[Leica] HDR, Leica DMR and Nikon D3

[tlianza at comcast.net (tl)]

Hi to all,

 

In a recent post I mentioned that DMR held up quite well when compared to
the Nikon D3.  Doug Herr asked me for a some elaboration so here goes.
Naturally, the D3 has a feature set that far outstrips the DMR and there can
be no doubt that D3 has much better low light performance than the DMR.
When you look at images from both cameras and evaluate them visually, the
DMR images appear somewhat sharper, and I believe more colorful.  The Nikon
D3 has the most accurate color reproduction of any imaging product that I
have ever used.  The LCD on the D3 is color calibrated.  The point to be
made here is that accurate color reproduction on input is not always a good
thing.  Kodak Extachrome Professional was one of the most color accurate
films ever produced, but most photographers preferred Fuji Velvia which had
extremely poor color fidelity but produced very vivid and saturated images.


 

Even though I have very complete color measurement capabilities in my lab, I
always LOOK AT THE IMAGE.   35 years of technical experience have shown me
that numbers do not necessarily tell the whole story.  When I am comparing
two cameras, I try to shoot a side by side image and I generate a full frame
output image that is 24" X 30".  I tape the images to a wall and I evaluate
them.  When I say that the DMR holds it's own against the D3 I mean that
image from the DMR (shot in daylight) is noticeably sharper and more
saturated.  The Nikon image has higher resolution, but the anti-aliasing
filter they use does have a negative impact on sharpness, if you don't give
it a little boost.  The MTF of the Leica glass is probably higher and when
combined with the unfiltered sensor the difference is real.  Naturally,
unsharp masking of the Nikon image can also produce very stunning results,
but the fact is that the native image produced by the DMR is excellent.   I
really do enjoy both cameras.  The DMR/R9 combination is very close to the
film experience and it produces, with a little work, great images.  I bought
the D3 primarily for its low light performance (I shoot in the theater) and
for the 14 to 24 mm zoom which really works well on a full frame sensor.  On
the other hand, nothing beats the combination of the DMR and 280mm f2.8 APO
for telephoto work.  Of course, one  does need a truck to carry it...

 

Take care,

Tom