Samsung NX2000 Best Camera Settings

Petak wrote:

YCemAygun wrote:

Don't use 1/3 ev ISO steps, as they are interpolated.

As far as i understand (and that is not very far ISO in digital is basically electric signal amplification. If so, why would they use interpolation instead of step-less amplification? I'm not saying they don't use interpolation, just wonder why.

As far as I know, the difference is "where" it is done, which also dictates "how". Sensor side amplification is rather analog, hence yields better results (your full stop ISO's). In most cameras, because the sensor does not provide the fraction ISO steps, those are digitally interpolated later on, from the full steps sent by the sensor, in the processor. This is what makes the difference. Digital interpolation cannot match analog amplification, as you are already working with highly truncated data, but it is a necessary evil if your sensor cannot provide what you want.

Logic dictates that the ideal solution is to have the intermediate ISO steps built into the sensor, among the "native" full stop ones , but camera producers almost never have that much control over sensor properties. They simply put together the readily available components within a certain budget and try to make the best camera out of them. Even if the sensor is produced by the same brand, it would be a different department. This is why Panasonic can give Sony camera department a hard time with their FZ1000, which is built on a Sony sensor!

It totally is a different story if your sensor can provide native, intermediate ISO steps of course...