One of the questions students often ask is “Should I buy a new camera?” My answer is always, “Learn how to use the camera you currently own and only consider buying a new camera when the camera is limiting your photography, not your knowledge of photography and how to use your camera’s controls”.
Recently, I purchased a Nikon Z6ii (full-frame sensor) and retired my Olympus E-5 (4/3 sensor).
Why? The Olympus E-5 was introduced in 2011. I purchased mine in 2013. I’ve gotten seven years of good use from the camera and taken 10s of thousands of great pictures. It will remain as my backup camera.
How was the E-5 limiting my photography?
1) The highest usable ISO, without post-processing noise reduction, is 800 and 1600 with significant post-processing. This makes low-light photography difficult. Fortunately, most of my photos are taken in the daylight where using lower ISOs isn’t a problem.
2) I was also looking for a camera with a sensor that has a wider dynamic range. To compensate for the limited dynamic range of the E-5, I’ve used a technique called High Dynamic Range (HDR) by taking three photos, one at normal exposure and one at +2EV, and one at -2EV. I then combined the photos in Photoshop, overcoming the limits of the E-5’s sensor dynamic range by a cumbersome series of steps See my blog post on HDR for more details.
3) I wanted a larger sensor, the 4/3 sensor is half the size of a full-frame, to improve the quality of the 16×20-inch photos I print at home.
My approach was to research camera sensors at https://www.dxomark.com/, read camera product reviews available online and speak with my photography friends. DXOMark has a large database of cameras and lenses, both new and old, that they have done extensive testing to document the specific technology and related quality. I decided to purchase a NIKON Z6ii.
Note: the Z6 and Z6ii use the same sensor
I also wanted to do my own side-by-side comparison of both cameras, to determine the limit for the highest ISO I personally would find acceptable. In my home office, I set up a backdrop, and umbrella light for illumination. The use of the umbrella light allowed me constant lighting throughout the testing of both cameras. It’s important to have constant lighting during the testing. I chose to photograph a crewel needlework picture, made by my wife, as it provided a good range of colors and stitching details that would help in the evaluation of sharpness and noise.
With the setup as pictured above, I took multiple photos with each camera using the ISO settings available. I then imported the photos into Lightroom and viewed each of the photos at 1:1 (100%), allowing me to see the details of the stitching.
For the Olympus E-5, with the lens focal length set to 25mm (50mm 35mm Equivalent) and an aperture f/11, I used the following ISO settings, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, and 6400.
As I reviewed the 1:1 (100%) photos on the computer from the E-5, there was an apparent slight color shift at ISO 3200 and a greater color shift at ISO 6400, displayed below.
I then reviewed the photos using ISO 100-1600, displayed below.
The sharpness remained consistent through ISO 100-800 without significant noise with little or no post-processing noise required The ISO 1600 photo requires significantly more post-processing but is usable and the ISO 3200 photo is not at all usable in my opinion. This confirmed my determinations of the E-5’s ISO performance made several years ago.
I repeated the test using NIKON Z6ii with the lens focal length set to 50 mm and an aperture of f/11. I used the following ISO settings, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12,800, and 25,600.
As I reviewed the 1:1 (100%) photos from the Z6ii, there were no apparent color shifts at any of the ISO’s tested. The sharpness remained consistent from ISO 100-6400 without a need for post-processing and with minimal post-processing required at ISO 12,800 and more at ISO 25,600, but is still usable.
My advice is if you want to understand the ISO limits of your camera, you could repeat what I have outlined above. Also, visit https://www.dxomark.com/ to learn how your camera’s sensor performed under their very controlled testing regimen.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
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