according to the manual “Improves the highlight detail……….the gradation between the grays an dĢ A real-world photograph is a picture of anything other than test charts and resolution diagrams.īefore testing anything, one must be clear about what one is testing for (noise and detail), how to do it and how to evaluate what one has done. If that’s all you want to know, you may click out. ![]() (5) Using the Canon 24~105 f/4 L lens, resolution visibly deteriorates relative to the “sweet range” when the aperture is narrowed beyond f/11, but sharpening mitigates it. (4) Beyond a certain threshold in the lower noise range, the noise measurements from noise reduction software is a useful indicator of noise you will see in a print. (3) The noise you see on a display may or may not be a reliable indicator of noise you will see in a print, depending on the size of the print. (2) That said, correct digital exposure technique (Expose to the Right – ETTR) is a must for achieving optimal results. (1) The 1Ds3 and the Nikon D3 are superb performers in respect of both noise and resolution, judged from Super A3 size real-world photographs 2 printed on high DMax media in an Epson 3800. Here are the five conclusions emerging from this exploration: So this is turned off (with confidence we can manage tonality in Camera Raw ) all the following discussion assumes HTP is disabled. As for HTP, we’ll dispense with that first –the manual says that by enabling HTP “noise in the shadow areas may be slightly more than usual”. Money really helps concentrate the mind, so after plunking-down 8000 bucks for a 1DsMarkIII (1Ds3), testing it at ISO 200 with the High Tone Priority 1 (HTP) option enabled and seeing slightly “grittier” results in the three-quarter tones than expected for this ISO, it invited exploring the related issues of noise and detail more generally. Lens aperture and exposure technique also affect apparent resolution, therefore one needs to examine these as well in relation to noise and resolution. Noise and detail are the flip sides of the coin because noise can obscure detail, as can noise-reducing firmware and software. We don’t know the “whys and wherefores” within the camera, but we can look systematically at the results. It’s natural – one wonders whether new technology really allows, say, cramming 21 million photosites within a 24*36mm rectangle at tolerable noise levels, or whether the engineers cleverly designed processing algorithms which “simply” smooth out the noise at the expense of image detail, or whether there’s an optimum combination of both things happening. To judge from the various threads in discussion forums and web reports with performance tests, the arrival of the latest crop of DSLRs has generated a renewed flurry of interest in the subject of two big factors determining image quality: noise and resolution. Facebook Tweet Introduction and Summary Findings
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |