New Sony sensor SNR on par with D3 FF!

JohnBee · 09-15-2010, 06:13 AM

I was reading a few posts today on the D7000 and came accross the interesting claim made by a field tester that the camera noise performance was on par with the D3 FF camera.

Reference: New Nikon D7000: a Canon 60D killer? New Nikon D7000: a Canon 60D killer? — Aputure Blog

Quote:

Our thoughts
Like the Sony A-55, this camera packs a plethora of features into a small-ish body at a very reasonable price. If Canon thought they could lower their specs in order to match the Nikon D90, then they caught with their pants down, as this new Nikon D7000 takes the spec sheet to a whole new level. It outspecs the 60D in almost every way imaginable. The reports of image quality and noise performance being on par with the D3 are startling, and AF during movie recording is very enticing. If I weren’t so heavily invested in Canon glass, I might consider making the switch myself.

I know I've said this before and this may be starting to sound like a broken record, but when a Pentax official emailed me a response saying that Pentax would bring a crop sensor to the market this year that would give a full frame a run for it's money. I honestly thought he was being generous

This falls right in line with my own personal tests with some K-r RAW files. Which showed an immense latitude in the shadow/exposure recovery end of things. Which seem cleaner even, than with a D700 file.

gazonk · 09-15-2010, 06:18 AM

Originally posted by JohnBee

I was reading a few posts today on the D7000 and came accross the interesting claim made by a field tester that the camera noise performance was on par with the D3 FF camera.

Nice! But is it a Sony sensor or a Nikon sensor?

Anyway, I can't wait to see K-5 samples!

JohnBee · 09-15-2010, 06:20 AM

Originally posted by gazonk

Nice! But is it a Sony sensor or a Nikon sensor?

Anyway, I can't wait to see K-5 samples!

According to the Nikon website: Nikon | News | Digital-SLR camera Nikon D7000

The D7000 sensor is a: 23.6 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor, which is right in line with the Sony part specifications.

Based on this information, I would say there is a very good chance(98%) that they are the same part.

ewalk · 09-15-2010, 06:23 AM

I'm pretty sure Nikon still uses Sony sensors and tweaks them with their own algorithms and processing.

the swede · 09-15-2010, 06:28 AM

Will be intersting to see if K-5 will have AF in video.

thibs · 09-15-2010, 06:29 AM

Originally posted by the swede

Will be intersting to see if K-5 will have AF in video.

This is one of the big unanswered question

AngryCorgi · 09-15-2010, 06:32 AM

Originally posted by JohnBee

According to the Nikon website: Nikon | News | Digital-SLR camera Nikon D7000

The D7000 sensor is a: 23.6 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor, which is right in line with the Sony part specifications.

Based on this information, I would say there is a very good chance(98%) that they are the same part.

Same physical dimensions, perhaps, different gross pixel count, net pixel count, and thus different size photosites...its also pulling different amounts of data for video...Nikon = 1080/24P, Sony = 1080/60i (from 1080/30i output). They are significantly different parts. Engineered by Nikon, but probably fab'd by Sony.

Boris · 09-15-2010, 06:32 AM

It is really pretty exciting - all these announcement pre this year Photokina...

Edvinas · 09-15-2010, 06:42 AM

Originally posted by JohnBee

I was reading a few posts today on the D7000 and came accross the interesting claim made by a field tester that the camera noise performance was on par with the D3 FF camera.

Reference: New Nikon D7000: a Canon 60D killer? New Nikon D7000: a Canon 60D killer? — Aputure Blog

Hmm, I would not believe photographer hired to participate in D7000 marketing campaign. Let's wait for real measurements.

asw66 · 09-15-2010, 06:44 AM

Originally posted by thibs

This is one of the big unanswered question

Perhaps I'm being overly conservative, but the only thing we know is that the K-5 will indeed be announced soon. Every other leaked spec must be taken with varying amounts of salt.

JohnBee · 09-15-2010, 06:49 AM

Originally posted by AngryCorgi

Engineered by Nikon, but probably fab'd by Sony.

So you think Sony heads the R&D and sell manufacturing afterward? I could buy into that idea.

Which leads us to the inevitable... if these are the crop-sensor performances, then what will be expected from a FF counterpart?

Hellooooo' ISO51200!!!

Zav · 09-15-2010, 06:57 AM

Originally posted by the swede

Will be intersting to see if K-5 will have AF in video.

For what it worth: K-7 preprod examples had AF in video but it was somewhere between useless and unusable. Humm that was more than one year ago...

AngryCorgi · 09-15-2010, 06:57 AM

Originally posted by JohnBee

So you think Sony heads the R&D and sell manufacturing afterward? I could buy into that idea.

Which leads us to the inevitable... if these are the crop-sensor performances, then what will be expected from a FF counterpart?

Hellooooo' ISO51200!!!

There is no doubt that Sony has given some "assistance" years ago to Nikon in designing chips in a way that Sony could fab them, but I'm getting more and more a sense that Nikon is going their own way with designs. I've read many places that the biggest difference in the early Sony/Nikon cmos ventures was the on-chip A/D in the Nikons, which was purely a Nikon design...since then, the sensor itself has become less and less a Sony design...

gawan · 09-15-2010, 07:17 AM

Originally posted by JohnBee

Which leads us to the inevitable... if these are the crop-sensor performances, then what will be expected from a FF counterpart?

Hellooooo' ISO51200!!!

Just my thoughts, the next generation of FF sensors are destined to be awesome!

jjdgti · 09-15-2010, 09:46 AM

Originally posted by JohnBee

So you think Sony heads the R&D and sell manufacturing afterward? I could buy into that idea.

Which leads us to the inevitable... if these are the crop-sensor performances, then what will be expected from a FF counterpart?

Hellooooo' ISO51200!!!

Only time will tell. The next generation of FF sensors will be great. Maybe Pentax will get and that wagon.

09-15-2010, 06:13 AM	#1
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667	New Sony sensor SNR on par with D3 FF! I was reading a few posts today on the D7000 and came accross the interesting claim made by a field tester that the camera noise performance was on par with the D3 FF camera. Reference: New Nikon D7000: a Canon 60D killer? New Nikon D7000: a Canon 60D killer? — Aputure Blog Quote: Our thoughts Like the Sony A-55, this camera packs a plethora of features into a small-ish body at a very reasonable price. If Canon thought they could lower their specs in order to match the Nikon D90, then they caught with their pants down, as this new Nikon D7000 takes the spec sheet to a whole new level. It outspecs the 60D in almost every way imaginable. The reports of image quality and noise performance being on par with the D3 are startling, and AF during movie recording is very enticing. If I weren’t so heavily invested in Canon glass, I might consider making the switch myself. I know I've said this before and this may be starting to sound like a broken record, but when a Pentax official emailed me a response saying that Pentax would bring a crop sensor to the market this year that would give a full frame a run for it's money. I honestly thought he was being generous This falls right in line with my own personal tests with some K-r RAW files. Which showed an immense latitude in the shadow/exposure recovery end of things. Which seem cleaner even, than with a D700 file.

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09-15-2010, 06:18 AM	#2
gazonk Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Oslo area, Norway Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,746	Originally posted by JohnBee I was reading a few posts today on the D7000 and came accross the interesting claim made by a field tester that the camera noise performance was on par with the D3 FF camera. Nice! But is it a Sony sensor or a Nikon sensor? Anyway, I can't wait to see K-5 samples!

09-15-2010, 06:20 AM	#3
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667 Original Poster	Originally posted by gazonk Nice! But is it a Sony sensor or a Nikon sensor? Anyway, I can't wait to see K-5 samples! According to the Nikon website: Nikon \| News \| Digital-SLR camera Nikon D7000 The D7000 sensor is a: 23.6 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor, which is right in line with the Sony part specifications. Based on this information, I would say there is a very good chance(98%) that they are the same part.

09-15-2010, 06:23 AM	#4
ewalk Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 316	I'm pretty sure Nikon still uses Sony sensors and tweaks them with their own algorithms and processing.

09-15-2010, 06:28 AM	#5
the swede Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 2,310	Will be intersting to see if K-5 will have AF in video.

09-15-2010, 06:29 AM	#6
thibs Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Photos: Albums Posts: 7,001	Originally posted by the swede Will be intersting to see if K-5 will have AF in video. This is one of the big unanswered question

09-15-2010, 06:32 AM	#7
AngryCorgi Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Northern VA Posts: 73	Originally posted by JohnBee According to the Nikon website: Nikon \| News \| Digital-SLR camera Nikon D7000 The D7000 sensor is a: 23.6 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor, which is right in line with the Sony part specifications. Based on this information, I would say there is a very good chance(98%) that they are the same part. Same physical dimensions, perhaps, different gross pixel count, net pixel count, and thus different size photosites...its also pulling different amounts of data for video...Nikon = 1080/24P, Sony = 1080/60i (from 1080/30i output). They are significantly different parts. Engineered by Nikon, but probably fab'd by Sony.

09-15-2010, 06:32 AM	#8
Boris Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Israel Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 932	It is really pretty exciting - all these announcement pre this year Photokina...

09-15-2010, 06:42 AM	#9
Edvinas Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kaunas Posts: 1,458	Originally posted by JohnBee I was reading a few posts today on the D7000 and came accross the interesting claim made by a field tester that the camera noise performance was on par with the D3 FF camera. Reference: New Nikon D7000: a Canon 60D killer? New Nikon D7000: a Canon 60D killer? — Aputure Blog Hmm, I would not believe photographer hired to participate in D7000 marketing campaign. Let's wait for real measurements.

09-15-2010, 06:44 AM	#10
asw66 Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 347	Originally posted by thibs This is one of the big unanswered question Perhaps I'm being overly conservative, but the only thing we know is that the K-5 will indeed be announced soon. Every other leaked spec must be taken with varying amounts of salt.

09-15-2010, 06:49 AM	#11
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667 Original Poster	Originally posted by AngryCorgi Engineered by Nikon, but probably fab'd by Sony. So you think Sony heads the R&D and sell manufacturing afterward? I could buy into that idea. Which leads us to the inevitable... if these are the crop-sensor performances, then what will be expected from a FF counterpart? Hellooooo' ISO51200!!!

09-15-2010, 06:57 AM	#12
Zav Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,371	Originally posted by the swede Will be intersting to see if K-5 will have AF in video. For what it worth: K-7 preprod examples had AF in video but it was somewhere between useless and unusable. Humm that was more than one year ago...

09-15-2010, 06:57 AM	#13
AngryCorgi Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Northern VA Posts: 73	Originally posted by JohnBee So you think Sony heads the R&D and sell manufacturing afterward? I could buy into that idea. Which leads us to the inevitable... if these are the crop-sensor performances, then what will be expected from a FF counterpart? Hellooooo' ISO51200!!! There is no doubt that Sony has given some "assistance" years ago to Nikon in designing chips in a way that Sony could fab them, but I'm getting more and more a sense that Nikon is going their own way with designs. I've read many places that the biggest difference in the early Sony/Nikon cmos ventures was the on-chip A/D in the Nikons, which was purely a Nikon design...since then, the sensor itself has become less and less a Sony design...

09-15-2010, 07:17 AM	#14
gawan Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Helsinki Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,400	Originally posted by JohnBee Which leads us to the inevitable... if these are the crop-sensor performances, then what will be expected from a FF counterpart? Hellooooo' ISO51200!!! Just my thoughts, the next generation of FF sensors are destined to be awesome!

09-15-2010, 09:46 AM	#15
jjdgti Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: NJ Posts: 1,824	Originally posted by JohnBee So you think Sony heads the R&D and sell manufacturing afterward? I could buy into that idea. Which leads us to the inevitable... if these are the crop-sensor performances, then what will be expected from a FF counterpart? Hellooooo' ISO51200!!! Only time will tell. The next generation of FF sensors will be great. Maybe Pentax will get and that wagon.