Nikon_14 wrote:
At what ISO would the D3s start to approach the amount of noise on a D700 at ISO 1600?
Not interested in D4_D800 or other hypothetical comparisons, save that can of worms for another thread...
Between ISO 3600 and 4500 for me. It's hard to judge since the grain characteristic of the D3s is different than the D700. I'll see if I can post some real life pics for comparison.
Well, this is kind of what I thought it would be... rather subjective, like pretty much everything in this realm. The median opinion seems like anywhere from 1 stop to 2 stops.
I appreciate most the opinions of people who've made the move from one to the other, those are the most relevant (I would think, anyway).
innovis wrote:
Around 3600 for me. I went from a D700 to D3s as well if that furthers the answer.
Assuming equal skill and care during exposure, I think you'll find that the answer from most people is "anywhere from 1 to 2 stops" as you noted. I never owned nor shot a D3 or D700, so I can't really opine directly.
But I've made some nice, clean images at ISO 12800 with the D3s... that camera really made me lose my fear of cranking the ISO up when necessary. And note that you do need to learn high-ISO technique to get the most of any of these cameras, OK? The absolute Kiss of Death is underexposure. Better to raise the ISO another notch or two, but make absolutely sure that you ETTR, and you're probably in pretty good shape.
Here's two of the few UHI (Ultra High ISO ) images I took with the D3s. Both are handheld at ISO12800, using the 70-200 VR2. The first used only available light at 1/30 (EC +1.0 to ETTR, then brought down in post), and the second was during a show so I'd had plenty of time to fine-tune my settings, and I used flash at 1/8 power for that one.
Neither one has more than 10 points of NR applied in Lightroom.
I shot with a D3 and D700 for two years, then got a loaner D3S from NPS. I was only paying attention to the noise (1.3 stops better) and decided that I didn't need it. That was over a year ago, then I just bought one a few weeks ago. Wow, the colors! I totally overlooked the quality of the colors at high ISO in my previous experience. I would say it's a solid 2 stops better than the D3/D700 in regards to high ISO color.
RAW images converted in LR3 with sharpening turned off. These are 100% crops with no other adjustments applied. I know these are all different photos, but these are taken in real life situations.
I shot a lot with my D3 at ISO 6400 and replaced it with a D3s and later a second D3s when I confirmed, after 100k or so clix its 1 stop hi ISO advantage. In actual practice I enjoy the higher IQ at 6400 and save ISO 12,800 for special conditions.
I shoot my D3 at iso 12800 all the time. Actually I REALLY like the grain structure. Very very film like. I do not mind a really grainy shot at all.
I would imagine the actual grain at 12800 would be like 1.5 stops better and the color would be close to 2 stops better.
My D3 (s) will be come D3s (s) soon
brett maxwell wrote:
I shot with a D3 and D700 for two years, then got a loaner D3S from NPS. I was only paying attention to the noise (1.3 stops better) and decided that I didn't need it. That was over a year ago, then I just bought one a few weeks ago. Wow, the colors! I totally overlooked the quality of the colors at high ISO in my previous experience. I would say it's a solid 2 stops better than the D3/D700 in regards to high ISO color.
Agreed.
Colors are what set the D3s apart from the D3/D700.
When I tested it I was stunned by the ability to shoot at very high ISOs without worrying much about colors and dynamic range.
To me it is a sound 2 stops better than my previous D3.
Marco wrote:
Colors are what set the D3s apart from the D3/D700.
When I tested it I was stunned by the ability to shoot at very high ISOs without worrying much about colors and dynamic range.
To me it is a sound 2 stops better than my previous D3.
I would agree. It's not just straight ISO as people try to compare apples to apples. D3s has a newer and better sensor so there is more than just ISO to look at. I would agree with Marco that is is 1-2 stops better as well, usually towards the 2 stops better mark.
1.3 stops ISO wise, but color wise, ya more like 2. Bottom line is that while I tended to want to stay at 3200-4000 on a D3, I have easily gone to 12,800 on a D3s.
) images I took with the D3s. Both are handheld at ISO12800, using the 70-200 VR2. The first used only available light at 1/30 (EC +1.0 to ETTR, then brought down in post), and the second was during a show so I'd had plenty of time to fine-tune my settings, and I used flash at 1/8 power for that one.
