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I think images from CCD cameras look better than the D30 CMOS images
You're entitled to your opinion. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
There are two major steps in generating digital images: Light is measured by the cells of the sensor, and intensive processing occurs to turn those measurements into a full-color image. CMOS vs. CCD comparisons address pretty much only the first.
In the first part - image capture - accuracy, sensitivity, and dynamic range of the imager are the keys. The more accurate, the better. Noise detracts from accuracy, so the less the better. Wider dynamic range is also generally considered better. Both the CMOS and CCD that Canon have chosen in their digital SLRs are pretty accurate and fairly noise-free, and the D30 and 1D appear to be about equally sensitive. How do the dynamic ranges compare? I don't know; anyone have the figures?
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It was also commented on by another poster that aggressive noise reduction measures required were the cause of some of the exhibited CMOS image ìsoftnessî.
Regarding "noise reduction", Canon's soft images (more so in the D30, but in the 1D as well as compared with the competition) are solidly on the track of "less is better". They're not soft because of noise reduction. On the contrary, they're soft because they haven't been oversharpened/overprocessed by the camera! We have seen that, using good tools, we can sharpen a D30 image into something that looks very rich, crisp, and clean, even enlarged. There's no lost data due to noise reduction here. It's just plain ACCURATE data.
By the way, on examination I see definite elements of the D30's image processing algorithms in the 1D's images, though they appear to have been refined. Look closely at the Imaging Resource test target images and you'll see things that both of the Canons do near their resolution limits (e.g., horizontal aliasing of vertical lines) that other cameras don't. Don't get me wrong; Canon's got their act together here - those artifacts don't do much damage in real images. Indeed, they are generating better images in both cameras than I would have thought possible from a Bayer-patterned imager.
In all, it's obvious that Canon has designed their cameras to generate the best possible input to digital darkroom tools, rather than to be some kind of end-all final product creation tool. Bravo for that!
IMO, Canon has some brilliant folks in their Engineering department. This is an exciting time and I anxiously wait to see what they come up with next.
-Noel
[ October 02, 2001: Message edited by: Noel Carboni ]
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