There is a lot of talk out there on how much better an image looks if you take a RAW file and resize it down to sRAW dimensions. I frequently photograph dance performances and I know this not to be true on my 40d. I do not know if this is true on any other camera so I gave it a shot on my new 7d.
The purpose of this test is to show the difference in noise levels between RAW and sRAW/mRAW after being resized to sRAW dimensions. The results are fairly conclusive but not necessarily \"winner takes all\" for either format.
Processing Details:
- Images have not been sharpened.
- ACR 5.6 used.
- All ACR settings are default. Only color temperature has been changed in post.
- These are 100% crops after image resize to sRAW.
- All noise reduction has been done before resizing
- Noise Ninja settings (Strength 2, Smoothness 10, Contrast 14, USM Amount 0, USM Radius 0.4) I have found that these settings work better than default. This retains more detail, eliminates more color noise and doesn\'t blur everything in the process. Grain noise good, Color noise bad.
- Photoshop Reduce Noise settings (Strength 6, Preserve Details 60, Reduce Color Noise 100, Sharpen Details 0)
Notes:
- For some reason there is a slight increase in light sensitivity on the 7d when switching from RAW to mRAW/sRAW. Colors seem to change as well. The exposure and color settings are exactly the same in all shots. I am unclear on why this is happening.
- 40d shots are slightly oof. I would have redone that part of the test if this was about sharpness between the two cameras. Alas it is not.
- The 40d sRAW file was upscaled to 7d sRAW dimensions using Genuine Fractals. Although it is slightly softer it clearly shows lower noise levels.
Testing environment. As you can see this was thrown together rather quickly but as far as simple tests go.. its a good start.
Test 1:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Lightroom 3 Beta
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW + Lightroom 3 Beta
Test 2:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Lightroom 3 Beta
7d ISO 12800 mRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW + Lightroom 3 Beta
Conclusions:
- sRAW definitely offers a reduction in noise levels when a high ISO is being used
- RAW + Noise Ninja offer a further reduction in color noise levels but still isn\'t quite as effective as sRAW.
- RAW + Photoshop Remove Noise offers a lower amount of color noise than Noise Ninja however some artifacts are introduced around edges of text. Some non noise related colors are lost. This can be seen around the eye of the elf.
- RAW creates sharper images than sRAW even after downscaling.
- At this point it seams to be a war: Noise levels vs Resolution. I know when I am shooting dance, I always prefer clean images over high resolution noisy ones.
Test Update:
Added RAW + Noise Ninja Test
Added RAW + Photoshop Reduce Noise Test
There is a lot of talk out there on how much better an image looks if you take a RAW file and resize it down to sRAW dimensions. I frequently photograph dance performances and I know this not to be true on my 40d. I do not know if this is true on any other camera so I gave it a shot on my new 7d.
The purpose of this test is to show the difference in noise levels between RAW and sRAW/mRAW after being resized to sRAW dimensions. The results are fairly conclusive but not necessarily \"winner takes all\" for either format.
Processing Details:
- Images have not been sharpened.
- ACR 5.6 used.
- All ACR settings are default. Only color temperature has been changed in post.
- These are 100% crops after image resize to sRAW.
- All noise reduction has been done before resizing
- Noise Ninja settings (Strength 2, Smoothness 10, Contrast 14, USM Amount 0, USM Radius 0.4) I have found that these settings work better than default. This retains more detail, eliminates more color noise and doesn\'t blur everything in the process. Grain noise good, Color noise bad.
- Photoshop Reduce Noise settings (Strength 6, Preserve Details 60, Reduce Color Noise 100, Sharpen Details 0)
Notes:
- For some reason there is a slight increase in light sensitivity on the 7d when switching from RAW to mRAW/sRAW. Colors seem to change as well. The exposure and color settings are exactly the same in all shots. I am unclear on why this is happening.
- 40d shots are slightly oof. I would have redone that part of the test if this was about sharpness between the two cameras. Alas it is not.
- The 40d sRAW file was upscaled to 7d sRAW dimensions using Genuine Fractals. Although it is slightly softer it clearly shows lower noise levels.
Testing environment. As you can see this was thrown together rather quickly but as far as simple tests go.. its a good start.
Test 1:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Test 2:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 mRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Conclusions:
- sRAW definitely offers a reduction in noise levels when a high ISO is being used
- RAW + Noise Ninja offer a further reduction in color noise levels but still isn\'t quite as effective as sRAW.
- RAW + Photoshop Remove Noise offers a lower amount of color noise than Noise Ninja however some artifacts are introduced around edges of text. Some non noise related colors are lost. This can be seen around the eye of the elf.
- RAW creates sharper images than sRAW even after downscaling.
- At this point it seams to be a war: Noise levels vs Resolution. I know when I am shooting dance, I always prefer clean images over high resolution noisy ones.
Test Update:
Added RAW + Noise Ninja Test
Added RAW + Photoshop Reduce Noise Test
There is a lot of talk out there on how much better an image looks if you take a RAW file and resize it down to sRAW dimensions. I frequently photograph dance performances and I know this not to be true on my 40d. I do not know if this is true on any other camera so I gave it a shot on my new 7d.
The purpose of this test is to show the difference in noise levels between RAW and sRAW/mRAW after being resized to sRAW dimensions. The results are fairly conclusive but not necessarily \"winner takes all\" for either format.
Processing Details:
- Images have not been sharpened.
- ACR 5.6 used.
- All ACR settings are default. Only color temperature has been changed in post.
- These are 100% crops after image resize to sRAW.
- All noise reduction has been done before resizing
- Noise Ninja settings (Strength 2, Smoothness 10, Contrast 14, USM Amount 0, USM Radius 0.4) I have found that these settings work better than default. This retains more detail, eliminates more color noise and doesn\'t blur everything in the process. Grain noise good, Color noise bad.
- Photoshop Reduce Noise settings (Strength 6, Preserve Details 60, Reduce Color Noise 100, Sharpen Details 0)
Notes:
- For some reason there is a slight increase in light sensitivity on the 7d when switching from RAW to mRAW/sRAW. Colors seem to change as well. The exposure and color settings are exactly the same in all shots. I am unclear on why this is happening.
- 40d shots are slightly oof. I would have redone that part of the test if this was about sharpness between the two cameras. Alas it is not.
- The 40d sRAW file was upscaled to 7d sRAW dimensions using Genuine Fractals. Although it is slightly softer it clearly shows lower noise levels.
Testing environment. As you can see this was thrown together rather quickly but as far as simple tests go.. its a good start.
Test 1:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Test 2:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 mRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Conclusions:
- sRAW definitely offers a reduction in noise levels when a high ISO is being used
- RAW + Noise Ninja offer a further reduction in color noise levels but still isn\'t quite as effective as sRAW.
- RAW + Photoshop Remove Noise
- RAW creates sharper images than sRAW even after downscaling.
- At this point it seams to be a war: Noise levels vs Resolution. I know when I am shooting dance, I always prefer clean images over high resolution noisy ones.
Test Update:
Added RAW + Noise Ninja Test
Added RAW + Photoshop Reduce Noise Test
There is a lot of talk out there on how much better an image looks if you take a RAW file and resize it down to sRAW dimensions. I frequently photograph dance performances and I know this not to be true on my 40d. I do not know if this is true on any other camera so I gave it a shot on my new 7d.
The purpose of this test is to show the difference in noise levels between RAW and sRAW/mRAW after being resized to sRAW dimensions. The results are fairly conclusive but not necessarily \"winner takes all\" for either format.
Processing Details:
- Images have not been sharpened.
- ACR 5.6 used.
- All ACR settings are default. Only color temperature has been changed in post.
- These are 100% crops after image resize to sRAW.
- All noise reduction has been done before resizing
- Noise Ninja settings (Strength 2, Smoothness 10, Contrast 14, USM Amount 0, USM Radius 0.4) I have found that these settings work better than default. This retains more detail, eliminates more color noise and doesn\'t blur everything in the process. Grain noise good, Color noise bad.
- Photoshop Reduce Noise settings (Strength 6, Preserve Details 60, Reduce Color Noise 100, Sharpen Details 0)
Notes:
- For some reason there is a slight increase in light sensitivity on the 7d when switching from RAW to mRAW/sRAW. Colors seem to change as well. The exposure and color settings are exactly the same in all shots. I am unclear on why this is happening.
- 40d shots are slightly oof. I would have redone that part of the test if this was about sharpness between the two cameras. Alas it is not.
- The 40d sRAW file was upscaled to 7d sRAW dimensions using Genuine Fractals. Although it is slightly softer it clearly shows lower noise levels.
Testing environment. As you can see this was thrown together rather quickly but as far as simple tests go.. its a good start.
Test 1:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Test 2:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 mRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Conclusions:
- sRAW definitely offers a reduction in noise levels when a high ISO is being used
- RAW + Noise Ninja offer a further reduction in color noise levels but still isn\'t quite as effective as sRAW.
- RAW + Photoshop Remove Noise
- RAW creates sharper images than sRAW even after downscaling.
- At this point it seams to be a war: Noise levels vs Resolution. I know when I am shooting dance, I always prefer clean images over high resolution noisy ones.
Test Update:
Added RAW + Noise Ninja Test
Added RAW + Photoshop Reduce Noise Test
There is a lot of talk out there on how much better an image looks if you take a RAW file and resize it down to sRAW dimensions. I frequently photograph dance performances and I know this not to be true on my 40d. I do not know if this is true on any other camera so I gave it a shot on my new 7d.
The purpose of this test is to show the difference in noise levels between RAW and sRAW/mRAW after being resized to sRAW dimensions. The results are fairly conclusive but not necessarily \"winner takes all\" for either format.
Processing Details:
- Images have not been sharpened.
- ACR 5.6 used.
- All ACR settings are default. Only color temperature has been changed in post.
- These are 100% crops after image resize to sRAW.
- All noise reduction has been done before resizing
- Noise Ninja settings (Strength 2, Smoothness 10, Contrast 14, USM Amount 0, USM Radius 0.4) I have found that these settings work better than default. This retains more detail, eliminates more color noise and doesn\'t blur everything in the process. Grain noise good, Color noise bad.
- Photoshop Reduce Noise settings (Strength 6, Preserve Details 60, Reduce Color Noise 100, Sharpen Details 0)
Notes:
- For some reason there is a slight increase in light sensitivity on the 7d when switching from RAW to mRAW/sRAW. Colors seem to change as well. The exposure and color settings are exactly the same in all shots. I am unclear on why this is happening.
- 40d shots are slightly oof. I would have redone that part of the test if this was about sharpness between the two cameras. Alas it is not.
- The 40d sRAW file was upscaled to 7d sRAW dimensions using Genuine Fractals. Although it is slightly softer it clearly shows lower noise levels.
Testing environment. As you can see this was thrown together rather quickly but as far as simple tests go.. its a good start.
Test 1:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Test 2:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 mRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Conclusions:
- sRAW definitely offers a reduction in noise levels when a high ISO is being used
- RAW + Noise Ninja offer a further reduction in color noise levels but still isn\'t quite as effective as sRAW.
- RAW + Photoshop Remove Noise
- RAW creates sharper images than sRAW even after downscaling.
- At this point it seams to be a war: Noise levels vs Resolution. I know when I am shooting dance, I always prefer clean images over high resolution noisy ones.
Test Update:
Added RAW + Noise Ninja Test
Added RAW + Photoshop Reduce Noise Test
There is a lot of talk out there on how much better an image looks if you take a RAW file and resize it down to sRAW dimensions. I frequently photograph dance performances and I know this not to be true on my 40d. I do not know if this is true on any other camera so I gave it a shot on my new 7d.
The purpose of this test is to show the difference in noise levels between RAW and sRAW/mRAW after being resized to sRAW dimensions. The results are fairly conclusive but not necessarily \"winner takes all\" for either format.
Processing Details:
- Images have not been sharpened.
- ACR 5.6 used.
- All ACR settings are default. Only color temperature has been changed in post.
- These are 100% crops after image resize to sRAW.
- All noise reduction has been done before resizing
- Noise Ninja settings (Strength 2, Smoothness 10, Contrast 14, USM Amount 0, USM Radius 0.4) I have found that these settings work better than default. This retains more detail, eliminates more color noise and doesn\'t blur everything in the process. Grain noise good, Color noise bad.
- Photoshop Reduce Noise settings (Strength 6, Preserve Details 60, Reduce Color Noise 100, Sharpen Details 0)
Notes:
- For some reason there is a slight increase in light sensitivity on the 7d when switching from RAW to mRAW/sRAW. Colors seem to change as well. The exposure and color settings are exactly the same in all shots. I am unclear on why this is happening.
- 40d shots are slightly oof. I would have redone that part of the test if this was about sharpness between the two cameras. Alas it is not.
- The 40d sRAW file was upscaled to 7d sRAW dimensions using Genuine Fractals. Although it is slightly softer it clearly shows lower noise levels.
Testing environment. As you can see this was thrown together rather quickly but as far as simple tests go.. its a good start.
Test 1:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Test 2:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 mRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Conclusions:
- sRAW definitely offers a reduction in noise levels when a high ISO is being used
- RAW + Noise Ninja offer a further reduction in color noise levels but still isn\'t quite as effective as sRAW.
- RAW + Photoshop Remove Noise
- RAW creates sharper images than sRAW even after downscaling.
- At this point it seams to be a war: Noise levels vs Resolution. I know when I am shooting dance, I always prefer clean images over high resolution noisy ones.
Test Update:
Added RAW + Noise Ninja Test
Added RAW + Photoshop Reduce Noise Test
There is a lot of talk out there on how much better an image looks if you take a RAW file and resize it down to sRAW dimensions. I frequently photograph dance performances and I know this not to be true on my 40d. I do not know if this is true on any other camera so I gave it a shot on my new 7d.
The purpose of this test is to show the difference in noise levels between RAW and sRAW/mRAW after being resized to sRAW dimensions. The results are fairly conclusive but not necessarily \"winner takes all\" for either format.
Processing Details:
- Images have not been sharpened.
- ACR 5.6 used.
- All ACR settings are default. Only color temperature has been changed in post.
- These are 100% crops after image resize to sRAW.
- All noise reduction has been done before resizing
- Noise Ninja settings (Strength 2, Smoothness 10, Contrast 14, USM Amount 0, USM Radius 0.4) I have found that these settings work better than default. This retains more detail, eliminates more color noise and doesn\'t blur everything in the process. Grain noise good, Color noise bad.
- Photoshop Reduce Noise settings (Strength 6, Preserve Details 60, Reduce Color Noise 100, Sharpen Details 0)
Notes:
- For some reason there is a slight increase in light sensitivity on the 7d when switching from RAW to mRAW/sRAW. Colors seem to change as well. The exposure and color settings are exactly the same in all shots. I am unclear on why this is happening.
- 40d shots are slightly oof. I would have redone that part of the test if this was about sharpness between the two cameras. Alas it is not.
- The 40d sRAW file was upscaled to 7d sRAW dimensions using Genuine Fractals. Although it is slightly softer it clearly shows lower noise levels.
Testing environment. As you can see this was thrown together rather quickly but as far as simple tests go.. its a good start.
Test 1:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Test 2:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 mRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Conclusions:
- sRAW definitely offers a reduction in noise levels when a high ISO is being used
- RAW + Noise Ninja offer a further reduction in color noise levels but still isn\'t quite as effective as sRAW.
- RAW + Photoshop Remove Noise
- RAW creates sharper images than sRAW even after downscaling.
- At this point it seams to be a war: Noise levels vs Resolution. I know when I am shooting dance, I always prefer clean images over high resolution noisy ones.
Test Update:
Added RAW + Noise Ninja Test
Added RAW + Photoshop Reduce Noise Test
There is a lot of talk out there on how much better an image looks if you take a RAW file and resize it down to sRAW dimensions. I frequently photograph dance performances and I know this not to be true on my 40d. I do not know if this is true on any other camera so I gave it a shot on my new 7d.
The purpose of this test is to show the difference in noise levels between RAW and sRAW/mRAW after being resized to sRAW dimensions. The results are fairly conclusive but not necessarily \"winner takes all\" for either format.
Processing Details:
- Images have not been sharpened.
- ACR 5.6 used.
- All ACR settings are default. Only color temperature has been changed in post.
- These are 100% crops after image resize to sRAW.
- Noise Ninja settings (Strength 2, Smoothness 10, Contrast 14, USM Amount 0, USM Radius 0.4) I have found that these settings work better than default. This retains more detail, eliminates more color noise and doesn\'t blur everything in the process. Grain noise good, Color noise bad.
- Photoshop Reduce Noise settings (Strength 6, Preserve Details 60, Reduce Color Noise 100, Sharpen Details 0)
Notes:
- For some reason there is a slight increase in light sensitivity on the 7d when switching from RAW to mRAW/sRAW. Colors seem to change as well. The exposure and color settings are exactly the same in all shots. I am unclear on why this is happening.
- 40d shots are slightly oof. I would have redone that part of the test if this was about sharpness between the two cameras. Alas it is not.
- The 40d sRAW file was upscaled to 7d sRAW dimensions using Genuine Fractals. Although it is slightly softer it clearly shows lower noise levels.
Testing environment. As you can see this was thrown together rather quickly but as far as simple tests go.. its a good start.
Test 1:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Test 2:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Reduce Noise
7d ISO 12800 mRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Conclusions:
- sRAW definitely offers a reduction in noise levels when a high ISO is being used
- RAW + Noise Ninja offer a further reduction in color noise levels but still isn\'t quite as effective as sRAW.
- RAW + Photoshop Remove Noise
- RAW creates sharper images than sRAW even after downscaling.
- At this point it seams to be a war: Noise levels vs Resolution. I know when I am shooting dance, I always prefer clean images over high resolution noisy ones.
Test Update:
Added RAW + Noise Ninja Test
Added RAW + Photoshop Reduce Noise Test
There is a lot of talk out there on how much better an image looks if you take a RAW file and resize it down to sRAW dimensions. I frequently photograph dance performances and I know this not to be true on my 40d. I do not know if this is true on any other camera so I gave it a shot on my new 7d.
The purpose of this test is to show the difference in noise levels between RAW and sRAW/mRAW after being resized to sRAW dimensions. The results are fairly conclusive but not necessarily \"winner takes all\" for either format.
Processing Details:
- Images have not been sharpened.
- ACR 5.6 used.
- All ACR settings are default. Only color temperature has been changed in post.
- These are 100% crops after image resize to sRAW.
- Noise Ninja settings (Strength 2, Smoothness 10, Contrast 14, USM Amount 0, USM Radius 0.4) I have found that these settings work better than default. This retains more detail, eliminates more color noise and doesn\'t blur everything in the process. Grain noise good, Color noise bad.
Notes:
- For some reason there is a slight increase in light sensitivity on the 7d when switching from RAW to mRAW/sRAW. Colors seem to change as well. The exposure and color settings are exactly the same in all shots. I am unclear on why this is happening.
- 40d shots are slightly oof. I would have redone that part of the test if this was about sharpness between the two cameras. Alas it is not.
- The 40d sRAW file was upscaled to 7d sRAW dimensions using Genuine Fractals. Although it is slightly softer it clearly shows lower noise levels.
Testing environment. As you can see this was thrown together rather quickly but as far as simple tests go.. its a good start.
Test 1:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Test 2:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 mRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Conclusions:
- sRAW definitely offers a reduction in noise levels when a high ISO is being used
- RAW + Noise Ninja offer a further reduction in color noise levels but still isn\'t quite as effective as sRAW. Further noise reduction is possible but at the cost of detail by usage of blurring.
- RAW creates sharper images than sRAW even after downscaling.
- At this point it seams to be a war: Noise levels vs Resolution. I know when I am shooting dance, I always prefer clean images over high resolution noisy ones.
There is a lot of talk out there on how much better an image looks if you take a RAW file and resize it down to sRAW dimensions. I frequently photograph dance performances and I know this not to be true on my 40d. I do not know if this is true on any other camera so I gave it a shot on my new 7d.
The purpose of this test is to show the difference in noise levels between RAW and sRAW/mRAW after being resized to sRAW dimensions. The results are fairly conclusive but not necessarily \"winner takes all\" for either format.
Processing Details:
- Images have not been sharpened.
- ACR 5.6 used.
- All ACR settings are default. Only color temperature has been changed in post.
- These are 100% crops after image resize to sRAW.
- Noise Ninja settings (Strength 2, Smoothness 10, Contrast 14, Sharpness 0.4) I have found that these settings work better than default. This retains more detail, eliminates more color noise and doesn\'t blur everything in the process. Grain noise good, Color noise bad.
Notes:
- For some reason there is a slight increase in light sensitivity on the 7d when switching from RAW to mRAW/sRAW. Colors seem to change as well. The exposure and color settings are exactly the same in all shots. I am unclear on why this is happening.
- 40d shots are slightly oof. I would have redone that part of the test if this was about sharpness between the two cameras. Alas it is not.
- The 40d sRAW file was upscaled to 7d sRAW dimensions using Genuine Fractals. Although it is slightly softer it clearly shows lower noise levels.
Testing environment. As you can see this was thrown together rather quickly but as far as simple tests go.. its a good start.
Test 1:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Test 2:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW + Noise Ninja
7d ISO 12800 mRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Conclusions:
- sRAW definitely offers a reduction in noise levels when a high ISO is being used
- RAW + Noise Ninja offer a further reduction in color noise levels but still isn\'t quite as effective as sRAW. Further noise reduction is possible but at the cost of detail by usage of blurring.
- RAW creates sharper images than sRAW even after downscaling.
- At this point it seams to be a war: Noise levels vs Resolution. I know when I am shooting dance, I always prefer clean images over high resolution noisy ones.
There is a lot of talk out there on how much better an image looks if you take a RAW file and resize it down to sRAW dimensions. I frequently photograph dance performances and I know this not to be true on my 40d. I do not know if this is true on any other camera so I gave it a shot on my new 7d.
The purpose of this test is to show the difference in noise levels between RAW and sRAW/mRAW after being resized to sRAW dimensions. The results are fairly conclusive but not necessarily \"winner takes all\" for either format.
Processing Details:
- Images have not been sharpened.
- ACR 5.6 used.
- All ACR settings are default. Only color temperature has been changed in post.
- These are 100% crops after image resize to sRAW.
Notes:
- For some reason there is a slight increase in light sensitivity on the 7d when switching from RAW to mRAW/sRAW. Colors seem to change as well. The exposure and color settings are exactly the same in all shots. I am unclear on why this is happening.
- 40d shots are slightly oof. I would have redone that part of the test if this was about sharpness between the two cameras. Alas it is not.
- The 40d sRAW file was upscaled to 7d sRAW dimensions using Genuine Fractals. Although it is slightly softer it clearly shows lower noise levels.
Testing environment. As you can see this was thrown together rather quickly but as far as simple tests go.. its a good start.
Test 1:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Test 2:
40d ISO 3200 RAW
40d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 3200 RAW
7d ISO 3200 mRAW
7d ISO 3200 sRAW
7d ISO 12800 RAW
7d ISO 12800 mRAW
7d ISO 12800 sRAW
Conclusions:
- sRAW definitely offers a reduction in noise levels when a high ISO is being used
- RAW creates sharper images than sRAW even after downscaling.
- At this point it seams to be a war: Noise levels vs Resolution. I know when I am shooting dance, I always prefer clean images over high resolution noisy ones.
Dec 26, 2009 at 01:57 AM
Previous versions of OO7MIKE's message #7929220 « Canon EOS 7D Master thread »
