Dynamic Range vs SNR

[EchoingWhisper]

Do you prefer higher dynamic or higher SNR?

 

[Garbz]

What is it with these endless "this or that" type questions? We don't have the choice between high dynamic range OR high SNR. Both SNR and dynamic range have improved as technology has gotten better.

But like all of these "this or that" type questions the answer is you can't have one without the other. If you have high dynamic range and low SNR then you can't extract detail from shadows that the dynamic range allows since it would be full of noise and you've got no useful data to play with. If you have high SNR and low dynamic range then you still have no useful data to play with.

So as usual the simple answer is that it's not an OR question. I prefer BOTH.

 

[EchoingWhisper]

What is it with these endless "this or that" type questions? We don't have the choice between high dynamic range OR high SNR. Both SNR and dynamic range have improved as technology has gotten better.

But like all of these "this or that" type questions the answer is you can't have one without the other. If you have high dynamic range and low SNR then you can't extract detail from shadows that the dynamic range allows since it would be full of noise and you've got no useful data to play with. If you have high SNR and low dynamic range then you still have no useful data to play with.

So as usual the simple answer is that it's not an OR question. I prefer BOTH.

If you have high dynamic range and low SNR, then over expose and pull down the brightness in post, that way you'd still have useful data to play with.

 

[jake337]

I prefer good compositions, well someday I will....

 

[EchoingWhisper]

I prefer good compositions, well someday I will....

Yeah, never realised the importance of good compositions over proper technique before my last trip. Realised that I failed lots of photos because of bad composition but had a lot of successful not-properly exposed pictures with extraordinary compositions.

 

[gsgary]

Shoot 4x5 and you will have high dinamic range and no noise just lovely grain

 

[Garbz]

What is it with these endless "this or that" type questions? We don't have the choice between high dynamic range OR high SNR. Both SNR and dynamic range have improved as technology has gotten better.

But like all of these "this or that" type questions the answer is you can't have one without the other. If you have high dynamic range and low SNR then you can't extract detail from shadows that the dynamic range allows since it would be full of noise and you've got no useful data to play with. If you have high SNR and low dynamic range then you still have no useful data to play with.

So as usual the simple answer is that it's not an OR question. I prefer BOTH.

If you have high dynamic range and low SNR, then over expose and pull down the brightness in post, that way you'd still have useful data to play with.

You've just added a third variable. Exposure. As you increase exposure (which for a constant shutter and aperture you can only do by raising ISO) you decrease SNR. When you do something like that the entire debate becomes purely academic, in which case I want an 8bit camera with zero noise.