Insights presents a selection of papers and opinions written by the imaging experts at DxO Labs. With an in-depth expertise of all aspects of camera system design and performance testing, the members of DxO Labs’ R&D team are particularly qualified to address subjects ranging from comprehensive analysis of multi-attribute image quality measurement data on existing digital camera sensors to trends in image sensing and processing technologies.
Current and planned Insights include discussions about methods and protocols for bias-free measurements, the advantages of shooting in RAW format and the future of RAW conversion software, scientific explanations for problems photographers commonly face (such as noise), comparisons of sensor technologies and resulting differences in digital camera quality, and practical advice about dealing with specific image-quality issues.
In sharing their expertise, DxO Labs' scientists want to make the science behind image quality excellence accessible to all serious photographers, and to invite their participation in taking full advantage of DxO Labs' Image Quality Database and DxOMark Sensor evaluation scale.
For others DxO Labs scientific papers on dxo.com , click here
The Nikon D5000 and the Canon EOS 500D are two main releases for spring 2009. Launched at the same time, and targeting the same market, these two new cameras were perfect subjects to use for an extensive demonstration of the dxomark.com database.
Shooting pictures in RAW gives DSLR users the opportunity to fine-tune their settings, by potentially controlling every step of the RAW conversion. Users often assume that RAW images are directly output from the sensor without any additional processing, but is this really the case? What kind of processing can be applied and what kind of influence does it have on the final image?
This Insight uses currently-available DSLRs to demonstrate the technique for objectively comparing noise for cameras with different levels of resolution. Such comparisons conclusively show better results overall for high-resolution sensors, despite the increase in noise.
DSLR sensor technology has made significant advances over the past several years, with full-frame sensors outpacing the progress of APS-C sensors. DxO measurements show that advances in pixel and RAW conversion technologies have compensated for the decrease in signal-to-noise ratio brought about by the proliferation of smaller, less light-sensitive pixels in DSLRs. Overall, today’s high-resolution cameras produce higher-quality images than low-resolution cameras when viewed or printed under the same conditions.