D7100 question

[fotolopithecus]

<p>Do one sharpen D7100 images inasmuch as it has no AA filter? All my previous Nikon's had a filter, and thus required it.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>I can't speak for the D7100, but as a D800E owner (no AA filter) whose other Nikon DSLR is a D700 (very strong AA filter) - no, I don't sharpen as much. Assuming that everything was optimal and the AA filter was the limiting factor in sharpness anyway, of course. (If you're diffraction limited, have a soft lens, are trying to fix camera shake or focus errors, etc. then you still need to sharpen as before.)</p>

[ilkka_nissila]

<p>I find that with the D7100 I use less sharpening to make images for web presentation than I do with my other cameras that have AA filters, but some sharpening is still needed. I use PS CC with smart sharpen filter with settings 25/0.7/10% with the D7100 (and maybe 30-35/0.7/10% for the D800, it can vary). When it comes to making prints, I typically make small prints (A6, A5) from Lightroom as it allows me to print multiple images on the same page, and apply the "low" sharpening setting in the print menu; this is irrespective of camera. When I make larger prints (A3, A2) I evaluate by making test prints with different settings and decide based on that.</p>

[owen_omeara]

<p>I have had no real problem needing to sharpen images shot with my d7100. I have a d810 coming and will make a comparison and let you know. To be honest with you I did not know that them7100 did not have one.</p>

<p>-Cheers</p>

[fotolopithecus]

<p>Thanks Guys, yeah this only just occurred to me since I previously owned a D300, D7000, and D610, all of which had filters. I have noticed that you can sharpen the D7100 images to some effect, but I was more or less wondering if you should. In other words would I create other issues by sharpening. So far I haven't noticed any particular problems. I'm told that the D7100 actually does have an AA filter but that that's corrected by another filter over the sensor. I was told that by the fellow who makes Copperhill products, but I haven't heard it elsewhere so I'm not sure.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<blockquote>I'm told that the D7100 actually does have an AA filter but that that's corrected by another filter over the sensor. I was told that by the fellow who makes Copperhill products, but I haven't heard it elsewhere so I'm not sure.</blockquote>

 

<p>I think he's confused - the D800e <i>does</i> have a self-cancelling AA filter, because its construction is almost identical to the D800, which <i>does</i> have a conventional (if mild) AA filter. D810 marketing aside, I doubt it makes much difference - you still need the same thickness of optical glass there, or the lenses will be <a href="http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/07/sensor-stack-thickness-part-iii-the-summary">misadjusted</a> for the sensor. There's no D7100 without the AA filter, so it's likely that there would be no reason to build any such thing in.<br />

<br />

Sharpening will have a visible effect. It increases <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acutance">acutance</a>, though not normally resolution. It does increase the perceived sharpness, but it also tends to enhance edges that you didn't want sharp - for example, it can significantly worsen bokeh. I'd consider applying sharpening no matter the camera (it's not just the sensor, the optics also introduce less than perfect sharpness), but I'd apply it carefully, and maybe selectively. With good lenses and conditions, I'd expect less sharpening to be necessary on the D7100 than on some cameras, but that doesn't mean "none".</p>

[elliot1]

<p>Wouldn't the need and amount to sharpen depend on the lens being used as well as the aperture?</p>

[fotolopithecus]

<p>Thanks Andrew, I guess Ill approach it the way you suggest, which is judiciously.</p>

[cc_chang1]

<p>From the reviews I read, the lack of AA filter makes a very very small difference in the D7100 so for all intents and purposes, you should treat it the same way as any other dSLRs before it. I think the improvement in sharpness gets better in cameras after D7100. In any case, whether it is sharp or not sharp enough varies from person to person and from image to image. I do seem to sharpen RAWs from D7100 less than I did with D90, but this could be entirely psychological (to justify the purchase of a new camera). It is suffice to say that you are not going to look at D7100's RAWs and jump in the air b/c of the increase in sharpness. </p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>CC - I absolutely see the difference between a D700 (large sensels, very strong AA filter) and the D800e (smaller sensels, effectively no AA filter). I believe I'd see the difference between the D800 and D800e, although only under good conditions. Bruce's experience may be less extreme.<br />

<br />

The effect is slightly harder to determine with smaller sensors - the D7100 and friends have sensels that are about 1.2x smaller than the D800's, which has a corresponding effect on how well a lens has to be resolving in order to show the difference. Still, give me a very good lens at f/4 (and maybe even f/5.6) on a tripod, and I'll bet you I can pixel-peek and see a difference between a D3200 and a D7100. Take a snapshot with a kit lens, and maybe not. Have a look at dpreview's review of the D7100 and compare it - although I'll admit that one of the sharpest "preset" positions in the interactive tool mostly shows some pretty bad moiré.</p>

[Two23]

<p>I always sharpen images made with my D7100, but then I'm shooting NEF. If I shoot jpg there's really no need to sharpen further than the camera's default.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[fotolopithecus]

<p>Yeah, I forgot to mention that I'm only shooting NEF myself, but if I ever do shoot JPG's I guess that would probably mean no need to sharpen.</p>

[ilkka_nissila]

<p><em>The effect is slightly harder to determine with smaller sensors - the D7100 and friends have sensels that are about 1.2x smaller than the D800's, which has a corresponding effect on how well a lens has to be resolving in order to show the difference.</em></p>

<p>From what I understand the AA filter attenuates frequencies as low as 0.05*sampling frequency (=fs) a little (effect reaching maximum at around 0.25*fs) and some of these frequencies are included even in images for web display, which is why sharpening should be slightly reduced. Lens resolving power is typically far greater than 0.05*fs (D7100 sampling frequency is about 110 1/mm; 0.05*fs = 5 1/mm and yet lens resolution can be as high as 400 lpmm) is so the difference between AA filter or no filter should show with any lens when evaluating the right frequency range in the image, if the focus is correct and no significant movement blur is present. However, on the flip side there should be plenty of high frequency content that gets aliased and this goes unnoticed most of the time.</p>

[mike_halliwell]

<p>The only thing I've really noticed when sharpening images from my AA-free D5300 compared to my D300 is that most of my old favourite DxO presets are pretty pointless 'cos the linear or radial dimension is measured in pixels....and the D5300 has a <em>shedload</em> more.....ie the distances are now so much smaller because of the much smaller pixel pitch.</p>

<p>However, just as people complained that the D800 made their lenses worse, the D5300 shows up my occasional poor panning technique that was never apparent on my D300. Same lens, same shutter settings. Maybe the sheer bulk of the d300 + MB-D10 damped out my errors more??</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>Ilkka - I'll take your word for the numbers! When DPReview tested the D800 against the D800e, they found that the visible differences were lost in diffraction somewhere between f/5.6 and f/8. I'm prepared to believe less visible differences above that point. I'd be surprised to see much of a difference between a D7100 and a D3200 at f/16 or even f/11, and maybe not at f/8. If you have a lens that's very good at f/4, however (and it will be clearer with lenses that are exceptional by that f-stop, like the Otus, the new Sigma 50mm, the 200 f/2, etc.) then I'd expect it to be visible even on a D7100.</p>

[StanleyBeck]

<p>I still do some sharpening, but maybe not as much as with my D200. I find that the better the lens that I am using, the less sharpening I need. Overall, some sharpening seems to help in most cases, but usually the issue is not with the sensor filter, but with operator problems (I’m still working on that).</p>

[thomas_k.]

<p>Unless I missed focus or have motion blur and I'm trying to salvage the shot, I never use additional sharpening in post production. I even tend to lower default cameras sharpening.</p>

[rick_m.]

<p>If you always shoot raw, fast, low ISO, from a sturdy tripod, with Nikon's very sharpest lenses in good light then this might be a significant thing about which to worry. I almost never do all of that so the amount of sharpness I add with my D7100 will have infinitely more to do with my technique and other factors than whether or not it has an AA filter. And it will potentially be different with each shot.</p>

<p> </p>