Compared to...

Outdoor scene comparison (RAW, Adobe Camera RAW)

The following shots were taken at the same time as those on the previous page, however they were captured in RAW mode. To equalize the processing of these images we decided to use Adobe Camera RAW (Photoshop CS2, ACR 3.1), while it does not guarantee the exact same processing it's as close as you can get. Note that the white balance for the D2X shot had to be set manually using the Kelvin selection. All other conversion settings were left as default (Auto adjustment disabled).

Camera settings:

• Nikon D2X: Nikkor AF-S 28-70 mm F2.8 D @ 45 mm, Aperture Priority,
  ISO 100, RAW, Self-Timer
   
• Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II: Canon EF 24-70 mm F2.8 L @ 70 mm, Aperture Priority,
  ISO 100, RAW, Self-Timer

Nikon D2X via ACR	Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II via ACR
ISO 100, 1/200 sec, F9	ISO 100, 1/160 sec, F9
5,423 KB JPEG (4288 x 2848)	5,834 KB JPEG (4992 x 3328)

Adobe Camera RAW squeezes even more detail out of the D2X image, now we begin to see fine resolution detail and texture which weren't obvious in the JPEG shot. You can really appreciate just how good the D2X's sensor is and why using the optimum center part of a quality lens delivers complete sharpness all the way across the image. Compared to the $8000 EOS-1Ds Mark II the D2X is looking like a bit of a bargain.

Note that the EOS-1Ds Mark II image can be improved in Adobe Camera RAW by applying a Lens Blue/Yellow Fringe correction of -25 and slightly higher sharpness (35). Click here for this conversion example (3,963 KB JPEG).