Will the D1-x really be superior to the new 5DIII?

[V8Beast]

Thanks for the example, Phil. Great work as always.

Here's one I dug up. There's a lot of contrast, and not much shadow detail.



This is more of what I was going for, and yes, more DR and shadow recovery would have been highly beneficial.



That said, the real culprit here is that I f'd up the exposure. I should have anticipated the backlighting and opened up the exposure by a stop. An ND grad filter would have worked wonders as well, but like you said,  you can sometimes overlook these things inadvertently in the heat of the moment  

[dilbert]

Interesting test. I suppose the conclusion is that if you make a habit of missing an exposure by 3-4 stops, the D800 is a better machine than the 5DIII. I have no problem conceding Nikon's superiority in that regard, but in all my years of shooting, I have never once missed an exposure by 3-4 stops. I'd venture to say it would be difficult to miss an exposure by 4 stops by a soccer mom using her iPhone. Heck, I feel like the world's worst photographer if I miss an exposure by 1 stop

Wrong conclusion.

The extra DR is of benefit when there is a big separation between the brightest part of your image and the darkest shadow.

[V8Beast]

Wrong conclusion.

The extra DR is of benefit when there is a big separation between the brightest part of your image and the darkest shadow.

Thanks for the insight. I will be sure to remember that from this point forward, as I had no prior knowledge to what DR meant. I will continue to use a camera's DR as a crutch for improper technique.

[PhilDrinkwater]

So I thought I'd share some more in depth thoughts about how low noise in the shadows is actually useful in a real life situation

Firstly, it's fair to say with my wedding work that I use flash as little as possible. That doesn't mean I don't use it, I do, but I don't like to use it where I can avoid it and I personally dislike mixing flash with daylight, especially to pull a whole block of shadows like the shot below.

So take this shot:



The bridal party were going from Warwick castle to the glass house on the grounds, where the reception was being held. What I wanted was the castle in the background and the party in the foreground.

When it's processed and the shadows are +2 stops and warmed, this is what you get and what I really wanted:


However, now look at the shadows at 100%:


.. which I then have to clear up with some localised NR (thank you LR4!):


The reality is that this file is perfectly fine, especially for wedding use. After NR and at the size this will be printed, it will be fantastic. However, would I *prefer* cleaner shadows for this? Absolutely. It wouldn't stand up to commercial use though.

In reality I probably could have pushed the file another 1/2 stop brighter to help the shadows, but we were working *fast* as anyone who has done an Asian wedding will know

P.S I should really make the point that this doesn't happen very often. I mean it's not like us brits have any light to play with usually

[JR]

Comparing d4/d800 samples with 1dx samples posted the other day.

It's far from conclusive which is why I said "it doesn't *seem*", but I'd bet £50 on it right now. Certainly compared with d800 low ISO DR and probably d4 low ISO DR too.

I am not convinced the file that were leaked of the 1DX are that representative.  First I hate the settings (a picture of a shinny car metalic surface does not constitute a great test in my personal view), second, I am a bit surprised these file are even available to be honest given Canon is so secretive to release any more sample.  This makes me wonder if these were shot with the final firmware or just a pre-production model...

Not saying the D4 is not a great camera, but maybe we should wait till the 1DX is actually out and shipping before declairing it defeated!

[PhilDrinkwater]

Comparing d4/d800 samples with 1dx samples posted the other day.

It's far from conclusive which is why I said "it doesn't *seem*", but I'd bet £50 on it right now. Certainly compared with d800 low ISO DR and probably d4 low ISO DR too.

I am not convinced the file that were leaked of the 1DX are that representative.  First I hate the settings (a picture of a shinny car metalic surface does not constitute a great test in my personal view), second, I am a bit surprised these file are even available to be honest given Canon is so secretive to release any more sample.  This makes me wonder if these were shot with the final firmware or just a pre-production model...

Not saying the D4 is not a great camera, but maybe we should wait till the 1DX is actually out and shipping before declairing it defeated!

I don't see it as defeated. I still think the 1dx will be the better camera overall.. But I don't think the 1dx sensor will be better than the d4 sensor.

I just don't think the sensor differences will be relevant to the vast majority of people - me included in the vast vast majority of cases.

I've said it before but lenses are more important than the sensor in most cases - and in that I'm glad I'm with canon for their incredible primes especially.

[JR]

I guess each company is taking different approach.  You are right about Canon prime, they are addictive!  Still cant wait for the 1dx to be out, Irregardless its relative position with the d4, it will surpass what ever i would need in a camera anyway!

 

[PhilDrinkwater]

Totally. I can't wait to get my hands on one!

[Danielle]

I won't be able to afford it, but the 1dx sounds like the bomb for someone like me. I shoot a fair bit of photojournalism, and that thing would likely rock.

Its an entirely different animal than a 5D mark anything.

Now when exactly will it hit the streets? .... ...

[JR]

I won't be able to afford it, but the 1dx sounds like the bomb for someone like me. I shoot a fair bit of photojournalism, and that thing would likely rock.

Its an entirely different animal than a 5D mark anything.

Now when exactly will it hit the streets? .... ...

Was supposed to be end of this month, but now rumored to be delayed to June...wich mean we may not get actual sample in our hands until July or even August!  Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[LetTheRightLensIn]

I suppose the conclusion is that if you make a habit of missing an exposure by 3-4 stops, the D800 is a better machine than the 5DIII. I have no problem conceding Nikon's superiority in that regard, but in all my years of shooting, I have never once missed an exposure by 3-4 stops.

Oh come on now, you know better than to be one of the ones tossing around the "missed exposure" nonsense which is a total red herring. If a scene has say 14 stops that you want to capture and your camera can capture 8 stops it doesn't matter what you do with the exposure it won't work out. While it's nice to be able to rescue a bad miss now and then, things happen, the real story has nothing at all to do with bad exposures and I think you know enough about shooting and cameras to know that.

[briansquibb]

Personally I am the person that would overcome ambient with flash in order to capture the most important details.

I like to use flash to get shadows where I want, and usually soft ones at that, Shadows are part of a picture and should be used as part of the composition.

In any picture one has to decide what is the most important and get that perfect, the work out how to get the rest to be very good. That is the main challenge for photographers. Get that right and the rest follows.

I just wish I could do it myself

[neuroanatomist]

Unfortunately, a lot of people find bizarre experiments like that quite compelling.

I have no idea what you're talking about (*cough* light leaks when shooting with the lens cap on *cough*).

The bridal party were going from Warwick castle to the glass house on the grounds,

Why is the father of the bride carrying his cell phone in his hand?  Checking his email during his daughter's wedding?!?   

[briansquibb]

Why is the father of the bride carrying his cell phone in his hand?  Checking his email during his daughter's wedding?!?   

He has that latest Nokia 41mp phone that Ken Rockwell says is better than the D800

[danski0224]

Why is the father of the bride carrying his cell phone in his hand?  Checking his email during his daughter's wedding?!?   

I was wondering the exact same thing.