Nikon D300/M8 test

[nostatic]

for the second set of images, are you sure they're in the right order? To my (admittedly relatively untrained) eye, the top image looks more saturated in the right part of the wall, and matches the bottom image of the first pair.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

What I see here as with my own files is that the Leica images have more micro-contrast and micro-detail with smoother tonality gradations. The Nikon tends to smear small details just a tad. Less than Canon, but more than Leica, who doesn't use an AA filter. The Zeiss ZF glass is good, but I think the Leica M glass is better, especially the 75 APO and 28 ASPH. Overall, both cameras are producing nice results.

Of course, these are at 900 pixel web-sized images. I think we need some big stuff to really see the devil in the details.

David

Well said David. We also need to realize the DR is more on the M8 . So those shadows and mid tones are flatter looking because it is opened up more. The Nikon files look more saturated because of this. Now if I went in to open that up in LR it would look the same BUT i am now starting at a different point to open up so there still will be less elbow room at the top side. But this is okay because the Nikon is not blowing the highlights which are harder to control. If the DR is less in the shadows and mid tones than we have a chance to open it . Yes I am doing all of this in LR and at whatever default Adobe setup for each companies files . No we are doing more quick and dirty here and I am NOT correcting anything except to match each other on exposure. Nothing will be perfect here, something will be off so we need to remember that and not judge to hard yet. When we start correcting things than the slight differences will be more known. Hell we are just getting our feet wet here. i can smell a LONG thread coming. LOL

No DMR bible and that just takes too much time but i would like to see how far we can stretch these Nikon files. Okay let's get busy more stuff

 

[Guy Mancuso]

for the second set of images, are you sure they're in the right order? To my (admittedly relatively untrained) eye, the top image looks more saturated in the right part of the wall, and matches the bottom image of the first pair.

Yes Leica first Nikon second . We need to remember different meters and AWB

 

[Guy Mancuso]

One note on the Nikon watch the greens as we go. They tend to look a little unnatural , lets see as we go.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Guy, great test. I'm have some of the same questions as others.

Is the D300 set to Standard or Neutral color? I always keep my D3 at Neutral and bump change later if I want in NX. Standard is too punchy for me. Don't why I'd ever use Vivid, Fog maybe? Maybe some DR is lost in Standard vs what Neutral would bring out?

NX for the D300, C1 for the M8 or ACR/CS3 for both? We all know how much of a difference that makes.

Where/when/how is USM set?

Keep going ;-)

Neil

Should not make a difference since i am shooting Raw and using LR which will not pick up Nikons tags . It is set to neutral though and I am shooting 14bit

 

[helenhill]

One note on the Nikon watch the greens as we go. They tend to look a little unnatural , lets see as we go.

I totally agree Guy re: Green
that is the main reason I'm not into Digital Nikons
is the greens & yellows.....rather abit unsophisticated/ 'Disney PoP' ish in hue
but I will certainly admit the D300 has its CHARMS
All the Best- helen

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Nikon really got warm here , AWB again so they read it different. That is focus point 75 cron and 85 Zeiss . This was at F2 Zeiss looks a touch off here but next images the Cron is off.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Nikon only at F4 85mm Zeiss. The greens look good here. This normal color with yellow green

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Nikon only again . I shot the Leica at the wrong aperture. Shot at F4 for the Nikon and this looks very nice folks

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Okay back to the 28 cron at 5.6 than the 17-35 at same focal length . Here I am NOT moving

 

[Guy Mancuso]

See the DR difference. Look at the plant bottom left corner and tree on left

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Sidestep here . I corrected the Nikon to match , very easy just brought up the fill

 

[Guy Mancuso]

That was a subtle fill move but I still have plenty of room to go but as I see it the M8 has more DR by about a stop. Sharpness wise very close but it is hard to beat a 28 cron. If you noticed i don't mess around with lenses on the Leica side of the house there the best you can buy but that 17-35 is no freaking slouch at all. Most folks would not even see the difference but you folks like me are picky picky about your glass. as you should be

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Okay same setup with the wides but a little tougher light coming from the side. I shot this from the car. Okay I got lazy . LOL

Leica than Nikon at 5.6

 

[TRSmith]

This is a great series Guy. I think it's making really good points for both systems.

The one thing that shows up well from the pairing before last is that Nikon seems to handle the highlights better than the Leica, and the Leica seems to handle the low and mid tones better. This might just be my immaturity with the M8, but I tend to make different exposure decisions because of the way it's a tad brittle in the highs, but since you can push the low end around a lot more, it's no big deal.

(not sure that makes sense, but thanks for these great comparisons)

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Both handled it very well. At this point if you really want to match the M8 than i say take a point or two down in saturation

 

[Guy Mancuso]

This is a great series Guy. I think it's making really good points for both systems.

The one thing that shows up well from the last pairing is that Nikon seems to handle the highlights better than the Leica, and the Leica seems to handle the low and mid tones better. This might just be my immaturity with the M8, but I tend to make different exposure decisions because of the way it's a tad brittle in the highs, but since you can push the low end around a lot more, it's no big deal.

(not sure that makes sense, but thanks for these great comparisons)

Exactly Tim and with the extra DR it maybe carrying into the highlights some also . BUT there is that recovery slider which i have yet to use yet. That will bring the highlights down in a hurry also. What we have now is some really good raw processors that even the score too. C1, Apertur , NX and LR all have these controls now. This is a huge plus for us users

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Tim classic example of what i just said. Here is the Nikon file worked . I used the fill , recovery and black point than the blue luminance control I brought the blue in more. Great trick here. Now a completely different look to it

 

[Guy Mancuso]

You folks are getting some workshop lessons here. LOL

Frankly I live to share this stuff. I just love what I do sometimes for a career

 

[Guy Mancuso]

At this point (pardon me ladies for saying this but I would not throw either one out of my bed), there both doing very well and the Nikon is doing more than I thought it could