Image Quality of the D3 11.26.07
We're off in a clearing trying to get a Black-billed Magpie to cooperate. As usual, they are kicking my butt. The clouds are starting to pile up in Big Sky country, floating battleships getting in formation to do battle with sunset. Their reflection at first grabs my attention in a large pond. Than, looking across the way is see this old, abandoned barn with some classic lines. The colors intensify so I make the move. I get in the truck and drive like a mad man over to the barn. Between the D3 and the barn are these trees striped of their leaves, their white bark this very cool outline. Between the trees and the D3 are dried out thisles, also all white but even finer detail than the trees. With the 14-24AFS attached, I walk up close to the thisles and knowing the image quality the D3 delivers, I compose to include all I've described because without a hitch, it's all their as the print roles off the printer!
Since the very first click of the D3, I have been overwhelmed with the image quality of its files. And I'm not talking about the noise. When I saw all the first files on the back High-def LCD, I wondered what was up, it was detail I'd never seen before in a digital capture. I than saw the image quality on my computer monitor and I began to be a believer. It was really nearly too good to be true. It's when the first 24x30 come off the Epson 7800 that I was at a loss for words. The detail I can see in the fur and feathers of the subjects I've photographed with the D3 just blows me away!
The image quality of the D3 is superior to what we've seen from any previous Nikon DSLR. I realize that folks are really into the minimum noise at high ISOs (which is minimal compared to the past) but the files from the D3 truly go way beyond that. What's driving this amazing jump in image quality? It sure isn't quantity of pixels since the D3 technically has fewer pixels than the D2Xs (12.1 vs. 12.4). It's not the quantity but the quality of the pixels and what happens to those pixels as they flow down the pipe that's making all this quality happen.
D3's File Engine
Obviously this is the heart of everything, Nikon's new FX CMOS sensor. Just exactly what is behind it all is proprietary and to be totally honest with you, even if I was told it would be over my head. I'm not an electrical engineer and however it works, I don't care. What I do care about is, it does work! And as I've noted and as you can get a hint of in the D3 Gallery images, it does work mighty fine. While the new FX sensor is the heart of the image quality, its information has to be delivered to the CF card and that's where the backroom processing comes into play.
The first thing that has me intrigued that's new is the EXPEED system. Just what is it? This is what Nikon had to say in their press release:
Nikon's original digital image-processing concept "EXPEED"
Tokyo – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the development of its original EXPEED digital image-processing concept, which will be employed in the design of all future Nikon digital SLR and COOLPIX cameras.
As Nikon's new digital image-processing concept — featuring the core ideas of our image creation and processing — EXPEED incorporates the optimized know-how and technologies we have accumulated throughout our long history and in the course of our transition from film to digital cameras (starting with the D1). It's a system that embodies Nikon's intense passion for digital images.
Unlike image-processing engines or systems, EXPEED does not deal with specific parts or features. Rather, it refers to Nikon's original comprehensive concept of digital image processing. And as a system to realize it, it will be applied to all future Nikon digital cameras, including both SLRs and COOLPIX compact models.
Using EXPEED as a foundation, image-processing engines/systems are optimized for each particular model, specific user characteristics and a range of applications — so that EXPEED plays a major role in Nikon's digital image-processing technology, and is applied to every operation conducted by the image-processing engine.
The result is a broad spectrum of high-performance features. With the new Nikon D3 digital SLR, for example, 14-bit A/D conversion and 16-bit image processing enable rich and varied gradation, and high-definition, high-quality images, utilizing the wide dynamic range of the Nikon FX-format CMOS image sensor. Also realized are advanced features such as "improved high-speed performance (consecutive shooting speed, memory card writing speed)", "ISO 6400 sensitivity with noise reduction at high sensitivity (enables you to fix ISO 25600 equivalent at Custom Setting)", "image display on the high-resolution 3.0-inch, TFT LCD monitor", "support for HDTV and CF card double slot" and "focal plane contrast AF in Liveview mode".
So, what does tell us...not much. But it does hint to how Nikon is dealing with noise and white balance (exposure and AF too) now. And since we know that both noise and white balance are so clean with the D3 compared to the D2Xs (which also had a new system for dealing with both). But it doesn't get us closer to understanding how it's all working together.
Getting the FX sensor to dance so beautifully is in part the responsibility of "Nikon's exclusive Scene Recognition System (SRS), with an improved 1,005-Pixel 3DColor Matrix Metering II, provides even more intelligent auto exposure capabilities, along with smarter auto white balance detection and faster, more accurate AF performance". This is incorporated in the EXPEED. We have a picture of this little unit powering this "improved" metering. But we really don't know what it's doing either.
This brings us to the new Picture Control System. This we do know a little about since it is a menu item in the D3. There are four Picture Control options, Standard (SD), Neutral (NL), Vivid (VI) and Monochrome (MC). Currently, I use Standard with the Sharpening set to 5 and everything else to the default. I constantly play with this and have gone to Vivid a few times. I do not have a good enough handle on this yet to explain when to use which, so stay tuned. I can tell you that there is a graph that plots the four Picture Control on a Contrast / Saturation axis, but not sure how that helps yet understand how the D3 is producing such amazing files.And this too is incorporated in the EXPEED.
In all honesty, we're right back to where we started other than we have some new terms to add to the Nikon dictionary. We have new CMOS sensor, EXPEED, SRS & PCS but what they are doing and how will more than likely stay proprietary. But should we care? You need to be aware that teh EXPEED is the heart of all this increased image quality. We just want the great files and that it delivers so I'm a happy camper.
The Noise Factor
One, a couple of or all of these combined new hardwares / softwares are what's making the D3 produce such minimal noise. Yes, I said minimal noise which is not none. This is a digital camera and there will always be some degree of noise. In the case of the D3, the noise is minimal at the very worse when you go beyond the 800 mark. What's probably more important is that what noise that is present has a structure that does not destroy image detail. This is very important in delivering the sharpness we're seeing in the D3 files. That's truly the amazing thing. Let me illustrate my point.
We're shooting in this very cool forest during our MI DLWS event. The sun wasn't even up when we first entered the forest and after a few minutes the first rays of the morning started to filter through the canopy. This photograph of a leaf was taken with the D3, 105VR at ISO 800 handheld. I had no mounting plate for the D3 to attach it to a tripod so I cranked up the ISO so I could play. This is a "play" photo that I thought I would later delete (I'm not a good macro photographer). So if you look at the overall photo, this is what you see.
Just look at the vein detail in the leaf in this play photo! Look at the edge sharpness here, the moss on the ground and the twigs. This detail is still present when you print the image 24x30. I know, this I the very first D3 image that rolled out of our Epson 7800. (What you're seeing here is a JPEG right from the NEF processed through Capture NX.)
Now look at just this enlarged section of the same photo.
Keep in mind you're looking at a 250% crop of an image taken handheld at ISO 800. More than likely you're looking at how little noise there is in the photo. More important to me is not what noise is or isn't present, but how the noise that is present isn't destroying any image detail. Just look at how the edge of the leaf and the veins are sharp at ISO800 no less. This image is a JPEG from the NEF file with nothing done to the file other than the process of going from NEF to JPEG using NX. Whatever all that "stuff" mentioned above means and how it works doesn't matter. What matter is it's doing whatever magic its doing beautifully. But wait, there's still more!
I'm not a high ISO shooter, it's just something not required by what I do. Now sports photographers and some others, that's a whole other matter so high ISO quality matters to them. But for me, other than what I want to do with flash, I won't be shooting at high ISO. But with a machine that does reportedly miracles with noise, I had to play even if I was goated into it. So at a bar where you smooch a moose to get a T shirt, I played. Here's a photo of two critters I'm more use to seeing out in the wilds taken with the D3, 14AF at ISO 3200 handheld.
Now look at the business end of the bear.
Yes, you'll see noise here as you should. Shooting in low light with a darkish, poorly lit subject, noise is going to occur. But more important is notice that the detail in the fur of the bear has not been destroyed by the noise. This is very important. Even more important is when the noise is removed using Nik Dfine 2.0 you can still see all the detail in the fur. That is simply bloody amazing and makes the D3 an incredible photographic tool.
Where is the ISO set on my D3s? In the basement, 200. Have I experimented with higher, as you've seen, I have. But do I shoot there, no. What about LO 0.5 and LO 1 (ISO 100 / 50)? I have used these to slow down the shutter speed to blur the movement of a creek I was photographing. It was a very dark ravine with dark water. It's a scene I would have before been prepared to deal with noise and compose accordingly. But there wasn't any noise to worry about in the final image taken with these settings. I could compose at will, they way the scene dictated. There was noise but it didn't take away from the image, it didn't have to be dealt with using Dfine 2.0.
There is no doubt in my mind that whatever magic Nikon has chosen to use to deal with noise in D3 files, it's working. It's working so darn good that the image quality coming out of the D3 I feel rivals my old Kodachromes. That brings up what really matters to me. Let's talk about sharpness for a moment.
D3 file sharpness
I swear, I just can't get over the sharpness the files the D3 produces! Here's another example of what I'm talking about. We were out shooting with our MT Base Camp and we came up to this ewe band of Rocky Mtn Bighorn Sheep. I was shooting with the D3 on a 200-400VR handholding it as we walked with the ewe band. The alpha ewe was trying to figure out how to get past an obstacle and was pacing back and forth. I knew she was going to run so I put her in the viewfinder and as she ran by, I squeezed off a dozen shots. I thought I might have a couple of "air" shots when all four feet were off the ground. Well, a simple chimp on that high-def LCD showed in fact, I had nailed the shot. At breakfast, I wanted the group to see for themselves the sharpness of the files captured by the D3. So I first showed them the zoomed in look of just the head of the eve on the LCD. I than zoomed out and showed them the entire image. When they saw how sharp the head was and what a small portion of the overall photo is was, they all knew the D3 was the tool.
We're working with a physically larger sensor in the D3, FX, that when compared to the smaller DX sensor of the D2Xs, has fewer pixels but delivers bigger results. Could it be that the FX sensor is so good that it can resolve all the information the lenses are delivering, it that what it boils down to? Who knows. I just know the D3 delivers such amazing quality; I need to go out and reshoot a whole bunch of images. Damn if that isn't darn cool!
Lenses
I should note that all my shooting with the D3 was done with what would now be called FX lenses. This includes the 14f2.8AF, 16f2.8AF, 14-24AFS, 28f1.4 AF, 24-70AFS, 105VR, 200VR, 200-400VR and 600f4AFS. I'm not knocking or hinting that DX lenses didn't live up to the Nikon standard, the 17-55AFS for example was a workhorse that made me a lot of money by delivering the quality my clients require. All I'm saying is that the lenses I shot/shoot with are legendary Nikon optics (I have no doubt the two new lenses will reach this status in a heartbeat). There is no doubt in my mind that this fact along with the new FX sensor is also a part of the phenomenal file quality coming out of the D3.
Nikon has taken sharpness very seriously in the D3. This is evident by the file quality. It is evident in the new lenses, the 14-24AFS and 24-70AFS. It is also evident in a new feature in the D3 Set Up Menu.
AF Fine Image Tune
When I shot with the first IP D3, I could see this on the menu, but the feature wasn't activated yet. You might be wondering what is it for, you might also be wondering why is it needed. Well, I was too wondering until it was explained to me. Here's the practical application to this very cool new menu item.
If you have any lens that when they are used on the D3 either back or front focus, you use this feature to take care of it yourself. It does work; I have used it in testing with an old lens that has a loose lens mount. Shooting a chart (like this one), you "dial" in for that particular lens what is required to make it focus correctly on that particular D3 body. The D3 can remember up to 20 lenses using this feature. Every time you attach that lens, the D3 knows it and makes the changes as per your instructions for that lens. This is very cool.
D3 Still Needs a Photographer
Does simply plunking down the $5k for a D3 mean your images will instantly be better? They will be on a technical note, there's no doubt to that. But the D3 still requires a photographer driving it to make the great images. Photography still plays a huge part in image quality equation that you wonn't see on the Nikon list of innovations.
11.29 Update: The WB has a 20k database (separate from Matrix Meter) to draw from for making its AWB calculations