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SOG Member
FT Professional
'09 Honors, Finalist, PSOA
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'05 Finalist, PSOA
Joined: Mar 2004
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 1,445
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Large pixels versus small pixels
Dear Mike and Jean,
I think what we are finding in your comparisons between cameras, is that ISO 200 on the Nikon D70 (or my D100) yields a similar picture quality to ISO 50 on the Nikon Coolpix 5400, and along the same scale, ISO 1600 on the D70/D100 is about the equivalent picture noise quality as ISO 400 on the Coolpix. This has everything to do with the actual size of each pixel on the sensor. The sensor is much, much larger on the SLR type digital, and therefore each pixel is relatively larger too. When the pixels are larger they work cleaner and generate less noise at the equivalent ISO rating. This gives the Nikon D70/ D100 vastly increased sensitivity in low light without much sacrifice in quality. On the other hand, the Nikon Coolpix 5400 has the great advantage of being lightweight, handy and portable all day in a pocket, with no bulky long lenses knocking into everything. There is a good reason for liking each camera.
Garth
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