5D noise vs 1DSMK2

[Paul Bestwick]

I read a lot on the net how the 5D issuperior in evry way to the 1DSMK2. Mostly supported by 5D owners I would think & certainly not a view I agree with.
I came across this interest info.

Cheers,

Paul


Oh, regarding high-ISO, this is what Imaging-resource had to say;

This chart compares the Canon EOS-5D's noise performance over a range of ISOs against that of other cameras. While I continue to show noise plots of this sort because readers ask for them, I have to again point out that the noise magnitude is only a small part of the story, the grain pattern being much more important. The bottom line really comes when you look at prints from Canon 5D images shot at ISO 1600: We were very impressed by how smooth they looked, with only a slight softening of details betraying the operation of the camera's anti-noise processing. Prints from ISO 1600 shots as large as 13 x 19 inches really looked surprisingly good. While chroma noise was clearly evident under close inspection, many users will doubtless find them entirely suitable for wall display. Shots at ISO 3200 were noticeably rougher, with the chroma noise much more obvious. Still, they looked surprisingly good at a viewing distance of a couple of feet, as they would commonly be seen on a wall. All that said though, the EOS-1Ds Mark II remains the high-ISO noise champ, thanks to its exceptionally fine-grained noise pattern.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/E5D/E5DIMATEST.HTM

 

[Alan T. Price]

When I looked at the DPReview test of the 5D it was apparent that detail was being sacrificed at higher ISO in order to keep the noise level down. It is my opinion that low noise by itself is pretty meaningless if the detail has been discarded. The 1-series cameras seem to retain more fine detail at high ISO and so even when they do have higher noise levels, that noise can be cleaned up in software to reveal a more detailed image.

 

[John Sheehy]

When I looked at the DPReview test of the 5D it was apparent that detail was being sacrificed at higher ISO in order to keep the noise level down.

That's not very likely. The RAW data from Canon DSLRs is pretty RAW. It is only unraw in the sense that it is slightly quantized by the camera to meet some hidden Canon protocol. The levels of quantization are very minor and are over-shadowed by the noise levels. There is no sign of low-pass filtering in Canon RAW data from any camera. The noise is frequency-distributed just like it should be, with lots of noise at the nyquist.

There are a number of factors which could make it seem that detail is being sacrificed; converter differences, AA filter differences, resolution differences, etc.

 

[Steve Saunders]

Having handled and used both the 5D and 1DsII for about a week, I'd grab the 1DsII over the 5D any day.