Compared to... contd. Colour Patches
We've chosen to compare the D30's colour with two of the nearest competition plus the Coolpix 990 (our current top compact prosumer digital camera). Lens used on the D30: Canon EF 28-70mm F2.8 L.
 |
 |
| Canon EOS-D30 | Nikon D1 |
 |
 |
| FujiFilm FinePix S1 Pro | Nikon Coolpix 990 |
We're only measuring colour below. RGB values below were taken from a VGA reduced image (to average colours and eliminate JPEG artifacts) using the Eyedropper tool in Photoshop with a 5 by 5 Average Sample Size.
| Canon EOS-D30 |
Nikon D1 |
FujiFilm FinePix S1 Pro |
Nikon Coolpix 990 |
|
| Patch White | 207,199,202 | 192,195,195 | 202,204,200 | 201,201,201 |
| Middle Gray | 100,99,101 | 101,105,106 | 91,93,91 | 104,104,104 |
| Patch Red | 203,35,42 | 157,40,58 | 225,24,28 | 223,52,58 |
| Patch Green | 15,138,56 | 48,123,51 | 12,130,58 | 5,149,63 |
| Patch Blue | 32,28,110 | 46,39,105 | 35,30,117 | 60,50,112 |
Interesting, the D30 had a (very) slight pink cast in white but otherwise performed well, knocking on the door of the S1's excellent colour reproduction (nearly).
Resolution Charts
Shots here are of the PIMA/ISO 12233 standard resolution test chart (more available for comparison in our cameras database). How to read the charts: All values are 1/100 th lines/picture height. So the "10" value equates to 1000 lines/picture height.
Notes: Fujifilm S1 Pro sample shot at 6 megapixels (interpolated) thus crops will look much bigger than the other 3 megapixel cameras.
 |
 |
| Canon EOS-D30 | Nikon D1 |
 |
 |
| FujiFilm FinePix S1 Pro | Nikon Coolpix 990 |
|
|
| Canon EOS-D30 | Nikon D1 |
|
|
| FujiFilm FinePix S1 Pro | Nikon Coolpix 990 |
|
|
| Canon EOS-D30 | Nikon D1 |
|
|
| FujiFilm FinePix S1 Pro | Nikon Coolpix 990 |
|
|
| Canon EOS-D30 | Nikon D1 |
|
|
| FujiFilm FinePix S1 Pro | Nikon Coolpix 990 |
Measurable findings (three measurements taken for each camera):
| Camera | Measurement | Absolute Res. | Extinction Res. |
| Canon EOS-D30 |
Horiz LPH | 1100 | 1350 |
| Vert LPH | 1150 | 1300 | |
| 5o Diagonal LPH | 1000 | n/a | |
| Nikon D1 |
Horiz LPH | 1100 | 1300 |
| Vert LPH | 1150 | 1250 | |
| 5o Diagonal LPH | 900 | n/a | |
| FujiFilm Finepix S1 Pro |
Horiz LPH | 1300 | 1450 |
| Vert LPH | 1200 | 1400 | |
| 5o Diagonal LPH * | 1000 | n/a | |
| Nikon Coolpix 990 |
Horiz LPH | 900 | 1300 |
| Vert LPH | 900 | 1400 | |
| 5o Diagonal LPH | 900 | n/a |
* Visible moiré artifacts
Definition of terms:
| LPH | Lines per Picture Height (to allow for different aspect ratios the measurement is the same for horizontal and vertical) |
| 5o Diagonal | Lines set at 5o diagonal |
| Absolute Resolution | Still defined detail (below Nyquist frequency*) |
| Extinction Resolution | Detail beyond camera's definition (becomes a solid gray alias) |
| n/a | Not Available (above the capability of the test chart) |
| n/v | Not Visible (not visible on test results) |
* Nyquist frequency defined as the highest spatial frequency where the CCD can still faithfully record
image detail. Beyond the Nyquist frequency aliasing occurs
No real surprises here, the D30 performs just better than the D1 (not by much though and I'm sure that point will be argued ad infinitum) and quite a bit better than the 990. Note the D30's moir� pattern on the horizontal resolution and 45 degree crop, never actually seen this in a "real life" image though... Interesting, Fujifilm's S1 Pro still rules the resolution roost, chart lines are still defined down to 1300 lines per picture height horizontally which is very impressive for a 3.2 megapixel CCD (remember, "interpolated" up to 6 megapixels).
