is 7HI noise really an issue?

[tm255]

anthony --

that is an excellent explanation. i guess the bottom line is it depends on how one will use the camera. if a lot of cropping is anticipated, one of the competition's cameras (5700, 717, E20) might be better. of course one has to weigh the appealing features of the 7HI against the competition's flaws as well! thank goodness for forums like this to ferret out the info.

 

[*isteve]

anthony --

that is an excellent explanation. i guess the bottom line is it
depends on how one will use the camera. if a lot of cropping is
anticipated, one of the competition's cameras (5700, 717, E20)
might be better. of course one has to weigh the appealing features
of the 7HI against the competition's flaws as well! thank goodness
for forums like this to ferret out the info.

If I had $3000 to put down on a camera, then I would not buy 3 DH7i's I'd buy the Fuji S2. BUT in its price range the noise should be compared with similar cams - at ISO100 default settings the F717 and CP5700 produce less noticeable luminance noise but the difference is not vast, especially in sky shots, and at ISO200 and above they are more comparable. Besides, they both use quite aggresive noise reduction which has other side effects which are sometimes quite noticeable.

Using lower contrast on the D7i and being careful with exposure the difference is even less - to the extent that is a non-issue in all but the most extreme circumstances. Its a small enough problem that it does not affect picture quality, especially in prints, and its other strengths greatly outweigh this weakness - lens reach, low distortion, colour accuracy, chroma, texture.
--
Steve

http://www.arnason.no/modules.php?set_albumName=album17&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

 

[David Martin]

the 7hi brings features to the table that really appeal to me --
28-200 zoom, manual zoom and focus rings, 5MP, etc. and that says
a lot, coming from a long time nikon fan!

but the final arbiter is image quality, and phil's review makes it
sound like this could be a major problem with the 7hi relative to
the sony 717 and nikon 5700. of course nothing is perfect and
these cameras don't have some of the appeal of the 7hi.

i'm wondering if 7hi owners are finding the noise problematic, or
is it a relatively minor thing?

thanks!

hey,

i've had my 7hi for a month or a couple of months- still learning
as we go. great camera, just has a big learning curve!

as for noise, check out my link. i want to learn with this camera
how to take sports/action shots, and so far it's hit and miss with
clarity and noise (it's me, not the camera, as i parouse other's
shots on galleries on pbase). as for the noise, that's also a
factor from higher ISO i presume... i'm a newbie looking for advice.

anyone who wants to take a look at my gallery and critique (check
out the efix settings), i'm all ears and eyes... many thanks.

http://www.pbase.com/image/7224492

I believe to get shots using a camera in this class you would vbe
advised to pre-focus and wait for the action to come to you, as the
AF is not really up to the job in low-light. I think most people
also use a monopod.
As far as ISO goes, some people argue that you can obtain better
results by leaving the ISO at 100, shooting in RAW and
underexposing then forcing the exposure in Photoshop. It's pretty
advanced stuff for me, but it might be worth your while getting
involved if that is your primary area of interest. For a discussion
on the matter, see:
http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/thread?forumid=151930&messageid=1031437434
Personally, on the occasions when I had to shoot action in
low-light I would probably prefer to use a film camera, and keep
the D7Hi for the many areas where it shines.
Regards,
--
DaveMart

Just re-discovered this thread on shooting at high ISO.
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1024&page=1&message=1448862
See if it helps.
--
DaveMart

To be honest Pete, I've avoided RAW altogether. I've only been 'doing' photography for 18months. and it is another area altogether.

As I believe I stated in another thread, I really think that for fast action and low-light, no digital camera with this size sensor really does the job.

If I wanted those shots I would probably use a cheap film camera, which is also possibly the reason for the low levels of response to your post.

Most of the guys on that forum have a cupboard full of photographic equipment, and would probably dig out some of that for those particular situations.

If I were to take shots in those situations, I would certainly try Bryan's or Russel's methods, and if I had a 7Hi I would give them a whirl.

I have the 7UG and it's so much slower in RAW that that is another reason to steer clear of it.

Not trying to avoid the issue, but I really feel that if your primary interest is in low-light photography, say in sports halls, you are looking in the wrong are entirely.

i, like you, am hoping that someone else responds to your post so we can evaluate the dlow-light capabilities better.

I have never been interested in saying that the Minolota is the best camera without reason, for intance I genuinely feel that the noise issue is overblown, and rarely causes real-world difficulties, as are issues of sharpness. The differences between the cameras at this level are so slight that other factors are much more important in practise, for instance the 28mm wide angle.
I will watch the response to your post with interest.
I may try a couple of low-light shots in RAW and try Russel's method.
Regards,
--
DaveMart

 

[tm255]

The differences between
the cameras at this level are so slight that other factors are much
more important in practise, for instance the 28mm wide angle.
I will watch the response to your post with interest.
I may try a couple of low-light shots in RAW and try Russel's method.
Regards,
--
DaveMart

davemart --

after all my nosing around this is the conclusion i have reached, also. i put a lot more weight on the 28-200 lens and the manual zoom/focus. f2.8 maximum aperture is not as good as f2.0 but nothing is perfect.

unfortunately i have yet to find a 7HI to play with in a local store so let me ask another general question. while i have enjoyed my CP995, one thing i have never warmed up to is it operates more like a camcorder than an SLR. i like being able to operate a camera without having to go extensively into menus (see why i like manual zoom/focus so much?). i'll reread phil's review and of course continue the search for a hands on, but i'd like to know how you rate the 7HI in this respect. do you find it relatively intuitive as far as switching to manual mode, exposure compensation, general use, etc.?

thanks very mich.

 

[David Martin]

The differences between
the cameras at this level are so slight that other factors are much
more important in practise, for instance the 28mm wide angle.
I will watch the response to your post with interest.
I may try a couple of low-light shots in RAW and try Russel's method.
Regards,
--
DaveMart

davemart --

after all my nosing around this is the conclusion i have reached,
also. i put a lot more weight on the 28-200 lens and the manual
zoom/focus. f2.8 maximum aperture is not as good as f2.0 but
nothing is perfect.

unfortunately i have yet to find a 7HI to play with in a local
store so let me ask another general question. while i have enjoyed
my CP995, one thing i have never warmed up to is it operates more
like a camcorder than an SLR. i like being able to operate a
camera without having to go extensively into menus (see why i like
manual zoom/focus so much?). i'll reread phil's review and of
course continue the search for a hands on, but i'd like to know how
you rate the 7HI in this respect. do you find it relatively
intuitive as far as switching to manual mode, exposure
compensation, general use, etc.?

thanks very mich.

As regards controls, it's an SLR. It's a dream to use. The only personal issue I have is that it's a little light for me. Others love this aspect, but I must admit that I prefer a slightly heavier camera. I suppose I could always attatch a lead weight to the bottom of it!
Best regards,
--
DaveMart

 

[JOHN57]

I came to my conclusion that the Minolta D7HI is one of the fastest camera on the market when it comes to changing manual settings. Once you get pass the learning curve you can auto focus and have instant manual focus override with the ring on the lens and you press a button with your thumb for 4x mag to help you focus. You can also press a button on the side and use the wheel next to the shutter release for exposure override control. All of this can be done without going to any menu and without taking your eye off the viewfinder. I am also glad that I do not have to wait for the lens to come out either. In a nutshell the Minolta is the fastest camera I own in capturing that "moment" Going thru the menus would break my train of thought.

davemart --

after all my nosing around this is the conclusion i have reached,
also. i put a lot more weight on the 28-200 lens and the manual
zoom/focus. f2.8 maximum aperture is not as good as f2.0 but
nothing is perfect.

unfortunately i have yet to find a 7HI to play with in a local
store so let me ask another general question. while i have enjoyed
my CP995, one thing i have never warmed up to is it operates more
like a camcorder than an SLR. i like being able to operate a
camera without having to go extensively into menus (see why i like
manual zoom/focus so much?). i'll reread phil's review and of
course continue the search for a hands on, but i'd like to know how
you rate the 7HI in this respect. do you find it relatively
intuitive as far as switching to manual mode, exposure
compensation, general use, etc.?

thanks very mich.

 

[tm255]

excellent points, guys. that sounds like what i am looking for.

thanks again!