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11/25/2008 08:47:44 PM · #1 |
How much of a difference in image quality am I going to see choosing a 14 bit DSLR camera over 12 bit? I'm reading that it affects, not so much sharpness and noise, but color accuracy and gradiation -- higher is better. That's all very interesting, but how important would this be to you in choosing a camera?
Bonus questions:
What about 10MP vs. 12MP?
CMOS vs. NMOS?
A preference or opinion, or is it all the same given an entry/mid-level camera? Thanks. |
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11/25/2008 09:02:30 PM · #2 |
There's an old adage... "If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it." Something along those lines can be said here, namely "if you have to ask the importance of a factor, it won't be important to you."
Bottom line is that any of the modern DSLRs are great machines. When you get to the point that you can recognize that one of these factors is limiting you, you will also understand the implications of improving that factor.
With specific regard to 12-bit vs. 14-bit:
- It makes *no* difference if you shoot in JPEG
- If you shoot RAW, you will have 4 times the number of graduations to work with, which is a significant improvement... but only if the sensor has enough dynamic range to take advantage of it.
So the answer is, "it depends." |
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11/25/2008 09:15:51 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
- If you shoot RAW, you will have 4 times the number of graduations to work with, which is a significant improvement... but only if the sensor has enough dynamic range to take advantage of it.
So the answer is, "it depends." |
I shoot RAW. What does that mean, "if the sensor has enough dynamic range..."? Certainly it must or it wouldn't be a 12 or 14 bit sensor, right? Maybe I'm missing something. Is the bit depth a funciton of something else, perhaps? |
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11/25/2008 09:42:26 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by bvy:
Originally posted by kirbic:
- If you shoot RAW, you will have 4 times the number of graduations to work with, which is a significant improvement... but only if the sensor has enough dynamic range to take advantage of it.
So the answer is, "it depends." |
I shoot RAW. What does that mean, "if the sensor has enough dynamic range..."? Certainly it must or it wouldn't be a 12 or 14 bit sensor, right? Maybe I'm missing something. Is the bit depth a funciton of something else, perhaps? |
Just because you can stream off 14-bit numbers from a sensor doesn't necessarily mean that's its sensitive enough to differentiate that full tonal range of 2^14 colours.
I posted a link to another thread about the difference between 12 and 14 bit sensors, can't find it now, but let's just say if you're into shooting the millimeter marks on rulers at 6ft, it might make some difference to you... ;-) |
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