Photography News | Issue 43 | absolutephoto.com
Camera test 43
Performance: High ISOnoise reduction
ISO 6400, 0NR
Original image
This set of low light images was taken in Fine JPEG quality mode with the camera’s Noise Reduction menu item at various settings. The images here are straight out of the camera. The shots were taken with the X-T20 fittedwith anXF18mmf/2 lens and mounted onto a Gitzo Systematic tripod. The exposure of the ISO 6400 images was 1/8sec at f/8. If you want the best possible in- camera JPEGs, the X-T20’s noise reduction feature is worth using and even the highest +4 setting isn’t overly aggressive, so it doesn’t smudge fine detail toomuch. Images The X-T20 offers in- camera noise processing. A range of strengths is available, from -4 to +4. For this test, the various strengths were used for JPEG shots at ISO 3200 to 12,800.
ISO 6400, +2NR
ISO 6400, +4NR
ISO 6400, -2NR
ISO 6400, -4NR
Performance: exposure latitude
+4EV
+3EV
+2EV
+1EV
0EV
-1EV
Original image
Images Of course the camera – and you! – should always endeavour to get the correct exposure, things do go wrong so knowing howmuch a Raw can be adjusted is important.
To look at the X-T20’s exposure latitude with its Raw files, we shot a fully toned sunlit scene. Manual exposure mode was used with the correct exposure being determined at 1/125sec at f/9 and ISO200. The Raws were corrected using Lightroom to give correct exposure. The camera’s underexposed Raws recovered well so even the -4EV shot looked pretty good, especially tonally when corrected. Peer closely, though, and the amount of noise in the shadows and mid-tones is noticeably greater than the correctly exposed shot. The -3EV shot is much better and while the image does show noise,
it’s not toobadat all and finedetail still looks good and crisp. Residual amounts of noise are present in the -2EV shot and it is only the -1EV that looks directly comparablewith the 0EV image. Tolerance to overexposure is limited to +2EV but any more and highlights look grey. Fine detail also sufferswithunsightly fringingeffects. Keep to under +2EV, however, and the files can be fully recovered to look as good as correctly exposed files. To sum up, Raw exposure latitude is limited to +/-2EV and with some processing work, shots look as good as correctly exposed shots.
-4EV
-3EV
-2EV
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