Joseph Tainter wrote:
So then share -- what are the problematic layout issues with the
mid-level camera? And are we certain that the software is the same as
the D200, and how do we know this?
-Aaron
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Mid-level camera: As with the DS, it looks like some controls will be
buried down in electronic menus. From the photo that was on the
Russian web site for a few hours, it looked like it will lack some of
the physical controls that the top model will have. This is to be
expected. The DS achieved some of its cost savings over the D by
taking manual controls and making them electronic. Most controls are
still available, just harder to access. This is a design feature of
concern to me, since there are some controls that I access often, and
I want them to be physical controls.
That said, the mockup of the D+ (K10D?/D successor) seemed to suggest
that even it will not have all of the external controls that the D has.
Sensor output is a matter of signal-to-noise ratio. With more pixels
in a sensor of the same size (10 mp vs. 6 mp), pixels are smaller.
There will be less signal and more noise. The Nikon D200 uses a Sony
APS-C 10 mp sensor that is about the same size as the Sony 6 mp sensor
in our cameras and the Nikon 6 mp models. The 10 mp is reported to be
noisier than the 6 mp. Nikon has implemented some noise reduction
software for higher ISO settings, but it noticeably softens images.
Pentax has refused to say which sensor it will use in the D+. But a
Pentax exec said something along the lines of "You won't be
surprised." That sounds to me like it will be the Sony 10 mp sensor.
I love the nearly noise-free images I get with my D at ISO 200. But I
want shake reduction, and I want shake reduction in a camera that has
the external controls of the D. So I will probably buy the D+. Will
Pentax's programmers find a better way to reduce noise without
softening the image than Nikon's programmers did? I will be pleasantly
surprised if they do, but Nikon's employees/contractors have good
brains, and I see no reason to expect Pentax to do better.
Shake reduction seems to give about 2 EV reduction in useable shutter
speed, perhaps a bit more with wide angle lenses. I am expecting that
we will lose at least 1 EV in ISO setting due to higher noise (i.e,
noise at ISO 1600 on the D will be about like noise at ISO 800 on the
D+). So the 10 mp with SR will give us a net gain of 1 EV in shutter
speed. For $2000 or so, a net gain of one EV in shutter speed will be
disappointing. But I will probably want to buy the camera anyway.
Joe
Joe, on noise, the D200 is less noisy than any of the Pentax models as
well as the D70 and D100. It's noiser than the D50, but the D50 is less
noisy than the Canon 20D and XT at ISO 800 and about equal at 1600,
making it the least noisy Nikon of all (it's less noisy that the D2Hs
and D2x at 800 and 1600 as well). The D50 has quite aggressive noise
reduction, at the cost of resolution.
-Adam
