Another chart.  This one looks at DSLRs that can both bracket wide and has a fast FPS continuous capture.  There are many scenes where even a very gentle breeze can destroy a capture if you are using a slow DSLR.  I have found 5fps to be a threshold of sorts personally.

I would never again use a camera with a < 5fps.  I could spend an entire week describing various scenes that get ruined with either fast moving clouds or a ground level breeze.  Too many variations and workarounds to go into detail.  I got tired of workarounds with my 5D (3fps) and it was one of the reasons I jumped to the D3 which has 9fps continuous.

The first requirement for a camera to qualify for this chart is the camera’s ability to Auto Bracket a scene with at least 5 AEB with 2.0EV steps or 9 AEB with 1.0 EV steps using camera defaults.  That was the minimum.  [ I have found this to be the minimum acceptable amount of range needed to be sure to cover the dynamic range of real estate interiors with windows in frame and/or very high contrast scenes outdoors ]

All cameras that qualified are then ranked top to bottom based on speed (FPS). Ties end up with cameras ranking higher if their sensor has a higher Dynamic Range as measured by DXOMark.com (and covered in prior posts).

It is a short list. I am only including cameras that can be purchased new TODAY (There are others that qualify that are discontinued).  I also included megapixels and sensor size just FWIW.  1.0 = Full Frame; 1.3 = APS-H; 1.5 = APS-C

Here is a chart showing a few dozen cameras.  From full frame to 4/3rds.  The last column of numbers is the basis for this chart.  The benchmark.  This chart is ranking from top to bottom the cameras that can cover the largest amount of dynamic range using the camera’s default AEB settings.

The final column is displaying the total EV distance from the first shot to the last shot taken in an AEB sequence.   I’m calling it a spread, but it is the distance in EVs I’m measuring.  It is NOT a number that shows the totality of EVs captured using any other measurements.  Just the AEB distance where shots can be taken in EV jumps using the default number of frames in the AEB sequence and maximum  EV jump between shots.

To be redundant… I am ONLY calculating the distance covered in total for the EV jumps.  It is to show  the widest possible spread each camera is capable of landing exposures/shots at.

Obviously each image itself has it’s own dynamic range that it captures at that exposure. That is not being taken into account on this chart.

Now you can see why I am such a canon basher about the crippling 3 AEB of all but their most expensive offerings.  Look at how wide the 1Ds/1D series can bracket.  Canon clearly has the capability to add a higher AEB function into their cameras.  The 1Ds/1D series AEB settings are the benchmarks in the industry for default camera settings. However, canon opts to cripple every single  camera body under $5000 with only 3 AEB.  So the chart is a barbell.  Canon rules the top tier, but owns the bottom of the barrel as well.

If the 7D had been given the same AEB as the 1Ds/1D series, then it would be one of  the best HDR Capture cameras to date.  It would have been “KING HDR” for APS-C sensors.  Because at that price point with 8fps for continuous capture, High ISO performance, 18 megapixels, etc…) it would probably have been my number one recommended camera for HDR capture.  But 3 AEB at +/- 2.0EV is extremely limiting for professional HDR capture.  95% of my work falls outside of canon’s 3 AEB range.

If the order below seems a bit strange, it is because in the few situations where cameras have the same default AEB settings, I put the camera which has a sensor with a higher dynamic range just above a camera  with a sensor that has a lower dynamic range reading (see past few blog posts if this doesn’t make sense).
[ EXAMPLE: Fujifilm S5 Pro sits above the other Nikons with same AEB settings because the S5 Pro's sensor has a higher Dynamic Range reading according to DXOMark.com. ]

The columns are NAME, then number of maximum shots that can be taken in an AEB sequence, then the maximum EV step that can be taken between each frame and finally the total EV spread from the base exposure to the final exposure (this number is the distance in EV ‘JUMPS‘ the AEB sequence can cover)

EDIT – The CANON 7D in this chart shows +/-2.0EV jumps, but I recently found out that the Canon 7D is actually capable of +/-3.0EV.

A few emails were sent so I’ll delve a little bit deeper on the last post on dynamic range of camera sensors.

It was a typical “all other things kept constant” type of statistic.  In reality, there are so many variables that there is no way to weight the cameras the same way for all people.  For example:

1.  Auto AEB defaults are  all over the map.  From 3 to 9 AEB and the D40x doesn’t even have AEB.

2.  Total megapixels vary greatly.

3.  Some Full Frame sensors, one APS-H sized sensor, various APS-C sensors.

4.  Various maximum Frames Per Second for continuous shooting.

5.  Huge difference in low light performance.

The test performed by DXOmark.com was to measure the values from the first recorded pixel of light to the brightest recorded pixel.  That is over simplified, but the idea is to measure total potential Dynamic Range of the sensor.  Obviously with any camera there will be noisy shadows and difficult to recover highlights.  With that in mind, look at the extremes in the chart from the last post.

A Nikon D3x has a 13.7 rating versus a Panasonic G1 at 10.3.  That is a huge difference.  You can miss a shot with a D3x and still have a lot of latitude in the middle to mess with a RAW file compared to a G1.  Someone out there may be able to equate this to the full range / latitude of film (Slide/Print).  The concept here is the same.  The measuring of Dynamic Range of the sensor’s floor and ceiling spread is what the DXOMark testing gives us.

I can attest that when I started using a D3 over my 5D the 1.1EV expanded dynamic range (according to DXOMark) of the D3 was apparent to me when I would try to edit a single shot.  I could bring down highlights and pull up shadows more dramatically.  (I’m talking shots taken at base ISO in good light, because each of these cameras perform differently in low light).

These stats by DXOMark were not around when I made the switch to the D3, but nobody had to tell me the D3 had a greater dynamic range.  It was easy to figure out during my shoot off.  You see, I was evaluating the Nikon system as my new HDR pipeline.  What I did was take shots from a tripod with the D3, then swap out the 5D.  I was actually testing the sharpness of the D3 + 14-24mm f/2.8G versus the 5D + 16-35mm f/2.8L II.  But in the process of testing I also figured out that the D3 was capturing more light per image.  The main reasons I went to the D3 were to get 9 AEB and 9 fps in those bursts.  The fact that the 14-24mm was sharper and the D3 had a larger DRange were all bonus reasons to switch my main capture system to Nikon.

As we all know.  Not all those pixels in the full measured dynamic range are clean.  Every camera has noise in shadows and as you approach clipping saturation does weird things in the highlights.  Even in post using RAW converters to fill light or recover highlights will not always give you exactly what you want.  There have been shots I barely got away with using one shot using a D3, but I know if I had been using an old 5D (or any other camera lower ranking on that DRange chart) that it would not have cut the mustard.

[ [ [ After seeing where the D3x falls on that chart I am seriously considering selling my D3 on eBay and upgrading to the D3x ] ] ]

When you consider that the sweet spot of each shot is the “mountain in the middle” per se, it becomes critical when you think in terms of HDR.  The truly sweetly exposed pixels is more narrow than you probably realize.  The true range of pure pixels is a fraction of that number on that dynamic range chart, so starting with a large dynamic range to begin with makes it even more critical for when you start spreading out your EV steps on an AEB sequence.

This is where a camera that only shoots 3 AEB and using a wide 2.0 EV step to grab a high contrast scene becomes an issue.  The tonemapper will only use data it has in the HDR file from the merge.  So if you are merging say 3 images from a high contrast scene (where 5 or more shots would be more appropriate for coverage), then this is where the DR of the sensor becomes an issue.  If the camera that is taking those 3 shots has a much shallower dynamic range than another camera taking 3 AEB, then the tonemapper will inevitibly be pulling up shadows with more noise than the camera with a wider Dynamic Range.  The dynamic range becomes the limiting factor of clean pixels.

If however, you are going to shoot many shots at say 1EV jumps between frames (or as small as 2/3rds or 1/3rd EV steps), then the DR of any of the cameras becomes a moot point.  Because then the tonemappers will have plenty of clean pixel data at each small EV jump and overlap ranges greatly at that.

The DR of a camera sensor matters much more to single shots and/or HDR with only 3 AEB.

I hope this clarifies a wee bit.

Like I said, there are so many differences in total megapixels, crop sensors, high iso performance, frames per second shooting and lens differences… that it is impossible to really and truly compare all these cameras in totality.

Tomorrow I’ll show a chart with their default AEB capabilities.  It will also show the max EV steps between each frame which will give you an idea of which cameras are capable of capturing very large dynamic range scenes using the camera defaults alone.

I’ve been meaning to do this for some time now.  I think it will be helpful for some to understand what cameras have wider dynamic ranges and I’ll try to explain why this is important for HDR capture. The chart I show at the end is showing the amount of dynamic range (stops) that were measured on the sensor. The larger the number the wider the range of light captured (hence dynamic range).

I gathered data from DXOMark.com and then put it into a chart format.  I only looked at the digital cameras of the last 5 years (from now) so some will not appear here.  DXO Mark  does not cover every single camera.  For example, the Sigma SD14 is not listed here and I use that camera for professional work.  The SD14’s Dynamic Range is (feels) huge when I am editing shots from it.  I’d love to see where it would have fell in this data set, but DXO Mark doesn’t cover the Sigma line.

The first thing that will blow your mind is how far ahead of the curve the Fujifilm S3 Pro really was (and still is) in terms of capturing plenty of light in one shot.  It is no wonder that so many wedding photographers I’ve bumped into rave about it and the S5 Pro.

What is important to derive from the chart (relevance) is if you are trying to follow a High Dynamic Range Imaging workflow taught for VFX or Tonemapping.  Obviously if your Guru has a D3x and you are copying their steps using a Canon or Olympus… mathmatically there is no way you can get the same results.

I cringe when I see someone post (or say on a podcast) that you should always take “X” shots…. or you ONLY need “X” shots at “X” EV.  Then later I find out they are shooting with a D3x.  UGH!

They don’t even realize they are accidentally misleading the droves of followers who will now go attempt to recreate images made with shots taken with their own cameras which have inferior sensors for capturing a wide dynamic range with the same number of shots taken.

If there is anything I have learned in the last 3+ years of day to day HDR capture and editing pipeline… there is NEVER, EVER, EVER a scene exactly like the last.  That said, I’ve gotten to the point where I know when to take 5 shots where 1EV jumps will be perfectly fine and other scenes require at least 11-12 shots taken with 0.7 EV jumps or possibly even 15-17 shots at 1/3rd EV steps.

Even basic landscape shots vary greatly depending on sun/shade and then considering the content trying to be captured.  I’d really have to do a workshop or video to show you what I mean and how to easily evaluate where to start your bracketing for the base exposure’s exposure compensation and approximately how many shots and how wide/tight to make the EV steps.

What this chart (and blog post) doesn’t show is how many shots each camera can handle in an AEB sequence.  I”m going to cover that in a future post because that is as important (if not far more important) than the DR of a single image captured.

Even though tonemapping uses pieces of each of the images captured, if you take fewer shots to cover the same dynamic range of a scene someone else takes or if your sensor has a lower DR than that of another camera taking the exact same number of shots, then your tonemapping will be pulling from noisier shadows of the underexposed image(s)  and pulling from more blown out highlights of the over exposed image(s), thereby causing undesirable saturation and IQ issues.  The extreme example of this is when you try to process an image from one RAW (faux HDR).

Also, if you shoot JPEGs for sequences instead of RAWs, then you will also need more shots with tighter EV jumps to match a RAW workflow.  If you plan on doing a lot of pre-processing of images prior to merging them to a HDR file, then you will also benefit from tighter stops… and there are very good reasons for this kind of workflow as well.

Also… I am so focused on extremely high DR scenes given I shoot interiors for a living, that this becomes absolutely paramount for professional HDR workflows.  You can get away with a lot on landscape shots. Landscapes for me is childs play.  I’m not saying that to be cute, they are just a total cake walk compared to shooting dark interiors with blazing bright light spilling in through windows or open doors.  Apples to Oranges.

I have never encountered a scene in over 10,000 tonemapped HDRs now that did not benefit from taking more shots with tighter EV jumps.  Low contrast landscapes where the sun is not in frame are not the kinds of shots I’m talking about here.  I’m talking high contrast landscapes to interior shots with large DR scenes.

I’m also talking about creating more realistic and more natural tones for tonemapped images.  If you are gunning for surreal then I would say the easiest way to accomplish that is to ignore anything I teach.  Because if you stretch your shots too wide (large EV jumps) … you are guaranteed to easily get oversaturated and surreal hues that will look like technicolor art renderings.  If that is your final goal, then don’t shoot with a sensor with a high dynamic range and then purposely max out the EV steps.  So for you,  virtually any Olympus or Canon body and using 2.0 EV steps is perfect.  Because 2.0 EV jumps is too big and Canon’s and Olympus’s sensors are of the narrowest range in the industry… so that combo will help you create surreal arty photos using AEB sequences.

To create more realistic renditions of a scene (tonemapping) you can of course use the same Canon, but simply tighten up the steps and increase the number taken to appropriately cover the dynamic range of a scene.

For architectural work with blazing bright light spilling into windows and deep dark shadows… I won’t go over 1EV steps when I bracket.  The place the tonemapping suffers the most from shortfalls of a capture is that window/door area itself.  The edges.  In fact I rarely go over 0.7 EV jumps for such scenes.  When I do test out 1.3 and higher EV jumps for those shots, I inevitibly get an image that has more noise being pulled from the shadows and the window/door edges suffer quality issues.  Also,  large EV jumps will cause the saturation of the upper range to experience strange hues (false to our eyes, not the sensor).

This is all a result of the tonemapping pulling from images that have larger jumps between due to using wider EV steps.  It is forcing the tonemappers to pull from larger areas of luminosity from each individual image.  So you can imagine that this is where using a camera with a larger dynamic range becomes very valuable!!!  Garbage pulled, garbage displayed.

By feeding a merge more images, the tonemapping pulled from the sweet spots of the histogram of each shot.  Hence why the more the shots taken with smaller EV jumps, the less often the tonemapping pulls from the wide ends of a single image’s luminance range (where shadow noise is worse and highlights are more blown out).

The chart below  is especially useful if you are considering a camera that only has 3 AEB.  Look at the DR of say a Nikon D5000 versus a Canon Rebel series.  Heck a D5000 has a wider range than any of Canon’s flagship bodies.

You could tripod off two cameras (like a Nikon D5000 versus a Canon 500D) from the same location, but the same 3 AEB capture using say a +/-2.0EV is going to be a dramatic quality difference.  Consider the fact that the D5000 is capturing a full 1EV more per image! That means when a tonemapper is dealing with a large DR scene and it was only fed 3 images, it really, really, really, REALLY matters what the quality and range of each of those 3 independent images can deliver.  Take a moment and think about that.

See why I am always groaning about Canon now?  It has everything to do with HDR capture issues (for professional work).  I am actual quite keen about Canon otherwise.  I own three 580EX II flashes and a ST-E2 wireless unit.  I have created my best portraits in my portfolio with Canon’s cameras!!!  I really do love the look off of Canon’s sensors, but for HDR work… they are behind Nikon and Sony for sensor DR.

Now look at a D3x versus Canon’s flagship model.  Same story.  Same number of shots on a canon versus the Nikon D3x will result in less range captured.  However…

… let us not forget that regardless of the sensor’s Dynamic Range reported below… each of these cameras perform differently in high ISO environments.  There are multiple considerations in the end.  Dynamic Range, Noise Performance and AEB capabilities of the camera.  Actually FPS is very critical for certain shooting conditions too.  The faster the FPS capture, the less of an issue of things moving/zooming in and out of frame during a capture. This chart only considers the raw data collected showing the full dynamic range captured on each camera’s sensor.

Enough chatter… chart below speaks volumes.
The larger the number, the more (stops) dynamic range of a scene captured:

———————————————————————————————-

Camera Sensor Dynamic Range

The 2009 follow-up article to this blog post is linked below

Camera Sensor Dynamic Range (continued)

Just 3 minutes ago I got an email about the new betas for HDR Darkroom.  Here is what was sent with the links to download the public betas:

———————————————————————-

We would like to invite you to test our innovative HDR software – HDR Darkroom, which provides you surreal HDR results and photo-realistic/natural results for your HDR photography in one package.

After a few months of hard work our HDR Darkroom 1.0 Windows and Mac beta test version is finally available to the public. No matter if you are a professional photographer or you are a newcomer to HDR photography, please feel free to download our HDR Darkroom beta version and test our innovative technology.

HDR Darkroom packages two patented sophisticated Local Tone Mapping Engines for your preference no matter you like surreal HDR effect or photo-realistic/natural result. One is called Local Tone Balancer, which aims to provide more surreal HDR effect. The other is called Local Tone Enhancer, which is oriented to provide more photo-realistic/natural result.

The following is our forum where you can download HDR Darkroom Windows beta test version:

http://www.hdrdarkroom.com/forum/index.php?topic=6.0

The following is our forum where you can download HDR Darkroom MAC beta test version:

http://www.hdrdarkroom.com/forum/index.php?topic=234.0

Please feel free to post any comments, suggestions, or opinions in this forum at:

http://www.hdrdarkroom.com/forum/index.php

or send us emails directly at:

hdrdarkroom@gmail.com

Your feedback will help us make improvements for the final product. We plan to provide product discounts and other rewards to those who have helped us in the beta test stage.

During this testing stage we welcome you to send us your HDR photos that have been created using our HDR Darkroom software. We will select to publish several of the photos on our showcase page with your name (if you want this information published). In addition, if your work is published you will receive a free version of HDR Darkroom once the standard version is released.

HDR Darkroom Development Team

A very pleasant surprise today in HDR land.  The just announced Leica M9 has very useful AEB settings.  The X1 also received AEB settings, but more limiting.

The M9 has choices of 3, 5 or 7 shots in an AEB sequence with 1/2 EV to 2.0 EV steps between shots.  That is verrrrrrrrrrrrry useful.  I never would have guessed that Leica would have thought to add AEB to their range finder M series.  Very nice indeed.

The X1 has a 3 AEB choice and up to 3.0 EV jumps.  I will say this.  If you are going to be limited to only 3 AEB.  3 EV jumps can be quite useful for some amazingly high DR scenes (mainly interiors with windows).  Generally you will only need to stretch it out to 3.0 EV if shooting an architectural interior and want to pull the windows in along with capturing detail in darker areas inside.  3.0 EV outdoors is not your typical landscape scene, but there area times where more than 2.0 EV steps will be very useful and X1 users will be glad to have the extra range.

I’ll spare you the rest of the specs of the M9 and X1 (and their price tags).  Surf on over to dpreview.com for full specs.

I am so ready for it!  Let it not take a year and a day…. paaahleeezzzeeee let this become a reality soon.

Frankencamera.  I love it!

If nothing else it will (should) wake up the big camera makers to smell some coffee.  Not the coffee they insist on shoving down our throats, but the coffee we want brewed.

Rumor has it that Canon was so incited about Red’s proclamation of their “DSLR Killer” a.k.a. “Scarlet”, that Canon decided to break rank and not name it the 60D that it is.  Instead they named it the 7D to mock RED’s constantly delayed Scarlet.  Given RED scrapped their first target date for the Scarlet and still hasn’t been able to bring it’s DSLR Killer it to market, canon is taking an in your face catch me if you can attitude!

Apparently the secret naming convention (formula) is one number for each of the letters that make up the name scarlet.

S + C + A + R + L + E + T = 7 Letters

Hence 7D

I knew there had to be a reason why Canon departed from the last thread of logic that existed in their naming conventions.  The 7D after all is just a progression of the 50D and should have been named the 60D if logic and clarity was the goal.  But Canon didn’t want clarity, they wanted to make a statement.  So at the cost of confusing every Canon user across the globe, they took a shot at RED’s scarlet.

Dem canon folk r sneeky!!!

P.S. Ahhhh, yeaaaaah.  I’m bored today.

On a serious note, the 7D has amazing specs.  Even more amazing is what you are getting for the price of just $1699.  Every single line I read in the release had me impressed… right up until I saw they still have the same crappy 3 AEB for HDR shooters.  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!  What is it with Canon.  Their highest end body has virtually unlimited shots available in shooting a bracket for a custom function.  UNLIMITED!!!  Why can’t they just allow their other cameras the same damn custom function!

The reason I’m annoyed is because I still have L glass, ST-E2 wireless transmitter and I still have three 580EX II speedlites.  I never sold it off when I jumped to the Nikon D3.  I’d have purchased a 7D if the damn thing wasn’t crippled for pro HDR capture.  Now I’ll just sit back and wait for future releases.  Heck maybe I’ll even take a long hard look at the 1D series on the mark IV upgrades.

That is unless they bail on that naming convention too and start using pig latin instead of roman numerals!!!

And yes, I do have the promote control which I’m sure will work with the 7D via the USB connection, but at a much slower frame rate than the blazing 8fps the 7D would get natively in an AEB sequence.  So I’ll be skipping the 7D completely just because of the crippled AEB function.