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DXO on GH1 Sensor Performance

Amin

Active member
I personally respect the DxO results in general. As a RAW shooter, what they find with most cameras tends to agree well with my practical, real world findings in use of those cameras. However, their GH1 results make me wonder whether their findings may be skewed by manufacturer tampering with RAW data.

The G1 is known to have the same sensor as the E-P1, E-P2, and GF1, and tests identically to the E-P1 and GF1 cameras in DxO analysis. I assume the same will hold true for the E-P2. As an owner of the GH1 and G1, my personal experience is that the GH1 image quality is, on the whole, better than that of the G1. However, I've always suspected that a good part of the difference is caused by Panasonic applying noise filtering at the level of the sensor, such that it is "baked into" the RAW. If my hunch is correct, then DxO is analyzing "cooked RAWs" from the GH1 and "raw RAWs" from the other cameras.

Regardless of whether I am right about the above, DxO has several limitations. For example, the banding which is known to affect GH1 images (especially when underexposed and pushed) does not factor into their analysis at all. I will note, however, that Nik's Dfine is an effective remedy for the GH1 banding.
 

Terry

New member
There was just an interview with one of the product people from Panasonic who said the GH1 technology is very different from the G1/GF1/E-P1/E-P2 sensor....Digital vs Analogue readout. I am not an engineer and I haven't read the DxO info but just saying that they apparently are very different. I will look for the link this afternoon.
 
A

alanwf

Guest
Noise and Raw

Can’t comment on the GH1, but this week I tested raw files from the GF1 with Noise, Sharpening, and Contrast at +2, +1, 0, and -2, to see if the raw files carried any of this (which I was hoping wouldn’t be the case). Pixel peeped there was no difference, so at least for the GF1 the raw files as opened in ACR 5.6 carry no Noise reduction, etc. information.
 

Amin

Active member
There was just an interview with one of the product people from Panasonic who said the GH1 technology is very different from the G1/GF1/E-P1/E-P2 sensor....Digital vs Analogue readout. I am not an engineer and I haven't read the DxO info but just saying that they apparently are very different. I will look for the link this afternoon.
Terry, is this what you are referring to?
 

Amin

Active member
Re: Noise and Raw

Can’t comment on the GH1, but this week I tested raw files from the GF1 with Noise, Sharpening, and Contrast at +2, +1, 0, and -2, to see if the raw files carried any of this (which I was hoping wouldn’t be the case). Pixel peeped there was no difference, so at least for the GF1 the raw files as opened in ACR 5.6 carry no Noise reduction, etc. information.
ISO 800 and up GH1 RAW files are clearly influenced by the NR settings. It is most noticeable with the ISO 1600 files. Paradoxically, -2 NR applies the most noise reduction into the shadow areas of RAW files, and +2 NR applies the least. This is especially annoying when shooting RAW + JPEG, because +2 NR is the highest NR setting for JPEG and the lowest NR setting for RAW :wtf:.
 

Jonas

Active member
The sensor technology is not the same. Still, also the G1 has been shown to produce slightly different raw files depending on the film mode NR setting. The difference is small enough not to matter in practical life.
This new approach (not only by Panasonic as I understand it) is annoying. Or maybe it is just something one has to get used to.
 

s.agar

Member
I highly regard the DXO results when comparing "similar" cameras. Even then one has to evaluate the results for his preferences.

It was surprising to learn that the GH1 has a difference.

Other than that, according to DXO, D700 is a better camera than all Leaf and Hasselblad cameras, etc. The sensor value has to include so many other factors to make a real scale, or they should forget about the scaling and just report the findings.
 

pellicle

New member
Hi

The sensor value has to include so many other factors to make a real scale, or they should forget about the scaling and just report the findings.
however in this case one would have to say that the sensors are closely sized (that is 7D vs GH1 unlike comparisons to Leaf)
 

s.agar

Member
I highly regard the DXO results when comparing "similar" cameras. Even then one has to evaluate the results for his preferences.
That's also my point. But as we all know, it's very difficult to try to give points to cameras, since so many preferences and other variables make a difference for each individual. It's better not to IMO.
 
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