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Sensor dynamic range in RAW


Andrew Reid
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https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/image-comparison/fullscreen?attr144_0=panasonic_dcs9&attr144_1=sony_a9&attr146_0=100_5&attr146_1=100_5&attr177_0=on&attr177_1=efc&attr404_1=1&normalization=full&widget=938&x=0.3283158193694973&y=0.27216529765433156

Some interesting results in DPReview's chart which is tucked away at this URL and not spoken about very often

There's also an ISO invariance one but the RAW dynamic range is the most interesting

Some fun results can be had...

The Samsung NX1 has more dynamic range than a Sony a9.

(Look at +5ev!)

The GH6 was a big step back for RAW dynamic range in stills, vs GH5

The humble A7 III is surprisingly good, up there with the best (Nikon D850 and Pentax K-1 Mark II)

And check out the Nikon Zf C vs X-H2S... Which would you think would win out of those, the cheap piece of crap that inherited the D500's sensor or the state of the art X-H2S designed for low light and latest sensor fabrication tech?

The gap is massive!! Zf C wins by a mile!

Obviously the cameras which have a faster sensor readout suffer, and so do ones which only have an E-shutter like the Lumix S9.

Still... Interesting to see how huge the differences are when you really go digging.

Finally...

Look at the GFX 100 and it's fixed pattern noise in shadows at +5 stops compared to the clean and detailed Zf C.

APS-C beating a medium format camera for dynamic range? Yep

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EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs

I'm not sure I fully understand the tool. It doesn't appear to show over exposure latitude, only underexposure (pushed up in post)? Couldn't there be a different allocation of stops above/below middle grey between different cameras?

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3 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

Obviously the cameras which have a faster sensor readout suffer, and so do ones which only have an E-shutter like the Lumix S9.

My Lumix G6 had 12bit Raw with mechanical shutter but only 10bit in E shutter mode afaik. S9 without mechanical shutter and EVF is such a missed opportunity!

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We are too harsh on the little S9, it has very good dynamic range in V-LOG and the RAW stills only have 1 stop less dynamic range which you only notice if you're grading for the HDR puke look.

The technical facts are interesting in themselves but the creative look of a camera is another matter, and the S9 is like a shrunk down S1H for cheap... A lot to like creatively about it.

The most interesting thing for me about these results is to look at what sensor designs were most clever.

Samsung with that NX1 was so far ahead of 2014 when it came out, to have such wide DR and clean shadows on a 28 megapixel crop sensor from the earlier 2010s is just an amazing achievement.

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The NX1 is a very special camera. By far my favorite photo camera I ever used, the only downside was that there was no active EF adapter. If it had a 10 bit log profile for video, I would still be using it today! Video tech moved on, but the photos it produced could not have been better, imo. The ergonomics and menu were simply perfect as well.

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Samsung has consistency problem in all their businesses. Look at their Exynos shape right now, or even their OLED. They abandoned large sensor production to focus on smartphone sensor, and they're already pioneer in small pixel tech, yet you find no Samsung sensor in the main camera of the flagships.

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NX1 one was the first camera that moved the needle following the GH4 which brought 4K to the masses at a cheap price for first time, and Samsung needed to stay the course, they are the only equal to Sony in terms of manufacturing capabilities... at least were, in 2014 anyway.

I agree consistency is the problem, they chop and change too often.

Imagine a full frame NX1 style camera from Samsung with IBIS, 10bit Samsung LOG, and all that custom hardware today, would really take the fight to Sony and Canon.

I suppose the nearest we have today is what Nikon is doing.

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  • EOSHD Pro Color 5 for All Sony cameras
    EOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
    EOSHD Dynamic Range Enhancer for H.264/H.265
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