Canon EOS 5D Mark III Shadow Noise vs Nikon D800E

2012-09-06 • SEND FEEDBACK |
Related: Canon, Canon 5D Mark III, Canon DSLR, Nikon, Nikon D800, Nikon D800E, Nikon DSLR, noise

Real world images over the past few years have taught me since the Nikon D3/D3x that Nikon’s secret sauce in their full-frame DSLRs is eminently useful in the field for real images. And that Canon’s noise (especially pattern noise) really bugs me, and causes problems in “post”.

Accordingly my real-world comparison of noise levels between the Canon 5D Mark III and Nikon D800E should be of interest to anyone who shoots outdoors.

Especially for images similar to Tioga Lake and Mt Dana (which required an aggressive increase to shadow brightness), the issue is clear-cut for me: Nikon rules the roost, even ignoring the extra 14 megapixels the D800 offers over the 5D Mark III.

ISO 100, exact same lens on both, same RAW processing. Apples vs apples.

Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 100 + Zeiss ZF.2 28mm f/2 Distagon @ f/8