dynamic range of D80 vs. D200

[gokce_yildirim2]

Did anyone had a chance to compare D80 vs. D200 for the dynamic range

capabalities ? Or is there any reviews on the net ?

 

People saying the image quality is same and even D80 having the advantage of

being less noisy then D200.. But what about dynamic range ? I own the D80 and I

feel it doesnt have much tolorance for the higlights...

 

tks in advance...

[elliot1]

I bought a d80 as a backup to my d200's. I sold it after using it for a week and got another d200 for the exact reason you list.

 

I did side-by-side tests and found that under test conditions the pictures were identical. But out in the real world, I found there to be differences in exposure that I was uncomfortable with (I am not saying the d80 isn't a great camera, just that the exposures are a little different than the d200).

 

I bought a d40 for my wife and find the same is true for it. When I use the d40, I set the exposure compensation to -.7 and it seems to resolve the issue.

 

I think in general you could say that the d80 can and does produce images equal to the d200, but the d200's exposure is more consistant (meaning you rarely get blown highlights).

 

Unless you are doing wedding/event photography, I don't think it is anything to worry about. After you use the camera for a while, you will get used to how it reacts to different lighting conditions and make adjustments accordingly.

[juan_parm_nides]

I agree to ELLIOT.

 

In real life, the D80 exposure is not so accurate as the Nikon D200 is. The Nikon D200 never, except if you want, blow higlights, but you have to adjust the D80 a little to get exact results. Quality images are more or less the same, but exposure is another thing. The Nikon D80 uses the 420 pixels Matrix II TTL 3D sensor, while the D200 uses the 1005 pixels Matrix II TTL 3D sensor.

 

Regards.

[bruce_rubenstein]

DP Review has the D80 here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/page19.asp

 

and the D200 here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond200/page22.asp

 

What one has to keep in mind is that the DP Reviews are for JPGs and RAW and the default contrast of the two cameras are different. The higher contrast setting of the D80 explains the difference in dynamic rang for JPGs.

 

Imaging Resource tests differently and results for the 2 cameras are here: http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D80/D80IMATEST.HTM

 

If you shoot JPGs with the D80, try going in to Optimize image/Custom and set Tone compensation to -1. Depending on the scene, -1/3 exposure compensation may also be necessary. If you review images on the camera's LCD, use the Flashing highlight mode. This will tell you if and what anything in the scene is clipping.

[gokce_yildirim2]

well, I dont think its related with the amount of the pixel's in the sensor but more about how the two different camera is adjusted to handle exposure. Or lets say how the consumer ( including d40, d50 vs..) and pro line of camera's adjusted..

 

But Im really not happy with the exposure of the D80 in general outdoor photography..

[juan_parm_nides]

An exposure sensor with more pixels measures more accurately lights than an exp sensor with less pixels.

 

Cheers.

[gokce_yildirim2]

Bruce,

 

I have checked all the links you have given.. from these tests as I see, it seems that d80 is on par with D200 and even better in some terms ( like the shadow detail and almost full f-stop better then D200..

 

That seems strange. Then if there is potential there, what would you suggest for the settings ? I generally use auto for everything for the jpegs..

 

tks for the links..

[tom_burke3]

Thom Hogan ( http://www.bythom.com/d80review.htm ) comments on this and says that

the matrix metering on the D80 is much more prone to adjust exposure as a result of

non-mid-gray elements in the image than cameras that came before it.

 

So I think that the hardware is capable of capturing the same extent of dynamic range as

the D200 but that matrix metering can easily set an EV which effectively compresses the

DR and either produces blown highlights or lost shadows. Mr Hogan also says that centre-

weighted metering & spot metering are 'their usual excellent selves'.

 

So it's the logic behind the matrix metering that's the problem.

[Sanford]

Don't any of you guys ever consider using manual exposure? Works great and you don't have to concern yourself with what version of matrix metering your particular Nikon has. Just look at the results of the of the photo just taken and adjust a third or a half of stop as needed.

[steven_zellner1]

I would agree with the other contributors re slight overexposure in certain circumstances. That being said, I observed something this weekend that might be of assistance in reducing the problem.

 

Specifically, I used a circular polarizing filter outdoors in rather harsh lighting. When I shot a subject that was perpendicular to the sun, the matrix metering was spot on. I did not need any exposure adjustment. What suprised me was that while the sun was still rather high in the sky, the same exposure accuracy applied when I shot a subject when the sun was directly behind me. With the sun low in the sky, all bets were off.

 

I gather that this filter sufficiently changes the nature light coming into the camera to obviate the need for a -0.7 adjustment.

 

I hope this can be of help.

[bruce_rubenstein]

Gokce - the settings I use are at the end of my first post. The -1/3 exposure compensation will under expose some shots, but I'm less concerned about picking up a little noise than I am about loosing highlights for the type of photography I do.

 

I really believe that the MM metering works exactly the way Nikon intended it to. It gives better exposure to strongly backlit subjects than the D200. It's aimed at different users than the D200. I like the D200's metering better than the D80's, but it's not a killer for me. It's also aimed at different users than the D40. The default color space is IIIa which gives more saturated color than Ia that the D80 by default uses.

[photo5]

The D80 does have a different exposure curve compared to the D200, but the D200 isn't necessarily "better" than the D80 in all situations either. My testing of the D200 showed a tendancy to underexpose in certain situations where the D80 would have given a good exposure.

 

I shot more than 2,000 photos with my D80 in Japan last November. 90% were shot at 0 EV adjustment. At first, I was shooting at -0.33 EV, and I found that they were slightly underexposed overall.

 

I attached the photo that shows the weakness of the Matrix Metering on the D80. This photo was shot at -1 EV, and still the sky is blown, and the building highlight is almost lost too.

 

I've learned to anticipate these situations and adjust exposure, so now I have no more issues.

 

Dave<div></div>

[photo5]

Here is a photo taken with the D200 with no EV adjustment. The lens was the Sigma 28-70mm f2.8. It looks very underexposed to me. I believe the D80 would have produced a better exposure.

 

Dave<div></div>

[kyle shortes]

Being a former D50 user I'm well aware fo this problem there is always the simple solution of setting the D80 to -.7ev (it would be nice to see the cust. func. button do this) or you can do what I do, put it in centerweighted, it tend to expose correctly in a more consistant fashion. CW metering may nto always be the mode of choice, and you can always adjust your actual diameter. Those two are the things that keep me from getting overblown highlights.

[johndc]

"Don't any of you guys ever consider using manual exposure?"

 

I've heard of that. I think I read about it in a history book once.

 

Seriously, you have to wonder how some people ever survived before auto-metering came in to existence. Both the D80 and D200 are capable of capturing an impressive range if you know what you're doing.

 

I find it hilarious that someone would buy a camera and then take it back because it doesn't behave exactly like another (current) camera, in a higher price bracket, and designed for a more experienced user.

 

Did you expect it to be weather-sealed too?

[Sanford]

John - you make me feel like a real old-timer. There was always a real sence of pride in being able to expose narrow latitude slide film with a meterless camera like the Leica IIIF which was my first good camera. Try it some time, how hard can it be when you can now see the results instantly...

[johndc]

Sanford-

 

I was only being sarcastic. I meter most of the time manually myself. If you check my portfolio, you'll see four shots of a '57 Chevy, all exposed by instinct on Velvia in a IIIc. Guess you're not so old after all. ;)

[msitaraman]

I had to struggle daily to correct exposure in Nikon Capture before I went back to metering manually, which was all I used in my pre Nikon DSLR days.

 

I did this after recently taking a second look at my slides from some years ago; all metered manually. The number of overexposed shots (blown highlights) was less than I was achieving with my DSLR, and the shot-to-shot consistency of exposure was striking.

 

A couple of months ago, I disciplined myself to use only the M mode in my DSLR, occasionally using an incident meter, but usually using the in-camera meter. Voila, better shots straight out of the camera, and much, much less wrestling in Nikon Capture, thanks to the consistency of exposure. Now, I grant you that I had pretty much internalized manual metering over 25-odd years of film shooting, but its really not that hard, and much less of a crapshoot than people who have never used it assume it to be.

 

And in a DSLR, the histogram becomes quite useful as a second, though not always reliable, opinion.

[gokce_yildirim2]

Dave,

 

In your picture, the camera senses the dark wall in the middle of your image and thinks that is the main subject and adjusts the exposure so that it is perfectly exposed but the surroundings can become blown ( and that what happens most of the time outdoors )..

 

Now, shouldn't be that this kind of metering would be more sensible in center weighted mode ?? I mean if I need to correctly expose the main subject at the middle of the image then I would use CW.. But with D80 it just the opposite. CW usually meters as MM should and gives more predictable exposures not blowing the higlights( in my most cases ) and MM acts more like CW..

[ramon_mena]

Hi Dave

 

I have exactly the same underexposure problem with the Sigma 28-70 EX DF and D200, you must try with two stops more of exposition. I think, it is a camera-lens compatibility issue. Moreover, the autofocus at the apertures 2.8 to 4.0 is never right, the only possibility at these apertures is manual-focus.

 

With regards

 

Ram�n