The DMR also has no AA filter and has built-in software to reduce moire, which I don\'t use (because it\'s used only with jpg output). I use only RAW output with the DMR so I see the effects of aliasing occasionally, mostly in the fine detail of bird feathers. Some species are particularly prone to moire, such as the California Quail in the back and breast feathers:
Interestingly, the same species also shows moire when photographed with the Nikon D200 which has an AA filter. In the photo above I\'ve used post-processing software to reduce the color moire in the affected areas. The inevitable softening introduced by the moire-reducer affects only the area where the moire was a visible problem, instead of the hardware AA filter\'s softening even where it\'s not needed.
I\'m sure that Richard (\'brainiac\') will need the have the last word and with extreme pixel-peeping will demonstrate that even after the selective moire reducer there\'s some aliasing, i.e., the lack of AA filter introduces false data. Likewise the capture softening of the AA filter and the \'sharpening\' (which is no such thing, it\'s local contrast enhancement) to supposedly bring the sharpness back is likewise an introduction of false data.
The user has a choice: an AA filter + additional local contrast enhancement or no AA filter and selective moire repair, either way you\'ll find false data if you\'re a sufficiently persistent pixel-peeper.
Here are a few more photos where I\'ve used selective moire reduction. Can you find the false data?
Here\'s another where I didn\'t think moire repair was worth the effort:
Can you find the false data? If you can, does it detract from the photo?
Here are a few more that have the full benefit of no AA filter, they have the full sparkle and brilliance the DMR can produce, and I have not seen any aliasing in any of them:
My experience has been that moire and aliasing are very minor issues and in the relatively few cases where it\'s a problem it\'s overshadowed by the brilliance and richness of the vast majority of the camera\'s output. I\'m sure Richard will need to have the last word and demonstrate that the above photos are indeed fatally flawed by the lack of AA filter. All I know is that I\'m very pleased with Leica\'s design choice of not using an AA filter on the DMR and that those who have purchased my photos have remarked about the brilliance of the photos and that nobody has complained about moire or aliasing.
Jun 21, 2009 at 07:36 AM
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