Nikon D800 ISO test comparison with Nikon DX

Photos here at Flickr.



Now with a bad back and the fact that I won’t be going anywhere this weekend I decided to compare a few cameras I have kicking around after just purchasing a Nikon D800. I have used Nikon for years going from film to digital as everyone else did, my first DSLR being a D1 then D100, D2HS, D200, D300, D300s,D7000 and now a D800. My favourite camera has to be the D7000 it’s small, fast and cheap and takes great images at all ISO's that I tend to use.



Thom Hogan is currently having DX month and I guess that was the inspiration for this test, I must confess I prefer DX cameras although most of my lenses are normal or FX lenses I rarely update my lenses as improvements for me in the last few years have been slight, I've gone through phases of using all in ones such as the Nikon 18-200, Sigma 18-250 and just got hold of the Nikon 28-300 but I think I prefer carrying a load of lenses and changing them often it’s just me I guess. My main obsession is photographing birds so for this I use a Sigma 500 mm F4.5 because it’s lighter than the Nikon! yeah and a few $1000's cheaper and works really well and is sharp enough for me, I also use the Sigma 50-500 OS when I'm out and about as I can go from a close up of a snake to a distant shot of a bird and even a landscape with the same lens, now living in Australia there is plenty of sun so I can get away with fast shutter speeds meaning hand held so no tripods, back in the UK under the grey sky this lens probably wouldn’t be up to much but out here it’s awesome.



Anyway the test/comparison, first why I bought the D800 main reason it was cheaper than the D4 and a used D3s given everyone is now buying them in spades.Also the D800 crop factor to DX, improved autofocus, noise and being able tofocus in the dark sort of, I was never really impressed by the 36MP FX I don’t need it and I don’t think many people really do so I found it amusing people queuing up for the D800 whilst the masses were still using D700, D7000 and D300s. I'm not sure Nikon understand their market and their photographers, I'm not talking about the select few who always need the fastest lenses and the newest cameras.Mainly people like me who sell to agencies, do the odd bit of press, editorial and creative photographs and use a camera as part of their job. As an ecologist I'm fortunate to travel a lot and get to see nature in all its glory and I use photography. to record these animals and places and how I see them; I'm not really interested in selling my work that’s not what drives my creativity, it's a bonus.



Now as i say I'm more than happy with the D7000, it would have been great if it was in a sturdier body such as the D300s and a better FPS but so far it’s been great. Most agencies want at least a 5000 pixel sized image so with the D300s I had to upsize using genuine fractals never a good idea but it works fine, with the D7000 you don’t need to upscale as much, the ideal for me would be DX 18MP in a camera probably like the Canon 7d but I never liked their menus or buttons and would have to splash out on all new lenses so no chance of jumping ship. So in the absence of a good upgrade for DX no offence to D3200 but not sturdy enough and a lack of options etc. for me. So given the D4 is out the-next best thing according to Google and Nikon et al is the D800, the supposed successor to the D700, now as I said I always struggled to see why FX was better than DX - as we are all told, I like being able to get in closer to wildlife without spooking it and if I need a wide angle I walk back, I think the main reason was improved ISO. So I decided to compare these cameras to see if the D800 really performs better than the D7000 and the D300s when used in DX mode.



The setup - A tripod mounted Sigma 500 f4.5 set at F10, allcameras set to Aperture priority, all noise reductions turned off no high ISONR, no Active D lighting, no special colour settings, Auto white balance, sohopefully everything pretty much the same. Photos taken in RAW and opened inPhotoshop CS6 camera raw 7.2 no adjustments apart from changing to 8 bit andcropping to make sure the subject is at 100%. For the D800 I shot in DX mode.Now I'm not sure but somehow High ISO NR comes on automatically on the D3200 asit’s not my camera I'm not that bothered!



Now the subject is a small toy kiwi given as a present from a trip to NewZealand, placed on a stone wall in the garden on a ridiculously hot day in Brisbane,this spot is in the shade as most birds would be on a day like today. I oftenfind DSLR's struggle with those slightly shadier out of focus areas and this iswhat I consider problem noise in an image I normally get rid of it with NoiseNinja.


Anyway the results, ISO 100 to each cameras maximum for the D300s this mean1EV under ISO 200 and 1 EV over 6400, all the others go from ISO 100 to 2 EVover 6400 apart from the D3200 ...

The photos are hosted on Flickr, hopfeully I can link these crops of the main photos to the flickr so you can see the images at 100%.

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 2EV over 6400

There you go obviously they all look perfect as small 72 dpi jpegs so please click on the photos and hopefully they connect through to the larger images on Flickr.

From what I can see here with the RAW images is that there is no improvement on the D7000 images by using the the D800 in DX mode only that the autofocus may be marginally better noise is worse but contrast looks better, the D3200 looks to be better than all of them but as I said for some reason High ISO NR kicks in after ISO 800 and I cant find an option to turn it off.

So if you need a wide angle 36 MP photo and dont have genuine fractals to upscale it go get a D800, I think mine might be going back in the hope that Nikon give us a decent upgrade for the DX cameras, of course no D600 here but given its 24MP in FX if you crop to DX you get an image smaller in size than the D300s not sure what the noise is like on that one tho.

End Bird of Prey Persecution

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO CRACK BIRD OF PREY PERSECUTION, BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!


As the hen harrier teeters on the brink of extinction as a breeding bird in England, Coalition and Welsh Government Ministers have a once in a lifetime opportunity to tackle the illegal killing of birds of prey in England and Wales, and must not waste it.

That’s the message from the RSPB as it publishes its annual wildlife crime figures showing yet another shameful year of poisoning, shooting and trapping for red kites, golden eagles, peregrine falcons, goshawks and other persecuted species. Just one pair of hen harriers bred in England in 2012, with Government’s own studies suggesting that illegal killing is the major factor in their decline.

Too little has been done over the years to stop these sickening attacks on birds, but this could change with proposed reforms of wildlife law and policing. The RSPB believes a review of wildlife protection legislation by the Law Commission - currently being consulted on - provides a golden opportunity to address ongoing persecution of bird of prey in England and Wales.

This month will also see the publication of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into wildlife crime while the imminent reorganisation of the police service and the creation of National Crime Agency will provide further opportunities to prioritise wildlife crime.

RSPB Conservation director Martin Harper said: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to tackle the illegal shooting and poisoning of some of our most magnificent birds.

“I hope that tougher laws and penalties for wildlife offenders will help consign their crimes to the pages of history where they belong. We need Defra and Home Office Ministers, and the Welsh Government to step up for nature and make the right decisions. An essential first step is to secure the future of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, which only has guaranteed funding until March next year.

“It’s been over a hundred years since poisoning of wild birds was outlawed in the UK and yet our report shows we’re still witnessing the slaughter of kites, eagles and buzzards. Fewer incidents were recorded last year, but as our report highlights birds of prey continue to die at the hands of those who want to remove them from our countryside. Thankfully, vastly more people are inspired by the homecoming of eagles, ospreys and peregrines and recognise these charismatic species bring huge enjoyment to people and benefits for tourist economies.”

The report, Birdcrime 2011, provides a full account of the birds and prey and owls found dead as a result of persecution across the UK as well as details of wildlife crime prosecutions. These include the case of serial egg collector Matthew Gonshaw who became the first ever wildlife criminal to receive an ASBO last year, banning him from visiting Scotland in the nesting season for life, when a raid on his home revealed nearly 700 wild birds’ eggs.

The report catalogues 202 reports of shooting and destruction of birds of prey, with the confirmed shooting of 30 individual birds in 2011. There were also one hundred reports of poisoning incidents involving the confirmed poisoning of at least 70 individual birds or animals. Victims of poisoning included a golden eagle, 17 red kites, 17 buzzards and seven peregrines. This level of persecution is having a serious impact on some bird of prey populations. Government figures show that England’s uplands could support over 300 pairs of hen harriers – only one pair bred in 2012.

Environmental Audit Committee chair, Joan Walley MP said: “Our committee has heard evidence from a wide variety of individuals and organisations, and the issue of bird of prey persecution has come up time and again. We have looked seriously into this area and we will be making our recommendations to government in the next few weeks. I hope that Defra and Home Office ministers responsible will see the importance of tackling this issue now so that the police and courts have the proper tools in place to deal with these sickening crimes.”

In September 2011, Michael Lawrence from Stamford in Lincolnshire found two kites lying dead in his garden, poisoned by the banned pesticide carbofuran.

“In the last few years it has been fantastic to see red kites and buzzards around our home,” Mr Lawrence said.

“Finding two poisoned birds in our small paddock was a real shock. The birds had fallen out of a tree with the poisoned meat still in their beaks. Our very young grandchildren regularly play in the paddock and the thought that they could have handled these birds is terrifying.

“It’s hard to believe people could be so irresponsible to place such dangerous banned pesticides in our countryside.”

Nevin Hunter, the new head of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, said: “In my police career, I have investigated many offences, including the deliberate persecution of birds of prey. It is unacceptable and there is a need to work to address it across the UK with the help of all partner agencies.

“The NWCU will support the taking of preventative measures and in addition will work to gather intelligence and take robust enforcement action to tackle persecution wherever found.”

The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems that threaten our environment. Nature is amazing - help us keep it that way.

Click here to join today www.rspb.org.uk/join