This was a test to examine the effects of two waves of upgrade on DX camera high-iso performance. It is a test as well on what upgrades from a walkaround lens like the Quantaray (Sigma) 18-200mm bring as you move up the later to the best amateur gear and solid pro gear. In this case the choices were two affordable but excellent lenses, the 70-300 VR and 80-200mm two-ring.

This page feature photos reduced to normal web size (900 x <600 pixels). The second page featurs prints just adequate for a fine 8x10 print job. I chose this size for two reasons....it also happens to be the upper limit of the D50's sensor as well.

Test conditions were deliberately set to represent difficult shooting conditions, where most of the improvement over the last six years (two generations) has taken place. The shots were taken at dusk on a grey, cloudy day; the aperture used was f/6.3, again for the D50 wide-open; shutter speed was set at 1000, and iso at iso1600. Again the latter represented the limits of the D50.

The result of these choices was a deliberate underposure of 1EV, and the use of auto-contrast and D-Lighting in PP to compensate but in the process of doing so aggravating the conditions for good high iso performance. A touch of 10-5-0 edge definition was added in NX2 before saving the NEFs as TIFFs. It was from these TIFFs that the two sizes of JPEGs were derived by Photo Mechanic using auto-sharpening in the conversion.

Double click on the images and draw your own conclusions, I've certainly drawn mine. But one thing I will point out...the use of the cheap Sigma lens with the D50 actually blurs the noise, in effect a built in bit of noise blending.