Get DAP and Zeiss ZF Lenses FREE PERMALINK

Special offer: buy a D3x or D3 or Canon 1D[s] Mark III, etc or other major purchase any brand through my links below. After confirming your purchase though my link, I’ll give you DAP and Zeiss ZF Lenses free (if you already have them I’ll extend your subscription).

Note that phone orders, walk-ins, etc do not count towards click-through commissions, and mistakes do not count—the commission must be credited to diglloyd.com to qualify (there is no cost to you). Offer good through Jan 31, 2009.

Sorry, I cannot extend this offer to smaller purchases because it must be handled manually (time-consuming). I very much appreciate it when you use my links—thank you.

Nikon D3x noise and color vs D3 PERMALINK

In perhaps my most intriguing findings yet on the D3x, I’ve explored color and noise with the Nikon D3x and Nikon D3 side-by-side, using my reference lens, the Coastal Optics 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR APO macro. The extensive writeup is in my Nikon D3x review in DAP.

The crop below is from the D3x at ISO 1600, downsampled to D3 actual-pixels resolution. Noise?

D3x at D3 resolution, ISO 1600
Nikon D3x + Coastal Optics 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR APO macro @ f/11

And so I’ll repeat what I’ve stated before: the Nikon D3x offers the finest image quality in a DSLR the world has yet seen. The online bitching and moaning about the price won’t change that fact—I don’t like it either. But if you need or want the very best DSLR available today, the Nikon D3x is your camera. In fact, I have zero desire to shoot my Canon 1Ds Mark III any more. None at all. It’s not about resolution: it’s about stunning image quality.

Nikon D3x subjects PERMALINK

In the past 10 days, I’ve covered a a lot of ground in DAP in my Nikon D3x review, focusing on image quality from various angles. The pace must now slow, as my winter “break” is now over, but more is to come.

DAP readers keen on the D3x should email me a concise list of what they’d most like to know about the D3x. Those areas with the most interest are where I’ll direct my efforts first.

Nikon D3x at 97.5 megapixels with PhotoZoom Pro PERMALINK

Yesterday I showed a simple upscaling with RAW Developer to 200% (linear) or 97.5 megapixels.

Below are two more takes—the same image was processed by RAW Developer at native resolution (6048 X 4032) then upsampled by PhotoZoom Pro 2.3.4 to 200%, using S-Spline XL and Photo - Detailed with Unsharp Mask Radius = 3.00.

PhotoZoom Pro has numerous algorithms and parameters, so don’t assume that this example is the best result it can produce—it’s just one variant. To my eye, this variant looks a little artificial, but the edge acutance might work very well for printing. See the next example below for comparison.

Mouse over this image to compare to the Spline Grained example further below. The edge effects are where the key differences lie.

PS: don’t assess color on these images, the light was flat and blue and no attempt was made to make the color look good.

D3x scaled to 97.5 megapixels with PhotoZoom Pro
Nikon D3x + Coastal Optics 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR APO macro @ f/5.6

Another version below, also with PhotoZoom Pro: Spline with “Photo Grained” and a dash of wide-radius Unsharp Mask in Photoshop CS4 {8, 50, 0}. The Photo Grained result looks natural to me. Mouse over it to compare to yesterday’s example. The results are very similar.

D3x scaled to 97.5 megapixels with PhotoZoom Pro
Nikon D3x + Coastal Optics 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR APO macro @ f/5.6

Many hours of experimentation are needed to gain experience as to what works best for various types of images. Throw in a dash of personal preference, the type of material for printing, and there are endless decisions to make.

 

Nikon D3x subjects PERMALINK

In the past 10 days, I’ve covered a a lot of ground in DAP in my Nikon D3x review, focusing on image quality from various angles. The pace must now slow, as my winter “break” is now over, but more is to come.

DAP readers keen on the D3x should email me a concise list of what they’d most like to know about the D3x. Those areas with the most interest are where I’ll direct my efforts first.

Nikon D3x at 97.5 megapixels PERMALINK

How well do D3x images scale? The crop below is actual pixels after scaling to 97.5 megapixels (12096 X 8064), using RAW Developer. It has been sharpened during RAW conversion and also in Photoshop CS4. Probably those versed in the finer points of image scaling could do even better, and sometime soon I’ll be exploring how well PhotoZoom Pro and Genuine Fractals do scaling of D3x images.

You don’t need “faith” with the Nikon D3x: it’s offers the finest image quality in a DSLR the world has yet seen. Read my full review in DAP.

D3x scaled to 97.5 megapixels
Nikon D3x + Coastal Optics 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR APO macro @ f/5.6

Nikon D3x dynamic range and noise PERMALINK

Yesterday I added to my review of the Nikon D3x a second noise study from ISO 50 through ISO 6400, as well as my findings on the dynamic range difference between ISO 50 and ISO 100.

Bokeh of the Nikon 200mm f/2 VR is really lovely and it’s a stunning performer on the D3x.

Critters on Protea
Nikon D3x + Nikon 200mm f/2VR, 1/320 @ f/2, ISO 200

Welcome 2009 PERMALINK

I’m sure glad I got to sleep that extra leap second last night—on my schedule every little bit helps. And when 9,192,631,770 periods/oscillations of radiation from a Cesium-133 atom at the ground state occurred while I snoozed, it felt positively refreshing.

If you had a little too much wild turkey last night, just think how this guy feels!

Wild Turkey (in the zoo)
Nikon D3x + Nikon 200mm f/2VR, 1/1000 @ f/2, ISO 400