Kodak DCS Pro 14n: 14 Million Reasons To Go Digital It's All About Image Quality [Caveat - Having only had the DCS-14n review unit for the short span of 3 days, and sadly lacking the proper facilities for testing resolution, colour accuracy and even technical details such as battery life and so on, I approached this review as I would a novice user. Thus, I explored the different uses of the camera, and attempted to sample as many scenarios as the limited time allowed. Ideally, an extensive review calls for much longer evaluation time - a minimum of 2 weeks IMHO - and conducted in the presence of scientific tools and measuring gauges with other experts present. Please allow for some skewed data and bear in mind that this review should be supplement by other research and hands-on experience at your nearest camera retailer.] Excellent Pixel Quality and Output On a personal level, I was quite impressed by the image quality and technology offered by the Kodak 14-n. The 4536 x 3024 pixel (effective), 12-bit CMOS image sensor of the DCS-14n is the first F-mount camera to go full-frame (covering the full 24mm by 36mm image area of 35mm film). This means that there's no limitation on the use of true wide-angle lenses (including those creative fisheye lens, although wide-angle shots would likely not be a real issue with the launch of the Nikkor AF-S 12-24mm f/4G DX lens). With the DCS Pro 14n photographers have the freedom to select the image size (full 14MP, 6MP, and 3MP) that suits the shooting environment. Images are captured at about two frames per second and can be saved as DCR raw files or Kodak ERI-JPEG files. In brief, Kodak ERI-JPEGs provide about two-stops of exposure latitude and extended color space within a JPEG workflow. What this translates to is that photographers now gain the benefits of the compressed storage size of JPEG files and the flexible of RAW files. The DCS-14n easily boasts one of the greatest dynamic range that I've ever seen in any professional digital camera. Image sensors in general have an annoying tendency to capture blown highlights, but the DCS-14n's CMOS sensor, combined with the ERI-JPEG technology, allows blown areas to be recovered. Both highlights and deep shadows held details, which is certainly a boon to pixel purists. This allows for an exceptional range of details to be captured. Even in brightly lit scenes, a very high level of detail in shadow areas could be seen at low ISO settings (from 80 to about 125). The fine image detail comes at a price, though. In areas of high sharpness, aliasing (jagged edges) are apparent. Unlike previous Kodak cameras, an antialiasing filter was not included on the DCS Pro 14n. While these artifacts can be reduced in the supplied Photo Desk software, this means additional image manipulation in the digital workflow, and requires some expertise. Image sharpness is also very impressive, and color and saturation are fairly accurate, producing skin tones that are generally pleasing. Looking at images taken in a studio setting with the DCS-14n under studio lights (taken with a Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Micro lens), the colour tones were almost spot-on, requiring only a minimum of post-processing to render the correct levels. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to carry out a proper portrait session in a studio environment, which I suspect is the forte of the DCS-14n. Its full-frame sensor, low ISO performance and sensor size all points to that conclusion - this is a camera that is most at home sitting on a tripod in a controlled environment surrounded by studio lights and reflectors. Where the DCS-14n excels in is of course the much-lauded 14 million megapixel sensor. Suffice to say that you wouldn't realize how much details are lacking from most digital images until you've viewed one from the DCS-14n. Suddenly a whole world of details opened up to me. A distant window shows objects inside instead of a dark blurry patch. Cars in the distance could be readily identified instead of being anonymous blips. Suffice to say that you would take a full-size file from the DCS-14n, crop it to a sixth of its size and still produce decent 8" by 12" prints. ISO performance, however, leaves something to be desired. The noise found in ISO setting above 200 were quite extensive, which means it's less than ideal for low-light or fast action situations. Long exposure shots also contained a high amount of digital noise. The DCS-14n does feature a built-in noise reduction function, which unfortunately cannot be turned off even at low ISO settings, or disabled in the DCS Photo Desk software. What it does is that it blurs areas of details or texture, which would otherwise have remained intact. This has both its pros and cons, as it also means that the level of sharpness (which is related conversely with noise reduction functions) is entirely in the hands of the user. Some users, such as graphic artists and advertising houses, would probably prefer a less automated approach, but I suspect those who need to produce images in quantity and speed would welcome this function. More Touchy-Feely Stuff…