Photo Business News & Forum

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Nikon vs. Canon - Introduction

As previously reported, I ordered my Nikon D3 and my Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III at the same time, back in September. I'd recently also written about seeing a D3 "in the wild" when covering a White House event, and I was eager to get my hands on my own.

That surprisingly happened all on the same day, yesterday, Friday the 7th, when both cameras arrived, separately, from Adorama. The first thing I did was call my friend Mark Finkenstaedt, a die-hard Canon photographer, and invite him over to have a look-see at both bodies, as they were unboxed, make a few photographs of them, and with them, and generally have some fun with what is otherwise sometimes a dry "review".

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What follows is a muti-part review of both cameras. Since I own both systems, and am not endorsed by either, and in fact, have been critical of both, I think I can take an unbiased look at each camera. My most critical concern was noise, and I don't shoot sports, so, for example, fast focus-tracking is not a top priority for me. I'd dropped $20k on a Canon system, having been a die-hard Nikon photographer, having found the noise in my D2x files at iso640 and above offensive. Couple that with Nikon's failure to address or even acknowledge that elephant in the room was just down-right inconsiderate. Then, you have the absolute failure of Canon to admit to their focus problem in the 1D Mark III, until Rob Galbraith essentially (and rightfully) creamed them in his review, which all but shut down the entire new line of cameras. So, I too was a bit leary of the 1Ds Mark III.

I won't endeavor here to do a review like Rob will on his site. You can count on him to be much more technical and exhaustive in his review. I plan on looking at some external component/control issues, and to focus on the noise and chip size issues. But I can't do this alone, so I've asked three friends to help out. To protect their identities, we'll call them Barbie, Marcus, and Penelope. I've written about Barbie and Penelope here, and Marcus, well, Marcus is a mysterious man, and to learn more about him, you'll have to check out his website.

I've written this in multi-part series, since you may only care about a few of the things I am talking about, feel free to skip around. If nothing else, you'll enjoy the photos!

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Canon - A first look

The Canon certainly looks and feels like the 1Ds Mark II, which I am "graduating" up from. It has a nice feel, and the buttons are familiar. I am pleased because the arrival of this camera doesn't so much make my Canon system complete, as much as it just provides a nice rounding to the available equipment.

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Penelope sure likes the size of the body and chip, but as we'll soon see in the noise section, and as Penelope no doubt knows, it's not the size that matters. With the arrival of this body, The Mark II will become my backup body, and the Mark III will become my primary body when shooting Canon. The camera is taller, and as to grip, this body actually feels slightly better in my hand than the D3, although, as someone who is 6'7", with large hands, this may not be to everyone's benefit. The D3 felt a bit more suited to a smaller hand, and I know of many a colleague who prefers the 5D over the Mark II because they think the Mark II is just to big/bulky/heavy.

In addition, the Mark III sounds comparably noisy to the Mark II, in terms or mirror noise and shutter-cocking. Further, the sensor-cleaning capabilities make this an amazing camera all around. I expect to upgrade from my wireless transmitter from the Mark II when I can get the new one for the Mark III, and it's smaller size, and attachment to the side will make it a much nicer accessory than that bulky add-on to the bottom of the body as is the case with the Mark II.

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Nikon - A first look

It was nice to have a muscle-memory familiarity with the Nikon body. It's interesting that Nikon sticks with the dial/rewind-crank bump on the left side of the camera, as almost a throwback to the F-series of cameras. The button capability of the 8008s cameras seems like a much more functionally appropriate thing to do. Further, the dial there, as Mark pointed out, is a place for fine dust to collect, as compared to the canon button system on the top left of their bodies.

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This body will immediately become my primary camera when shooting with Nikon, and I will just hope that when it fails, or I have to switch to my secondary body for a quick-lens need (i.e. my wide is on there and my D3 has my zoom) that it only happens when I am comfortably at iso500 or below.

Barbie sure likes the camera's familiar look. In fact, so much so that I had to do a little retouching to the photo because she was showing her appreciation just a little too much when I reviewed the shoot after the fact. Perhaps I was just so focused on how great I thought the camera looked, that I was more interested in looking at the camera than, well, Barbie and didn't even notice until the images were up in PhotoMechanic. That must re-validate my geek card.

The body did feel a bit smaller in my hands than I would have liked, but that's a bias of having larger than normal hands. Most people I know who say they prefer the D200 over the D2x say so for capabilities purposes, not body size. Not so with the Canon's, where people just think that the Mark II camera is just too big size-wise, and they prefer the 5D because of the feel in their hands.

The camera is damn noisy. I didn't put a dB meter on it, but it sure is loud. Further, why on earth they would put self-cleaning technology on the D300 and not on the D3 is just an example of incompetence and lack of due consideration. However, where it really matters, in file clarity and noise, Nikon really shines, and I was duly impressed.

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Nikon vs Canon -The Noise Issue

As I said earlier, my primary consideration for adding a Canon system to my arsenal was the noise of the Nikon, so I was eager to see what Nikon had done, and I was blown away. I had seen friends' samples, and even had my hands on a beta of the D3 a month or so ago, but I wanted to do a comparison.

So, I asked Barbie and Marcus to sit for a portrait session.

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Here's the setting I used:

Here are the specs - both cameras are right out of the box. I made no adjustments to the camera's settings, beyond setting the iso and shutter and f-stops. Both cameras had a zoom. The Nikon had it's 28-70 f2.8, the Canon their 28-70 f2.8. Both cameras were zoomed in to 70mm.

The images were shot raw, and processed in Adobe's Camera Raw. I know many of you will suggest Capture One, Nikon's propriety software, and so forth. I am looking for a direct comparison using the same software. I could have used Capture One, I just didn't have it on my machine.

The files were converted to JPEG, and I wanted them to look their best so I made some nominal adjustments to brightness/color to get them close. Again, I am concerned about noise. Comparing the untouched result wasn't functionally of interest, since I expect that all photographers will not pull a raw file and convert it to jpeg without looking at it and deliver it to a client.

If you'd like to download the resulting JPEGs, I have a flickr group set up, feel free to click here and download the full rez files.

In order to give you a one-to-one comparison, I have cropped deep into the photograph, so that you are seeing native resolution on Barbie's eye, not anything up- or down-rezed. I'll save that point for the section on megapixels.

First up is the Canon, at iso3200. This image is amazing in it's sharpness and clarity. The colors and blacks look sharp and crisp. I would be more than pleased to deliver a client an image at this previously verbotten iso.

Next up is the Nikon, at iso3200. Don't get tripped-up by the fact that the same crop delivers a smaller image, again, more on that in the megapixel section. Focus instead on the noise- or lack thereof. It's absolutely amazing. The color is smoother, and, as you'll see in the megapixel section, it up-rezzes better.

Next up is the Nikon, at iso12,600. Sorry, but Canon can't go that high. Look at the results! I would be comfortable delivering an image from a dark Congressional hearing, or a candle-lit church ceremony with this iso. The colors are more than fine, as is the sharpness. Moreover, the noise looks more like film grain than the noise of days gone by. The noise in the Canon above looks less like noise than it's predecessor, but it looks more like noise than the Nikon does.

Next up is the Nikon, at iso25,800. Yes folks, that's not a typo. And, again, sorry, but Canon can't go that high. Can you say "I can make an image in available darkness?!?!" Again, the colors are more than fine, as is the sharpness. Moreover, the noise here again looks more like film grain than the noise of days gone by.

At 3200 and above, especially in Nikon's range, I would turn to my client and say "what do you mean I can't use flash for this assignment? I'll give you the best I can", and these would be my results.

One interesting benefit of Nikon's higher ISO's, is that if I can be at f2.8 at a 60th at iso3200 for Canon, I can be at f5.6 at a 60th at 12,800, and deliver a greater depth of field, with similar noise/grain issues. In addition, a nominal change to the sharpness in the camera's or Camera RAW's settings, and you'd have an even better image, I did not make those adjustments on any of these images shown. Thus, for ISO's, it's Advantage:Nikon.

I know my client would be more than pleased with these results from anything at 3200 and above from these cameras, when they previously didn't think they could get a usable image. Further, these crazy ISO's will be a nice differentiator when we can shoot without a flash (or a slight flash fill to give the subjects a pop) and the client will be saying "wow, I can't get that on my D80/5D, I can see what's happening in the background in yours, mine's all dark in the background - you're a great photographer, when can I hire you again?"

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Nikon vs Canon -The MegaPixel Issue

So, I was screaming mad when I learned that the D3's chip size was actually slightly smaller than the D2x (i.e., the D2x is 12.4MP, the D3 is 12.1; the D3 is, though, essentially full-frame). But, does it really matter? Well, that depends.

If you were someone who dropped $20-$30k on a medium format back, just to get a native resolution of 22MP, this camera's got to frustrate you, especially when you realize that the color depth of the Canon and Nikon is going to be so comparable to your MF back, that you'll feel comfortable shooting chocolate with these cameras.

So, what of the difference in chip size?

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The image specs and lens choices are the same as outlined in the noise section of this piece. In fact, since we're all worried about the size of the Nikon as smaller than the Canon, I'm putting up the Canon iso3200 here first to compare to the Nikon files I'll be showing.

Here again, so it's on the same page, is the Canon, at iso3200.

Here's the same Nikon iso3200 file, but it has been rezzed up to be the same size as the Canon file. No sharpening has been applied. It appears there is less noise, and it's smoother overall. I know it's not as sharp, but when you're so deep into this photo, either the viewing distance of the viewer or the reproduction abilities of the output device will all but take care of this concern.

Here's the same Nikon iso3200 file but it has been uprezzed and sharpened to my tastes. It appears equal to, or better than, the Canon image. In other words, by up-rezzing the file to the size of the Canon file, I can actually achieve a more pleasing final result than the native file results from the Canon.

Just for comparison purposes, here's the same Nikon iso3200 file as above, not uprezed, not sharpened. (in other words, it's the same file, just uprezzed, and then secondarily sharpened.

These results, for me, essentially kill the megapixel issue for me. Size, with the proper chip and internal camera processing software, is no longer a comparison point for me. I'm sure we'd have problems if there was noise at the ISO's I need, because enlargement would yield more noise, but since that's not a concern, it's amazing what a 12.1MP camera can look like when compared to a 22MP camera. My yardstick had always been based upon a conversation I once had with an editor at National Geographic. We were discussing, very early on when it was not digital cameras, but the scanners being used to scan film - that a file that was 60MB at 8-bit was scanning at pixel-to-grain 1:1 using Kodachrome 25 as the benchmark. So, anything over 60MB was just increasing the number of pixels that hold one grain of film, and thus, is overkill/redundant. I see that, properly done as Nikon has, it's not an issue at 12MP.

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Nikon vs Canon - Shooting Tethered

For many photographers, shooting tethered is a way of life. Not just studio photographers, but also on location, shooting direct into laptops and large digital workstations. Both Nikon and Canon, to varying degrees, previously failed on this front.

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Previous Canons constantly had the cord falling out, and my colleagues were inventing ways to make sure it stayed in the camera, with mixed results. Nikons too, had similar problems. In fact, the D2x was a step backwards as far as security of the data cable was concerned. The D1x has a much more secure Firewire 400 port as a solution, and it also came out of the back of the camera.

Canon has addressed this issue head-on, and in the most secure of the two. Canon's USB connects and is locked in place with a silver screw that slips into the side data port, with a place to store the cover on it's top. There's no way this cord is coming out of the camera, unless you unscrew it. The downsize, is that the plastic cable that holds the cable is a seperate piece, so too is the silver screw, and don't loose that data-port screw cap either. In addition to the cord there are three parts you can loose here. That's risky, and I hope that Canon stocks those for it's dealers. One major plus is that Canon includes a small USB cable for when you are using the camera to download to the computer, as well as a much longer USB cord so the camera can be much further away from the camera. This is about a $70 value and should not be under estimated.

Nikon, on the other hand, just wasn't thinking the issue through. They include a plastic piece that snaps onto the USB cord, and is not easily removed. This is a good thing relative to Canon. However, the little black hole next to the USB port on the camera is where the plastic pin on piece you connected the cord to slips in. It's shoddy, and will loosen even more over time. It wiggles and just doesn't make me feel safe. All they would have had to do was put a thread in that hole and make it a screw-pin through the plastic, and the piece would be about as secure as Canon's, with one less piece, and a lot less likelyhood that the pieces would get lost, since they're all securely connected to one another.

Further, and while unrelated to the point about shooting tethered, this photo illustrates it well, the Canon camera keeps you face further away from the back of the camera than the Nikon, meaning less smudge on the screen, and less "nose control" of the back navigation wheel/dial/plate.

Advantage: Canon.

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Nikon vs Canon - The LCD Screen

First, the math - Nikon's screen has 307,200 pixels , as compared to Canon's 230,000 pixels, so your preview screen is better on the Nikon's.

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The browsing is similar to that of the Canons and Nikon's of the past, however, I get the feeling that the Nikon is just a bit clearer. But, who's going to buy a camera because of the LCD screen? It's not like it's a cup holder decision in a car!

What might sway you to upgrade is Live view, and both have it. The screens are similar in terms of readability, and there's now a second navigation "joystick" above the one we're used to on the Canon, so you can navigate the screen without having to take the lock off the navigation wheel on the back.

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Nikon vs Canon - External Ports

One noticible point about the Nikon, is that it has an HDMI out, which I think, while not immediately beneficial to me, I can see the benefits of in the not too distant future. Canon is stuck with just the standard A/V out we're all used to.

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One of the other ports is the power port. On the Nikon, it's tucked in here under the flap, and easily accessible. On the Canon, you have to remove the battery and insert a separate battery sleeve with the AC cord connected. One potential issue here, is that if the Nikon suffers a momentary loss of power from the AC, it's battery will probably keep it on, whereas with he Canon, you'd be back to whatever your settings were before power-off.

I do, however, like that you can (continue to) remove the plastic covers over the ports if you want to, from the Canon. For the Nikon, it's not possible, unless you cut them, and don't do that.

Lastly, I'll just point out the three buttons on the top left of the Canon here, as compared to the button/wheel/dial combination on the Nikon. Remember this in the next section on buttons and access.

Advantage: Nikon (2x)

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Nikon vs Canon - Buttons and Access

Even though I came from Nikon, with Nikon muscle memory, the Canon vertical grip just feels better. The way the four fingers are around the front, as compared to the three on the front one on the top, just makes the Canon feel better than the Nikon.

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Canon has re-tooled the AF button, so I don't have to assign it to the "*" button, and there's an AF-ON button easily accessible both vertically and horizontally.

I don't know why they didn't bring back the button controls from the old Nikon 8008 cameras, instead of keeping the old school look of the rewind crank and controls on the top left of the camera. That dial is a place where dust can get in, it seems like. At the least, it can collect/gather on the outside. (See the section on the LCD screen or the tethered capabilities to see what I'm referring to.)

Further, they've added the center button in the large back dial, so it's easier to navigate using that, even more than it used to be. All in all, both cameras have made significant improvements on the button functionality of the cameras.

Lastly, Nikon continues with their microphone capabilities, so you can record directly into the back of the camera notes about the image(s) you just made, and an AIF file is stored along side the files. A great thing for work in the field, or or on-the-fly captioning that will help an editor back in the photo department, or production trailer off-site.

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Nikon vs Canon - Card slots

I'm sure Canon was trying to do something smart with their SD card option, but the smarter way to go is how Nikon has done it, finally coming into the fray with two CF slots. There are plenty of CF readers, especially FW800 ones, but no fast SD readers. SD may well be the best choice next generation, or the one after that, but the CF cards are the best solution, and are also the fastest.

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Further, Nikon is using a much faster write capability here, which, while it requires the faster 300x cards, and, in turn, faster Lexar readers, in the end, one of the huge delays in my office is the speed at which files are written as well as copied off cards after the fact.

The door to the Nikon, I think, is much better. You just slip your thumb under the hatch and pop a button to open the door. On the Canon, you have to lay the camera down and use a second hand to twist the latch. The Nikon is much easier, in my view.

Advantage: Nikon

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Photo Business News & Forum

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Nikon vs. Canon - Introduction

Canon - A first look

Nikon - A first look

Nikon vs Canon -The Noise Issue

Nikon vs Canon -The MegaPixel Issue

Nikon vs Canon - Shooting Tethered

Nikon vs Canon - The LCD Screen

Nikon vs Canon - External Ports

Nikon vs Canon - Buttons and Access

Nikon vs Canon - Card slots

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