Anyone else displeased with the D7000's low light performance?

[CaptainNapalm]

I think if you are not 100% happy then you should go for an FX body.
The D600 is an amazing camera, might solve all your problems and today this camera is pretty reasonable refurbished.
I really was looking for a reason to upgrade my D7000 to the D600 but for my newbie needs the D7000 is simply already an overkill.
But as I already stated in few past posts my next camera will be FX.

Ill try toying with fast lenses first and ETTR first before venturing off to FX. But the d600 is tempting

 

[CaptainNapalm]

Read This Article on Luminous Landscape's site. It explains everything and I think you'll gain a much better idea of why you are having issues. Exposing to the right side of the histogram makes a huge difference in the final exposure, especially in low light and/or high ISO. Youhave to keep an eye on the histogram and the "Highlight Blinkies" to make sure you aren't blowing highlights but it is most assuredly worth the effort and I think it will solve a lot of your problems.

Thank you sir. Ill have a look.

 

[CaptainNapalm]

It is a Nikon. Upgrades are available at Canon U.S.A., Inc. Or you could try disposablecameras.com for another upgrade option. Sorry, it is like dangling a steak in front of a lion.

Hahaha funny.

 

[SCraig]

Ill try toying with fast lenses first and ETTR first before venturing off to FX. But the d600 is tempting

Before you trade compare the actual numbers between the two. Just a word to the wise

 

[KmH]

Read This Article on Luminous Landscape's site. It explains everything and I think you'll gain a much better idea of why you are having issues. Exposing to the right side of the histogram makes a huge difference in the final exposure, especially in low light and/or high ISO. Youhave to keep an eye on the histogram and the "Highlight Blinkies" to make sure you aren't blowing highlights but it is most assuredly worth the effort and I think it will solve a lot of your problems.

Thank you sir. Ill have a look.

Look at this Luminous Landscape page too - Optimizing Exposure

 

[kathyt]

It is a Nikon. Upgrades are available at Canon U.S.A., Inc. Or you could try disposablecameras.com for another upgrade option. Sorry, it is like dangling a steak in front of a lion.

Hahaha funny.

Just a little light hearted camera banter.

 

[pixmedic]

It is a Nikon. Upgrades are available at Canon U.S.A., Inc. Or you could try disposablecameras.com for another upgrade option. Sorry, it is like dangling a steak in front of a lion.

Hahaha funny.

Just a little light hearted camera banter.

we try not to take things TOO seriously around here.

 

[Derrel]

The 5D III versus D800 comparison that Fred Miranda did, using the same,exact Zeiss Distagon 21mm f/2.8 prime lens on both a 5D-II and a D800 via lens adapter showed Canon's dirty little secret: horrible color noise and significant pattern noise in the shadows. This is probably due to canon's outdated sensor fabrication technology, which uses old .5 micron technology, and on-chip A/D conversion. Nikon's using .18 micron sensor technology these days, so they simply have newer, better sensor technology, and also better image processing technology. We must remember, even an entry-level Nikon D3200 has 24 megapixels now...Canon cannot top that in any model they have ever introduced-at any price point... and Canon is still stuck on their 18-megapixel sensor developed back in 2009...they just keep regurgitating that same, tired old sensor in model after model these days.

Part II - Controlled tests

Pretty embarrassing for the Canon engineers in Japan, I'll bet.

 

[Patriot]

Jeep_Night 7 by Jarrett_Hunt, on Flickr

I think my D7000 did well here. Once you learn how to use it then the performance will be great.

 

[CaptainNapalm]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhuntphotography/9116086438/
Jeep_Night 7 by Jarrett_Hunt, on Flickr

I think my D7000 did well here. Once you learn how to use it then the performance will be great.

I agree this is a nice pic. Im fine with my d7000 taking pics at night of static objects. In fact i have many of cityscapes. It's taking pics of people where I'm struggling with where shutter speed has to be at least 1/50 of a second. I'm guessing your shutter was much slower than that.

 

[jake337]

Hey everyone.
I've had my D7000 for quite a while now and I couldn't be happier with it in all departments, except for it's low light performance. To me, everything up to ISO 1600 is acceptable but unfortunately this doesn't cut it when I'm roaming out and about at night in the City. Bumping ISO up to 3200 or 6400 makes the photos too noisy and when noise reduction is applied in post processing too much detail is lost for my liking. I don't mind using a tripod for longer exposures at night for things like Cityscapes and Landscapes but obviously they're not possible when trying to shoot people. I've seen photo comparisons online on how much better FX sensors are in handling low light situations but I was wondering what everyone else here thought? For those of you who switched from DX to FX (or those who shoot both), just how much better is low light performance of FX at high ISO, for example ISO 6400? I'm considering picking up a D600 just solely for it's low light performance. After doing some research I conclude I'd be happy with it considering how similar it is to my D7000 which I really like. Do you guys think I'll be impressed with this camera at high ISO?

Then buy a D4, D3S, D800, or a D800E.



I'm always amazed when people expect flagship performance out of a consumer model........



You gotta pay to play......

 

[CaptainNapalm]

Then buy a D4, D3S, D800, or a D800E.

I'm always amazed when people expect flagship performance out of a consumer model........

You gotta pay to play......

I'm not expecting flagship performance out of my d7000, that's why I was considering upgrading to d600. I have no use to pay a 1200 premium to get a d800

 

[pixmedic]

I think you should try some of the techniques mentioned, and exposing properly instead of underexposing on purpose , and THEN take another look at whether you feel you need to upgrade or not.

 

[Tailgunner]

Jeep_Night 7 by Jarrett_Hunt, on Flickr

I think my D7000 did well here. Once you learn how to use it then the performance will be great.

Me likey a lot!

What lens are you using an what where your settings?

 

[slow231]

Ill try toying with fast lenses first and ETTR first before venturing off to FX. But the d600 is tempting

Before you trade compare the actual numbers between the two. Just a word to the wise

+1. I know you say you're displeased with the d7000 noise performance, but what are you comparing it to? you should at least have some concept of what is reasonable to expect. You can't expect night-into-day 1/1000" shots with no noise out of any camera. the d7000 is a generation old but it really is still a good low light performer (comparatively), and you're not going to get a whole lot more out of the newer cameras. I have both the d7000 and d600. i didn't really notice all that much difference in noise performance. fix your technique, fix your processing, get some faster/better glass, use a flash... there's a lot more significant low hanging fruit that you can address before hopping bodies and expecting miracles. I've shot entire events (people shots) at iso4000+ on a d7000 (@f3.2). If you can't make the the d7000 work for you the d600 is not going to save you.