The NIKON Thread (Talk About Nikon Stuff here)

[bigshot]

The difference in noise is most likely due to onboard processing in the D50. The D200 doesn't automatically apply noise reduction. You have to specify the noise reduction you want, or apply it as post-processing in Photoshop. The D50 has a fixed setting that can't be adjusted.

See...

Nikon D200 Noise Performance

and...

Nikon D200 High ISO Noise Reduction

See ya
Steve

[skyline889]

I know Nikon tweaks the noise algorithms every time they update their line (That's why the D50 performs better in terms of noise than the D70) however, neither the D50 nor the D200 uses any in camera processing to my knowledge. Both cameras have to have NR enabled through the menu to have the noise processed out. I don't ever shoot with in camera NR turned on since I edit it out through CS3.

[Iron_Dreamer]

Originally Posted by skyline889

On another note, I got my D200 combo in last week and wasn't that impressed. I love the wide end of the 12-24 and will definitely be picking a super wide angle zoom up in the future, but the build didn't seem that great to me and it's much smaller in person than it appears online, in actuality it doesn't feel much bigger than the 18-70 kit lens. I also wasn't pleased with the amount of noise that the D200 exhibits, ISO 1600 is completely unusable compared to that of my D50. All in all it doesn't matter since I had to send the camera back anyway (It wasn't as described ) but I'm not sure if I'm still going to be looking for a D200 anymore.

To echo the others, you're seeing both the D200's weaker in-camera noise reduction and the effects of too many pixels in too little space (arguably). I don't mind the D200's ISO1600, I tend to try for slight overexposure which I can correct in ACR, minimizing the noise as best as possible. ISO 3200 is pretty bad, but you can still get a usable pic if absolutely necessary.

When I first visited a shop to check out the ultra-wides, I was really shocked by how dinky and low-quality the Nikkor 12-24 felt, especially for the price. The Tokina 12-24 is a much better built lens, if you don't mind the extra CA and lack of AF-S.

I went for the Sigma 10-20mm, and I so glad I did, as I have been using 10mm quite a lot. The outer materials are not as nice as the Tokina, but much better than the Nikkor, and it feels very solid. HSM (i.e. AF-S) is also nice to have, even if it isn't as useful in a wide-angle lens. I officially love the crud out of this lens, though. CA is negligible, at all but the corners only when used at 10mm, sharpness is very good for me at all reasonable apertures, and there is very little optical distortion, except at the very edges at 10mm.

[bigshot]

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer

To echo the others, you're seeing both the D200's weaker in-camera noise reduction

It isn't weaker... it's turned off by default. If he went in and set the in-camera NR settings, it would look exactly the same as the D50, which has built in high ISO noise reduction. (Meaning you can't turn it off.) The D300 has better high ISO performance, but the D50 should be exactly the same.

See ya
Steve

[The Monkey]

Originally Posted by skyline889

If you need a fast indoor lens, you might want to try looking into the 85 1.8. It's not as fast as the 1.4 obviously, but it's a good performer and much, much cheaper. I'd also say 35mm 1.4 or Sigma 30mm 1.4 but it depends on what kind of inside shots you're planning on doing.

Originally Posted by Towert7

I'll echo the recommendation for the Nikon 85mm F/1.8.
With this lens, and a Nikon 20mm F/2.8, I can take almost any picture I would ever want at a headphone meet. A flash becomes optional unless you have very dim lighting. The 85mm is great for people 3/4 - 1/4 people shots, and for tight gear shots. the 20mm is nice for wide angels to capture the whole picture.

The 35mm F/2 is also a great lens for holiday gatherings.

Thanks to you both. Which of these lenses is easiest to find for a good price? Or are they all expensive? Also, can I go with non-Nikon, or should I stick with Nikkor?

[Towert7]

Originally Posted by The Monkey

Thanks to you both. Which of these lenses is easiest to find for a good price? Or are they all expensive? Also, can I go with non-Nikon, or should I stick with Nikkor?

Nikon is an optics company, just like canon. If you buy a nikon or a canon, you are buying it for their optics (among other things). In general you'll find the brand name lenses better than 3'rd party lenses. That's my experience. There may be exceptions.

BHphoto.com has some of the best prices. New the 85mm goes for 400$us, the 35mm for 320$us.

[Iron_Dreamer]

Originally Posted by bigshot

It isn't weaker... it's turned off by default. If he went in and set the in-camera NR settings, it would look exactly the same as the D50, which has built in high ISO noise reduction.

Hmm, it was always set to "low" in my camera, by default, which I have set to none for relevant use. I prefer what I can do with NR in RAW processing anyway. But I think we both essentially meant the same thing, and I didn't quite sum it up properly before. Anyway, I doubt the D200 will ever produce exactly the same results regarding noise as the D50, given the MP difference.

[bigshot]

"High" is for long time exposures. It doesn't involve the same kind of high ISO noise, it corrects for a purple haze in the corners you get from long exposures. Ken Rockwell has examples of this on his D50 page. The D200 has no noise reduction at all as the default. That's why it appears noisier as a raw image. But once you post process in photoshop, the amount of noise is comparable to the D50.

See ya
Steve

[Edwood]

I'm going back to Prime lenses.

Anyone want to buy my Nikon AF-S 18-200mm VR lens?

-Ed

[stuartr]

Ed -- take a look at the Zeiss ZF line of primes. The 100/2 is supposed to be astonishing. I am reviewing it for another site next week. Here are a few samples from a photo forum -- they have it all (well, other than AF): sharpness, bokeh, contrast, great color...
Sunday morning with Nikon D3 + ZF 100/2 - The GetDPI Workshop Forums