EOS-1D X Mark II Dynamic Range [CR2]

[Loswr]

I can use all of my L glass on a Sony body. They do not need the loving Canon body touch to do their magic.

Thanks for the tip. I'll run right out and try that for tracking birds in flight. :

 

[PureClassA]

They just did it on the C300 II. 15 stops of DR, same 14bit RAW files. I assume then some logarithmic encoding. And no, stop with this Sony and Samsung stuff. Canon made the sensor in the C300II themselves on what is obviously a new fab process. The 1DX2 will use the same process.

I wonder how they would choose to encode an image with more than 16 stops of DR.

There are really two ways.

One is to use a linear encoding with more than 16 bits.

The other is to use a non-linear (logarithmic) encoding the way the new Lightroom HDR merge works (16 bit floating point for about 30 stops).

or save as an 18 bit (or more) RAW file

Isn't that the first one I said?

 

[PureClassA]

and +1 I'll go get an A7 too. You let me know how blurry those birds turn out with poor AF tracking and the EVF lag time and i'll let you know how bad my dancers turn out when they're flying through the air... Sony Alphas are good for portrait work and landscape. They don't hold a candle to Canon when it comes to AF tracking moving targets

I can use all of my L glass on a Sony body. They do not need the loving Canon body touch to do their magic.

Thanks for the tip. I'll run right out and try that for tracking birds in flight. :

 

[RGF]

me to save $. Wonder when this will launch. Before or after I go to africa in April

Occasionally I get a lens before I go, but in the case of the 5Ds it will be launch just after I get back from big trip in June.

 

[rbielefeld]

It is – and always has been – about the whole system, silly...

To you? What strobes do you use? Oh yeah, Paul C Buff. What tripod? Oh yeah, Really Right Stuff. Shall I continue, Mr. Silly System? I can use all of my L glass on a Sony body. They do not need the loving Canon body touch to do their magic.

Oh, but the loving touch of a Canon body nestled up next to a Canon 600mm f/4 sure is nice when you want to capture images like this: hand held! It is all about the Canon system for my type of shooting.

 

[GuyF]

A wide dynamic range has its uses.

Maybe I'm just weird (that's rhetorical, just in case there are any comedians around here...), but am I the only one who feels an urge to Photoshop in a mushroom cloud to the two lower images?

 

[Neutral]

<..>
Those who sing praises in honor of EXMOR sensors, only care about dynamic range at ISO100. These people do not care if EXMOR loses the advantage of DR in ISO1600 and above that.

Marked red in the statement above is completely wrong for quite some time already.
Please see attached comparison chart between 1Dx ,5DM3 and Sony A7S.
For me personally I started using A7S firstly just because it is about half stop better at high ISO compared to 1DX and secondly because it is much easier to carry it around compared with 1DX due to smaller size and smaller weight.
Combined with the new Zeiss FE 35 F/1.4 ZA it is very handy at low light conditions.
I will post few pictures done with this combo later in 3 party manufactures section.

Currently A7S is about two stops better at low ISO DR and half stop better than 1DX at high ISO.
I hope that new 1DX II will be at least half stop (or preferably 1 stop ) better than current A7S at high ISO.
This would be very significant move forward.
It also would be nice to see Foveon like sensor tech but probably this will not happen this time, probably only after Sony will present that in their new cameras (Sony mentioned some time ago that they are working on this technology but so far it is too expensive to be used in new cameras)

 

[PureClassA]

A7S = Very Special Animal. The Exmor used in the Nikon D810 (and A7R) is what is compared to the 5D3 and 1DX. The A7S is supertuned for sensitivity at only 12MP

<..>
Those who sing praises in honor of EXMOR sensors, only care about dynamic range at ISO100. These people do not care if EXMOR loses the advantage of DR in ISO1600 and above that.

Marked red in the statement above is completely wrong for quite some time already.
Please see attached comparison chart between 1Dx ,5DM3 and Sony A7S.
For me personally I started using A7S firstly just because it is about half stop better at high ISO compared to 1DX and secondly because it is much easier to carry it around compared with 1DX due to smaller size and smaller weight.
Combined with the new Zeiss FE 35 F/1.4 ZA it is very handy at low light conditions.
I will post few pictures done with this come later in 3 party manufactures section.

Currently A7S is about two stops better at low ISO DR and half stop better than 1DX at high ISO.
I hope that new 1DX II will be at least half stop (or preferably 1 stop ) better than current A7S at high ISO.
This would be very significant move forward.
It also would be nice to see Foveon like sensor tech but probably this will not happen this time, probably only after Sony will present that in their new cameras (Sony mentioned some time ago that they are working on this technology but so far it is too expensive to be used in new cameras)

 

[Matthew Saville]

This will be huge, especially if they can maintain DR at higher ISO's. Indeed, although the Sony A7S is a different beast, most Nikons lose most or all of their advantage by ISO 1600 / 3200, making the Canon 6D an actually far superior sensor for things like astro-landscapes, when you consider the DR and noise performance at ISO 6400-12800.

I'm a Nikon owner, and I'm all in favor of Canon's 1DX ii and 5D iv having 15+ stops of DR. I won't feel too heartbroken about my D750's DR, or the D810 losing its spot at the top, I'll simply look forward to the healthy competition.

This is, of course, assuming that Canon can maintain their mid-range tonal quality and trademark colors. Canon skin tones have long been a selling point for wedding and portrait photographers, and if they sacrifice that in favor of extreme DR, there will definitely be a riot.

Either way, this is exciting news. I'm actually quite puzzled as to how this topic got to 6 pages long without being 99% "yay!" responses...

=Matt=

 

[Neutral]

A7S = Very Special Animal. The Exmor used in the Nikon D810 (and A7R) is what is compared to the 5D3 and 1DX. The A7S is supertuned for sensitivity at only 12MP

A7S = 12mpx
1DX = 18mpx
D810=36mpx

Which is closer to compare ?
Secondly, what matters in this respect is overall sensor efficiency for it's full geometrical size and not number of pixels on it.
And yes, A7S is really Very Special Animal. It is my lovely pet now, more then other one (1DX).
Definitely it can not compare with 1DX for action/sports, but for still low light hand held photography is better than 1DX ( for me at least).

 

[photonius]

Do you think it will be dual read out with the same old sensor, or a new sensor technology altogether?

probably dual read, maybe dual pixels like the 70D, but not used for AF, but used for simultaneous dual exposure.

Otherwise, it's difficult to see how one could get higher DR than what Sony has.

 

[3kramd5]

I would not be surprised if Canon is working with Samsung to develop a 35mm Back side illuminated sensor that already has great ISO performance and Dynamic Range while also utilizing a form of Magic Lantern's Dual ISO

It would surprise me a little if they worked with samsung for flagship sensors. It would surprise me greatly if they used a form of magic lantern's dual iso rather than flushing out their own existing patents.

probably dual read, maybe dual pixels like the 70D, but not used for AF, but used for simultaneous dual exposure.

I don't think that would buy them much. Rather, I think they have to read out the entire pixel charge (the sum of both diodes) and send it down parallel signal paths processing different gain. Otherwise, wouldn't they essentially be cutting FWC in half (if each read diode is half of a full pixel)?

 

[Don Haines]

I wonder how they would choose to encode an image with more than 16 stops of DR.

There are really two ways.

One is to use a linear encoding with more than 16 bits.

The other is to use a non-linear (logarithmic) encoding the way the new Lightroom HDR merge works (16 bit floating point for about 30 stops).

or save as an 18 bit (or more) RAW file

Isn't that the first one I said?

Sorry, I mis-read what you wrote. My mistake!

 

[dolina]

So looking forward to CFast! ;D

 

[Creative69]

It will be exciting to underexpose everything by 5 stops and then fix it in post, just like with other brands. Woohoo! Not being able to do this has really limited my photography.

Ha Ha love this! As a "musician" in the old sense of the word I watched as a new generation used computers to make up for a lack of ability. Suddenly everyone could make music. I have kind of always seen the DR thing as this in photography terms. Forget learning how to expose a scene correctly, its just easier to slag off canon because sony give you more leverage to make up the lack of skill needed.

 

[Orangutan]

Oh, but the loving touch of a Canon body nestled up next to a Canon 600mm f/4 sure is nice when you want to capture images like this: hand held! It is all about the Canon system for my type of shooting.

HOLY CRAP those are phenomenal kingfisher photos! I've tried a few times to capture kingfishers and the damned things are like bullets! Ah! 1/4000th, I've been trying 1/2000th. Must try the faster shutter!

 

[Sabaki]

So what would this world best DR mean to action and nature photography?

 

[mobile4788]

Canon skin tones have long been a selling point for wedding and portrait photographers, and if they sacrifice that in favor of extreme DR, there will definitely be a riot.

Amen. Much as I'd love a little more DR, it plays second (third? fourth?) fiddle to skin tone for my work. Nikon skin tones make me throw up in my mouth.

 

[frumrk]

This will be huge, especially if they can maintain DR at higher ISO's. Indeed, although the Sony A7S is a different beast, most Nikons lose most or all of their advantage by ISO 1600 / 3200, making the Canon 6D an actually far superior sensor for things like astro-landscapes, when you consider the DR and noise performance at ISO 6400-12800.

I'm a Nikon owner, and I'm all in favor of Canon's 1DX ii and 5D iv having 15+ stops of DR. I won't feel too heartbroken about my D750's DR, or the D810 losing its spot at the top, I'll simply look forward to the healthy competition.

This is, of course, assuming that Canon can maintain their mid-range tonal quality and trademark colors. Canon skin tones have long been a selling point for wedding and portrait photographers, and if they sacrifice that in favor of extreme DR, there will definitely be a riot.

Either way, this is exciting news. I'm actually quite puzzled as to how this topic got to 6 pages long without being 99% "yay!" responses...

=Matt=

+1

I agree... having shot a wedding with a 5D III and my second shooting with a D610... Advantage to the 5D III because I had less to do to get the photos color graded to my preference. No noticeable noise difference and the Nikon photos were less contrasty due to the increased DR (I am assuming). Also both cameras were shooting with the same settings (ISO 1600 @ 1/160th)

If canon can give me better DR/Tonal quality at and above ISO 1600/3200 and maybe a modest increase in Noise performance I would be more than happy to upgrade. And of course I am hoping that any advances in the 1D X II carry over to the 5D IV

 

[K]

More DR is a good thing, and will be welcome.

But regardless of how much DR Canon will actually have, it wasn't something that was holding Canon back.

It's just not as critical as its made out to be.

Better ISO performance is always more useful.