Saturday, April 26, 2008

DP1 Shootout Pt. 4b - High ISO Performance in Mixed Low Light

In Part 4a of the shootout, I presented photos taken in low, incandescent lighting, a sort of "worst case" scenario for the DP1. In this next example, the samples were shot in a mixture of natural and incandescent light. The technical details for this set are otherwise the same as those in Part 4a with one exception. I forgot to move the tripod for the F31 shots, so the F31 crops in this comparison represent a different field of view corresponding to the difference in angle of view (35mm equivalent vs 28mm equivalent) at a given perspective.

Here is the overall test scene with the specific regions examined identified in the yellow boxes:



ISO 400 Crop 1:



ISO 400 Crop 2:



ISO 400 Crop 3:



ISO 400 Crop 4:



ISO 800 Crop 1:



ISO 800 Crop 2:



ISO 800 Crop 3:



ISO 800 Crop 4:



ISO 1600 Crop 1:



ISO 1600 Crop 2:



ISO 1600 Crop 3:



ISO 1600 Crop 4:



As was the case in Part 4a, color fidelity is a problem for the DP1 in this low light comparison, and the problem grows worse with each increase in ISO. However, looking at Part 4a, you can see that the problem was more severe when incandescent light was the sole source of illumination. For example, the shift and desaturation in the brick region shown in Part 4a was already severe in the DP1 ISO 400 image, whereas the similarly colored red curtain in this comparison is better preserved. With a good source of natural light and willingness to postprocess, better results than those shown here are possible. However, a simple boost in saturation will not solve the color problems that affect high ISO, low light DP1 images.

Addendum: After reviewing the RAW images a few more times, I decided on a different custom white balance for the DP1 images to best match the colors of the other cameras. It's a tricky call because matching colors from some regions of the image will throw off the match in others. Having arrived at a better overall white balance choice, I have now replaced the DP1 crops in the comparisons above. As always, feel free to play with the RAW files.



Thanks again to Serhan for lending me the Fuji F31 used in this test. Part 5 of the shootout will be coming soon.


6 comments:

  1. OrenApril 27, 2008 at 8:43 AM

    Thanks Amin for posting this interesting comparison.

    Do you happen to have a color chart (e.g. Kodak Q14)? It would demonstrate the DP1 color shifts more clearly then this rather monochromatic scene does.

    It's good that you are discussing color rendition too, as most high-ISO comparisons only focus on noise and details. When taking color into account, the results can be quite surprising. The Panasonic TZ5 (1/2.3" sensor), for example, displays much better colors at ISO 800, then the Nikon P5100 (1/1.8" sensor). So much, that the overall result of the Panasonic is in my opinion a better, more "printable" picture. Have a look here:

    http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz5/page9.asp
    http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikonp5100/page13.asp

    Prog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. OrenApril 27, 2008 at 8:46 AM

    "then" should be "than"

    Any way to edit comments?

    Prog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AminApril 27, 2008 at 8:58 AM

    Hi Prog, thanks for your comments and suggestion. I was recently thinking that I should get one of those color charts. I see your point about the Nikon and Panasonic, though I wonder how things would change if the Nikon had RAW mode.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousApril 27, 2008 at 9:39 AM

    Thanks, Amin, for doing all of this work; I really appreciate your perspective since it seems we have similar philosophies when it comes to photo gear. I just might have to swing over and join that flickr group...

    cheers,
    Derek

    ReplyDelete
  5. AminApril 27, 2008 at 12:46 PM

    Derek, thanks for your comments. Hope to see you in the Flickr group!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AminApril 28, 2008 at 6:57 PM

    "Any way to edit comments?"

    @Prog - Going forward, we're using a new commenting system on the blog that will allow this.

    ReplyDelete