I'd like to thank ASammet from the community for taking the time to take this image(along with others) and submitting them for none other than to help.
So a big thanks to you my friend for caring enough to follow through.
~
Before I begin, I'd like to say that the following image was underexposed by 1.45 stops. Which really works against us with regards to image noise. Therefore... I was not able to draw a solid conclusion as to how the K-7 performs at ISO3200 with this sample alone. Though I will say, that the K-7 does exhibit noise characteristics that make it a little more challenging to work with than it's predecessor. Which I beleive plays a part in many of the reasons people tend to hold back from shooting at such levels.
The good news however... is that the K-7 can be managed to produce full size images(as can be seen here) without compromising on color or detail. However, doing so, does call on a level of expertise with respect to image noise and the NR methods applicable in doing so.
The following image was taken with a K-7 at ISO3200(f/4.5 1/60) with a deficiency of an -1.45 underexposure. Which resulted in what I would call premature low frequency noise patterns(color blotching). Which is quite possibly one of the most difficult noise types to manage within a scene or image. Which is why I classified this image as a 8/10 on the difficulty side of things. IOW. it required a few extra steps over that of a properly exposed image.
META: K-7, ISO3200, 1/60, f/4.5
WORKFLOW: ACR 6.2, CS5, Dfine, Topaz Denoise 4.1
NOTABLE: - 1.45 EV
DIFFICULTY: 8/10
OUTPUT: 1:1
IMAGE COURTESY OF: ASammet
Click on the image to view it in a larger size
ASammet provided me with four ISO3200 samples to work with, and so I am happy to report that this one was the most challenging ones of the set. The other three range from "very good" to "excellent", and so I look forward to publishing them shortly.
Thanks for looking and keep shooting! ...the end
Last edited by JohnBee; 06-12-2010 at 05:54 PM.