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Nikon D800 Hi Iso with low light

lucca

New member
Hey Guys. First of all, i'm not from USA, Sorry for my bad english!

So, I want to buy a nikon D800 ( I Have a Nikon D700 ) And I want to know about the noise from High Iso in a low light place... And overall, D800 is truly a excelent camera?

Thanks!
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Lucca

Its hard to evaluate high noise performance without a common benchmark . Many photographers will tell you its excellent at ISO6400 ..but compared to what camera ? I use ISO400 as my baseline for high image quality . As ISO increases ....noise in the shadows increases,dynamic range decreases as does color saturation.

The other issue is you ability to expose for the shadows without blowing the highlights . While this is necessary for many images ..its like saying ISO 1600 is great IF I expose for the shadows (which is really giving you an effective ISO800) .

I use the D800E for street photography in color in the range of ISO800-3200 and find it excellent . I try to stay at ISO1600 if I can as the margin for exposure error at ISO3200 is small . ISO6400 can be used but the results are normally inferior to those taken at ISO3200 and below . So for me ISO1600 is excellent and ISO3200 acceptable for critical work .

You can also improve the performance if you downsize the files during post processing ...assuming you don t need the pixels for large prints . See Diglloyd s website .

Roger
 

jsf

Active member
Lucca, I have both the d700 and d800e, I can say there is no qualitative difference in ISO performance between them. They process a bit different but in terms of noise they are essentially equivalent. If you like the d700 at 6400 ISO then you will like the d800 at 6400 ISO. I shoot indoors at 6400 and I find the noise quite acceptable at 40cm prints. Outside in daylight when I am shooting street work, I use the lowest ISO that is practical but I have no issue with using 1600 ISO and even 3200 ISO occasionally. I think you lose a bit past 800 ISO but 1600 is not bad, at 3200 it is a matter of what is more important to you, shutter speed or dynamic range and a bit of noise. But indoors I have found that 6400 is a very practical ISO, I bounce flash even in really big rooms with high ceilings and find the quality to be quite good. After 6400 the cameras look different but at say 25,000 ISO I think it is a miracle that there is any quality to it all, but there is some noise as it might be expected. If you really want high ISO and low noise pick up a used d3s, they are really a treat for that particular function. Joe
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member

Back in March 2012, right after the release of D800, I posted some links to NEF files at ISO 1600, 3200 and 6400 captured indoors in available light and with shadows here and there in some of the darker areas of the picture.

You can download the NEF files here and process them after your own taste with and without noise reduction and thereby judge the noise structure and character.

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/nikon/35804-nikon-d800-first-blush.html#post401519


Here's the ISO 6400 file converted in Lightroom this time with Luminance Noise Reduction set to 50 (out of 100 possible).

Since the used AI-S Nikkor 2.8/20mm lens is an old design from the film days showing some rather visible lateral chromatic aberration I also ticked the Lightroom check box: >> Lens Corrections >> Color >> Remove Chromatic Aberration

Download the RAW file via the above link and see how it behaves with your own usual RAW conversion treatment.


©lick for native size (11.1 Mb)


© • Nikon D800 • AI-S Nikkor 2.8/20mm • 12 bit 1/400 sec. at f/8 ISO 6400 • Lightroom 4
 

lucca

New member
Lucca, I have both the d700 and d800e, I can say there is no qualitative difference in ISO performance between them. They process a bit different but in terms of noise they are essentially equivalent. If you like the d700 at 6400 ISO then you will like the d800 at 6400 ISO. I shoot indoors at 6400 and I find the noise quite acceptable at 40cm prints. Outside in daylight when I am shooting street work, I use the lowest ISO that is practical but I have no issue with using 1600 ISO and even 3200 ISO occasionally. I think you lose a bit past 800 ISO but 1600 is not bad, at 3200 it is a matter of what is more important to you, shutter speed or dynamic range and a bit of noise. But indoors I have found that 6400 is a very practical ISO, I bounce flash even in really big rooms with high ceilings and find the quality to be quite good. After 6400 the cameras look different but at say 25,000 ISO I think it is a miracle that there is any quality to it all, but there is some noise as it might be expected. If you really want high ISO and low noise pick up a used d3s, they are really a treat for that particular function. Joe
Lucca

Its hard to evaluate high noise performance without a common benchmark . Many photographers will tell you its excellent at ISO6400 ..but compared to what camera ? I use ISO400 as my baseline for high image quality . As ISO increases ....noise in the shadows increases,dynamic range decreases as does color saturation.

The other issue is you ability to expose for the shadows without blowing the highlights . While this is necessary for many images ..its like saying ISO 1600 is great IF I expose for the shadows (which is really giving you an effective ISO800) .

I use the D800E for street photography in color in the range of ISO800-3200 and find it excellent . I try to stay at ISO1600 if I can as the margin for exposure error at ISO3200 is small . ISO6400 can be used but the results are normally inferior to those taken at ISO3200 and below . So for me ISO1600 is excellent and ISO3200 acceptable for critical work .

You can also improve the performance if you downsize the files during post processing ...assuming you don t need the pixels for large prints . See Diglloyd s website .

Roger

Back in March 2012, right after the release of D800, I posted some links to NEF files at ISO 1600, 3200 and 6400 captured indoors in available light and with shadows here and there in some of the darker areas of the picture.

You can download the NEF files here and process them after your own taste with and without noise reduction and thereby judge the noise structure and character.

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/nikon/35804-nikon-d800-first-blush.html#post401519


Here's the ISO 6400 file converted in Lightroom this time with Luminance Noise Reduction set to 50 (out of 100 possible).

Since the used AI-S Nikkor 2.8/20mm lens is an old design from the film days showing some rather visible lateral chromatic aberration I also ticked the Lightroom check box: >> Lens Corrections >> Color >> Remove Chromatic Aberration

Download the RAW file via the above link and see how it behaves with your own usual RAW conversion treatment.


©lick for native size (11.1 Mb)


© • Nikon D800 • AI-S Nikkor 2.8/20mm • 12 bit 1/400 sec. at f/8 ISO 6400 • Lightroom 4
I have a D700 too and I like to use iso 2500 or 3200. I'm asking to you guys because I'll sell to my brother the D700 and I'll buy a D800. I asked for the high iso in low light places because 6 in 10 jobs I do, is in low light places... The real big question is If i'm doing the right thing about buying the D800.
Dont forget that for me, Dollars is 2x more. Example: 300$ = 600R$

Roger, thanks for the photo, man!
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member

It's from Kastelskirken in Copenhagen, a beautiful church room without much decoration.

I like its serene simplicity, architectural noise reduction at its best.
 

Thorkil

Well-known member
Okay, thanks. I must go and see it some day.
Yes you are quit right. Simplicity is often the refreshing and relieving alternative to most of the other parts of life. And simplicity can some times turn out be the unnoticed higher level of life, with its own special beauty. Looks like such a place.
Thorkil
 
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