Sony Alpha NEX-5 vs Olympus E-P2 vs Nikon D90 High ISO JPEG Noise review and tutorial

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Sony Alpha NEX-5 High ISO JPEG Noise preview

What follows is a examination folio from our accessible abounding analysis of the Sony Alpha NEX-5.

All samples taken with final assembly cameras; the NEX-5 was active firmware v2.

Check aback anon for our analysis which includes after-effects for RAW, HDR, Handheld Twilight and Anti Motion Blur modes!

Sony Alpha NEX-5 vs Olympus E-P2 vs Nikon D90 High ISO Noise (auto adverse modes disabled)

To analyze babble levels beneath real-life altitude we attempt this arena with the Sony Alpha NEX-5, Olympus E-P2 and the Nikon D90 aural a few moments of anniversary added at anniversary of their ISO settings. Best affection JPEG and absence babble abridgement settings were used, but auto adverse modes were disabled on anniversary camera. The NEX-5 was active firmware v2.

Each camera was adapted with its corresponding kit lens, set to their optimum apertures and adapted to bear the aforementioned vertical acreage of view.

Since the cheaper Sony Alpha NEX-3 shares the aforementioned sensor and imaging activity as the NEX-5, the after-effects beneath are additionally adumbrative of what you’d accomplish with that camera.

Nikon’s D90 may be an earlier model, but still represents one of the best cameras in its class, abnormally at aerial sensitivities; the after-effects for the D90 additionally accommodate an adumbration of what you can apprehend from the cheaper D5000 and pricier D300s, as all three bodies allotment the aforementioned sensor and imaging pipeline.

The NEX-5 under-exposed this attempt for the arena we capital to crop, so we activated +1EV advantage for the arrangement below. The angel aloft was taken with the Sony Alpha NEX-5 at 200 ISO with an acknowledgment of 1/3 (following +1EV compensation) and the lens set to 20mm f5.6; the aboriginal Large Fine JPEG abstinent 4.5MB. The exposures from the D90 and E-P2 beneath accept no advantage activated as their absence metering delivered images which akin the adapted accountable brightness.

As declared above, the automated adverse modes on anniversary camera were disabled as these can artificially acquaint noise. As such, the Dynamic Ambit Optimizer on the Sony and Active D-Lighting on the Nikon were both disabled, while Gradation was set to Normal on the Olympus.

Note we additionally activated the Sony’s Handheld Twilight and Anti Motion Blur modes in this breadth and you can see after-effects for these in our accessible abounding review. But now aback to the capital ISO sequence. The crops beneath are taken from the areas credible with the red squares and presented actuality at 100%. The crops from the D90 appearance a above breadth due to its lower vertical resolution.

Without a 100 ISO ambience on the Sony, the arrangement starts with the Olympus E-P2 and Nikon D90, admitting with the closing operating one stop beneath its abject sensitivity. As you’d expect, both crops at this everyman acuteness are abundant and beggared of noise, although the absence JPEG processing strategies acclaimed on our Real Life Resolution folio abide actually credible here. As such the Olympus E-P2′s crops are arguably a little over-cooked with aerial accurateness and contrast, while the Nikon D90′s are about bendable and above in comparison.

The Sony Alpha NEX-5 starts its attack at 200 ISO with a actual apple-pie and abundant result, which afresh as we saw on our aboriginal after-effects page, adopts a acceptable processing appearance about amid the added two models on analysis – that is to say, abundantly candy to accompany out the detail after causing abominable artefacts. In the meantime, affected pixel depression may apprehension the faintest aroma of babble textures on the added two models at 200 ISO, but it’s actually annihilation to anguish about at this point.

Doubling the acuteness to 400 ISO has around no aftereffect on the NEX-5 crop which about looks banausic from the 200 ISO sample. The Olympus E-P2 is about now announcement some babble textures; afresh annihilation too austere with the blow of the angel actual saturated and detailed, but it’s absolutely visibly noisier than the Sony. In the concurrently the Nikon D90 avalanche about average with beneath babble than the Olympus, but still a atom added than the Sony.

At 800 ISO, a tiny bulk of babble has crept into the Sony image, but the NEX is still captivation it calm actual well. In contrast, the babble levels on both the Olympus and Nikon crops accept increased, while the accountable has gradually softened; afresh it’s far from bad, but revealingly the Sony charcoal in front.

This administration continues at 1600 ISO, breadth alike admitting the Sony NEX sample is announcement arresting babble textures, it charcoal cleaner than its two rivals here. It’s additionally better-retaining accountable detail and saturation.

At 3200 ISO, the Sony NEX is assuredly alpha to ache from both college babble textures and bargain accountable detail, but it’s leaps and bound advanced of the Olympus E-P2 at this point; the abate sensor in the Olympus is disturbing now. Interestingly though, admitting the D90 administration the aforementioned sensor breadth as the Sony – not to acknowledgment a hardly lower pixel anatomy – the DSLR is still falling abaft a little.

At 6400 ISO, the Sony NEX angel has become actually muddy, but afresh charcoal advanced of its rivals. The abate sensor of the Olympus E-P2 is now operating way above its abundance zone, and revealingly the Nikon D90 is still visibly abaft the NEX.

The Sony NEX afresh bravely goes assimilate action a 12,800 ISO advantage which looks appealing bad and should alone be acclimated in emergency situations. But at this point it’s about agnate to the E-P2 at 3200 ISO. Indeed while we’d say all three cameras alpha at about the aforementioned point in babble levels, the Sony NEX bound assets a one stop advantage over the Olympus E-P2, which extends to about two stops by the time the maximums are reached.

To be fair the Olympus, forth with added Micro Four Thirds cameras, has a abate sensor, so it’s not hasty to acquisition the Sony NEX demography a advance at college sensitivities, but it is a arresting advantage – and from a abate anatomy too. What’s absolutely absorbing admitting is how the NEX endless up adjoin the Nikon D90, which has advance aerial ISO achievement in its chic back launch. In our arrangement beneath there’s not a massive aberration amid them, but we’d say the NEX enjoys a baby advance over this appalling rival. To bout the D90 would accept been absorbing enough, but to beat its achievement – alike by a accessory bulk – is an absorbing accomplishment from any camera, abnormally one that’s a atom of the size.

In short, a celebration for the Sony Alpha NEX-5 here, forth with its cheaper sibling, the NEX-3 which afresh shares the aforementioned sensor. Sony’s managed to bear top-class DSLR achievement at aerial sensitivities in a actual bunched body, and has laid bottomward the gauntlet for rivals. It’s a abundant aftereffect for the NEX arrangement and additionally bodes able-bodied for the Alpha A33 which we accept shares the aforementioned sensor.

But that’s not the end of the story. The NEX cameras additionally accede a brace of accurate tricks from the Cyber-shot ambit which swear to added access low ablaze performance. Check out our Handheld Twilight and Anti Motion Blur after-effects in our accessible review!

source: cameralabs