Upgrade to D90 or D300 for better quality at high ISO?

[AMediaLuz]

I am currently using D70, and is trying to take photos with actions in low light conditions without flash.
My question is, do you guys (those who ever used D70, D90 or D300) think there's a noticeable difference in terms of noise reduction from D70 to either D90 or D300 at higher ISO (e.g. 800 - 1600)?

[szeping]

Previously owned a D70... and now a D200 + D90.
I can say the improvement is very prominent. IMHO, D90 can handle around 2~3 stop more than D70 in high ISO performance.

[wildsoyabean]

go google dpreview...they did a comparison. if im not wrong d90 and d300 sensors are the same

[Simon_84]

the d90 has slightly better noise performance in this case based on a review by krw between the d90 and d300.
but take his advice with a pinch of salt, as is better to see the pics yourself before deciding.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d90/iso-3200.htm

[luntut]

Originally Posted by Simon_84 the d90 has slightly better noise performance in this case based on a review by krw between the d90 and d300. but take his advice with a pinch of salt, as is better to see the pics yourself before deciding. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d90/iso-3200.htm

i read this review, and went on to verify this myself. went to a shop, tested both bodies with a 17-55 wide open, everything else remaining constant, high ISO NR off, blah blah.

results, i found that ISO performance at 3200 is pretty much decent for both. however, upon close scrutiny, you will be able to see that D300 is VERY slightly better in terms of noise control in shadow areas.

went ahead with the D300 for me, cos i preferred the D300 with those additional controls, which i do use them as i progress with the cam (i am a control freak)

[NeTHaCk]

Originally Posted by luntut i read this review, and went on to verify this myself. went to a shop, tested both bodies with a 17-55 wide open, everything else remaining constant, high ISO NR off, blah blah. results, i found that ISO performance at 3200 is pretty much decent for both. however, upon close scrutiny, you will be able to see that D300 is VERY slightly better in terms of noise control in shadow areas. went ahead with the D300 for me, cos i preferred the D300 with those additional controls, which i do use them as i progress with the cam (i am a control freak)

sounds very wrong :P

btw, d70 to d90, ISO control is a huge difference. with d70, shooting at iso 800 is bad already.. but with d90, iso1600 is still bearable... in fact.... i even used iso 3200 for my shots

best advice for you : buy what you need else, rent and try it out

[Simon_84]

Originally Posted by luntut i read this review, and went on to verify this myself. went to a shop, tested both bodies with a 17-55 wide open, everything else remaining constant, high ISO NR off, blah blah. results, i found that ISO performance at 3200 is pretty much decent for both. however, upon close scrutiny, you will be able to see that D300 is VERY slightly better in terms of noise control in shadow areas. went ahead with the D300 for me, cos i preferred the D300 with those additional controls, which i do use them as i progress with the cam (i am a control freak)

you must have pixel-peep like mad...anyway when i first read the review, i also find it hard to believe how the d300 can lose out to a mere d90.
noise in dull areas of the photo is the key to observe for in a noise performance test.

[krion]

Originally Posted by luntut .....D300 is VERY slightly better......

"very" and "slightly"

That confused me.

[Atlas]

Just go for D700. It has even high ISO

[luntut]

Originally Posted by Simon_84 you must have pixel-peep like mad...anyway when i first read the review, i also find it hard to believe how the d300 can lose out to a mere d90. noise in dull areas of the photo is the key to observe for in a noise performance test.

yep. i shot areas of the shop with a very high dynamic range, with deep shadows and bright areas. and went pixel peeping. and when u zoom in the same amount, even on the screen, u can see the difference. unless anyone can prove to me both the screens are not the same make, i will take my observations back.

Originally Posted by krion "very" and "slightly" That confused me.

its frankly VERY SLIGHTLY. meaning its so slight a difference, if you do not pixel peep, and still stare quite hard at the really dark areas, its not observable. but when u know where to look, its very obvious for the difference.

Originally Posted by Atlas Just go for D700. It has even high ISO

yep. i totally agree. you wan something that can really do high ISO and still give you a decent reproduction, then consider D700. its at LEAST 1 stop faster and better in ISO control then D300. some say more. 8 times better then D80 (from someone who is very critical in his observations, and owns at the same time D80 and D700 now)... hmmm.

[Zeddy]

I think both have similar noise. D90 edges slightly ahead of D300 maybe due to more newer noise reduction. Both have excellent noise performance. You can't go wrong with either of them.

[Legoz]

If the diff is so very slighty... how did you guys determine it?

Regards

[AMediaLuz]

Originally Posted by Atlas Just go for D700. It has even high ISO

If any bank's gonna lend me moolah I would have gone get a D700.

[AMediaLuz]

Originally Posted by luntut yep. i totally agree. you wan something that can really do high ISO and still give you a decent reproduction, then consider D700. its at LEAST 1 stop faster and better in ISO control then D300. some say more. 8 times better then D80 (from someone who is very critical in his observations, and owns at the same time D80 and D700 now)... hmmm.

8 Times better than D80?! Do you mean for a D80 at ISO 200, D700 can produce the same results at ISO which is 8 stops higher (I can't even count how much that is)?

[NeTHaCk]

Iso 200
250
320
400
500
640
800
1000
1250
1600
2000
2500
3200
h0.3(iso6400)
h0.7(iso 12XXX)
h1.0(iso 25600)

so 8 stops higher is @ iso 1250? am i right ?

[tkbonz]

Originally Posted by NeTHaCk Iso 200 250 320 400 500 640 800 1000 1250 1600 2000 2500 3200 h0.3(iso6400) h0.7(iso 12XXX) h1.0(iso 25600) so 8 stops higher is @ iso 1250? am i right ?

Its not like dat count one... If its 8 stops "as claimed", for D80's ISO100, the "8-stop" equivalance would be ISO 25,600

100 -> 200
200 -> 400
400 -> 800
800 -> 2600
1600 -> 3200
3200 -> 6400
6400 -> 12800
12800 -> 25600 (Tada!)

SO...no such thing lor. So definitely not 8 stops...

What he trying to say is:
The ISO advantage of the D700 is 3 stops better than the D80 (true to a certain extent based on reviews) and so when we say 3 stops, it means from 100 -> 200 -> 400 -> 800 which is 8 times "better" cause D80's ISO 100 = D700's ISO 800.

[luntut]

Originally Posted by AMediaLuz 8 Times better than D80?! Do you mean for a D80 at ISO 200, D700 can produce the same results at ISO which is 8 stops higher (I can't even count how much that is)?

he shot at ISO400 for D80.
he shot at ISO6400 for D700.

both pictures came out as noisy as each other. ok, possibly not 8 stops. but its sure a hell lot of stops better then the D80. I dun really count the stops too. I dont need that exceptionally clean images at ISO6400. I dont need it, though its good to have, definitely. I rather get a very decent camera that fits my bill, will not make me pay an arm and 2 legs for it, and still allow me to work on a "pro" body with the necessary features for me NOW. Thats why i opted for D300 instead.

no dough, dun even THINK about D700. you will end up just getting it for the sake of getting it, and spend more time figuring out how to find the cash for it, instead of finding places to shoot and use it.

[AMediaLuz]

Originally Posted by tkbonz Its not like dat count one... If its 8 stops "as claimed", for D80's ISO100, the "8-stop" equivalance would be ISO 25,600 100 -> 200 200 -> 400 400 -> 800 800 -> 2600 1600 -> 3200 3200 -> 6400 6400 -> 12800 12800 -> 25600 (Tada!) SO...no such thing lor. So definitely not 8 stops... What he trying to say is: The ISO advantage of the D700 is 3 stops better than the D80 (true to a certain extent based on reviews) and so when we say 3 stops, it means from 100 -> 200 -> 400 -> 800 which is 8 times "better" cause D80's ISO 100 = D700's ISO 800.

That also means that D70/80 at ISO 100 = D90/D300's ISO 400? Since it was mentioned D700 is 1 stop better than D80.

If I upgrade to either a D90/D300, I can take pictures at ISO 1600 and still get the same quality as I would if I used a D70/D80 at ISO 400?

[AMediaLuz]

Originally Posted by AMediaLuz That also means that D70/80 at ISO 100 = D90/D300's ISO 400? Since it was mentioned D700 is 1 stop better than D80. ** If I upgrade to either a D90/D300, I can take pictures at ISO 1600 and still get the same quality as I would if I used a D70/D80 at ISO 400?

**1 stop better from D300 to D700 I mean.

[diediealsomustdive]

Originally Posted by AMediaLuz I am currently using D70, and is trying to take photos with actions in low light conditions without flash. My question is, do you guys (those who ever used D70, D90 or D300) think there's a noticeable difference in terms of noise reduction from D70 to either D90 or D300 at higher ISO (e.g. 800 - 1600)?

I went from D70 and S2Pro to D300 driven by the noise performance.

I won't get into D90 or D300 "very" "slightly" better argument.

You should -
(a) get D90 or D300 if you are bugged by noise of D70.
(b) decide based on cost and features.

I went for D300 almost solely based on backward compatibility with Ai lenses. Personally would have been satisfied (and gone with) D90 if they allowed metering of manual lenses.

Even the D60 (which I also have) performs better than D70 on noise for high ISO.