4 replies to this topic

[cwbolyard]

I tried to do some googling and was unable to find the answers. I believe I know the answer but just want some clarification. I am working with a D3000 and looking to upgrade to a D5500. Obviously the D5500 has much greater ISO capabilities. My D3000 has a max of 1600 and I'm wondering if the noise I see at D3000 max will be the same amount of noise seen at 1600 on the D5500. OR will the noise I see at the D3000 max (1600) be comparable to the max (25600) I would see on the D5500, if that makes sense. Thanks for any info!

[Adam]

Newer sensors generally exhibit less noise, but a difference of 1 stop is considered to be "good" for each generation you upgrade.  So, if the D5500 at ISO 3200 is comparable to the 3000 at 1600, that would be a win.  Since you get more resolution, the overall image quality may be way better in this case.

 

Check the sensor ratings over at DxO mark, as they provide very good benchmarks.

 

Beyond image quality, you'll get a lot more features from the D5500 as well, and it will feel considerably faster and more modern.

[dem]

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page

 

http://snapsort.com/...kon_D3000/specs

 

you will see that low light ISO performance is about 2.5 times better on the D5500. If you are happy with your prints from the D3000 at ISO1600, you can shoot D5500 at ISO4000 and get about the same noise levels.

[cwbolyard]

Thanks! That definitely answers my questions

[Merco_61]

In reality, the ISO performance differs more than that if you print at the same size. The S/N ratio gets better when you downsample a high resolution sensor for print or screen.