imagequality

What is Chromatic Aberration? How to Deal with Color Fringing

If you've ever noticed an unsightly colored fringe or halo on objects in your photographs, you've seen chromatic aberration. It's a common problem in photography and can detract from an otherwise good image. Fortunately, there are ways to minimize or even eliminate it, both before you hit the shutter button and after when editing your picture.

Image Quality is More Than Megapixels

The megapixel count of a camera is often viewed by consumers to be the benchmark number for telling whether or not that camera is "good." If that were true, however, why do photographers not just buy a 108-megapixel smartphone to use as their primary equipment? The answer: because image quality has to do with far more than just megapixels.

Canon T2i Versus Fujifilm GFX 100s: Can You See the Difference?

Let’s compare a basic camera to one of the best cameras out there and more toward the pricey side, let’s be honest. I always heard the best camera is the one you have on you so let’s find out if that is true!

Canon EOS R5 vs EOS R: Image Quality Comparison

Wedding and portrait photographer Alex Barrera recently conducted a side-by-side comparison between the new 45MP Canon EOS R5 and the two-year-old 30MP Canon EOS R. Setting aside video performance, he wanted to see how these two camera stack up when it comes to pure image quality.

Field Test: One Week in the Lofoten Islands with the Canon EOS R5

I was one of the lucky ones who got their hands on the Canon EOS R5 early in August of 2020. The camera arrived in the morning, just before my flight to the Lofoten Islands. Here's a summary of my experience climbing to 7 summits in 7 days with Canon's new flagship mirrorless camera.

Nikon D6 Wildlife Photography Review

Wildlife photographer Steve Perry of Backcountry Gallery has just completed a massive review of the Nikon D6. And after using the camera in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, and Yellowstone National Park, he has some thoughts on whether or not wildlife photographers should consider buying Nikon's flagship DSLR.

Testing Canon cRAW: Smaller Files, No Downside

"Compression" is a dirty word in the world of photography, but not all compressed files are created equal. That's exactly what photographer Alex Barrera discovered when he switched to using Canon's compressed RAW (cRAW) format exclusively—it's saved him a ton of space, with virtually no downsides.

Sony a7R IV vs Medium Format: Image Quality and High ISO Comparison

When Sony announced the 61MP a7R IV this week, both presenters were quick to say that the camera's full-frame sensor "rivaled medium format" thanks to its combination of resolution and dynamic range. But was that engineering truth, or marketing speak? Photographer Matt Granger decided to find out.

Sony a7R III vs a7R IV Image Quality Comparison

How much of a difference can an extra 19MP and a newly-designed really make? Apparently, quite a bit, as you can see in this quick side-by-side comparison of JPEGs shot on the 42MP Sony a7R III and the newly released 61MP Sony a7R IV.

This is What a 14-Year-Old Nikon DSLR Can Do

How much has camera image quality improved over the past decade and a half? Photographer Jeff Rey recently decided to see by doing a simple test with his Nikon D200 crop sensor CCD DSLR, a camera that was originally announced back in 2005 with a price tag of $1,700 (over $2,200 in today's dollars).

Is the Sensor or the Lens to Blame for Poor Image Quality?

A few years ago, I was embarrassingly very vocal about how disappointed I was about some of the Nikon lenses. I've been using Nikon cameras and lenses for decades and although I was very pleased with the image quality and color rendition their cameras produced, I strongly considered jumping the Nikon ship in search of crisper, cleaner looking lenses.

Metabones Degrades the Edge Image Quality of Wide-Angle Lenses

With the popularity of mirrorless cameras from Sony, Fuji, Panasonic among others, more and more Canon users are either changing systems or wanting to try these new cameras. That in turn, is making adapting lenses more popular than ever, especially as autofocus performance continues to improve and includes many native features like Continous Eye AF (in the case of Sony cameras).

Why You Don’t Put a Cheap Filter on an Expensive Lens

I recently took my Sony A7 III and a rented $2,500 Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens to the 2018 Montreal GP. A friend of mine had recommended that I use a polarizer. I remembered that I had a pack of 77mm Vivitar Series 1 filters that came with my 24-105mm, so I threw that onto the 100-400mm and started shooting, completely zoomed at 400mm.

Great Photos Don’t Need to Be Technically Perfect

Do photos always need to be technically perfect? In this 10-minute video, landscape photographer Thomas Heaton discusses whether photographers worry too much about the technicalities of a photo, forgetting about what's actually in the image.

The Sony a99 II is a Low Light Monster

Sony's latest E-mount mirrorless cameras have wowed photographers with their low light and high ISO capabilities. Now it looks like its latest A-mount SLT, the new Sony a99 II, will do the same. Above is a 2-minute video showing its performance at ISOs up to 25600 in a room lit only by two candles.

People Just Found Out How Bad Smartphones Are at Photographing the Moon

Most people use their smartphones as their go-to snapshot camera these days, and the impressive image quality of the latest models is great for recording everyday memories. The small sensor and lens do have their limitations, though, and quite a few people found that out last night when they pulled out their smartphones to photograph the supermoon lunar eclipse.

Shootout: The Canon 35mm f/1.4L II Versus the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART

I recently did a shootout to compare the image quality of the new $1,799 Canon 35mm f/1.4L II against the $899 Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART. Unlike most comparisons out there, I would like for you to be the judge of what you think is a better image and leave comment about why you would choice one over the other.

Comparing the Image Quality of Film and Digital

There have been a few film versus digital articles here and there on the interwebs, but seems like very few have approached the subject in a scientific fashion or with the advice of both film and digital experts.

However, with the help of Joe Cornish (a landscape photographer who made his living shooting on medium and large format but now shoots Phase One IQ280s), Chris Ireland (who sells Phase One cameras), and myself, Tim Parkin, (I shoot film and run a drum scanning service), a definitive test was born.

First Sample Photographs Shot Using the Newly-Announced Nikon D5200

Nikon has released a set of sample photographs to give pixel-peepers a first look at the new D5200's image quality. The photographs, captured by photographer Douglas Menuez, were all shot using "non-professional" DX lenses that cost less than $500. The photograph above was shot using the $200 Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX lens at ISO 200.

A Look at the Image Quality of Plustek’s $2,000 OpticFilm 120 Film Scanner

One of the latest entrants in the at-home film scanning game is the Plustek OpticFilm 120. Just announced a few months ago and made available for pre-orders earlier this month, the OpticFilm 120 is a professional caliber scanner that can digitize both 35mm and 120mm medium format film. With a price tag of $2,000, it's not exactly wallet-friendly for the average film shooter, but is quite affordable when compared to other medium-format pro-grade scanners on the market.

If you've been wondering about the image quality of the scanner (and whether or not it stacks up well against your local photo lab), Plustek has released a few full-resolution untouched scans.

A Comparison of Sample Photos Shot with the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S

After announcing its new iPhone 5 yesterday, Apple published a gallery of full-res sample photos showing the updated camera's quality. Although the specs haven't really changed, Apple says that the updated sensor and processor leads to better photographs. What better way to test these claims than to compare resulting photos side by side?

Luckily for us, DPReview has the droids comparison we're looking for. When Apple's official sample images were posted yesterday, DPReview product manager Scott Everett realized that he had taken an iPhone 4S photo that was nearly identical to one of the images -- the one of the coastline in Big Sur, California.

Sony’s Translucent Mirror May Reduce Detail in Photos by up to 5%

You've probably read plenty of articles touting the benefits of Sony's translucent mirror technology (e.g. high fps, AF for video, quietness, etc...), but what about the cons? One of the main downsides to having a translucent mirror is that the light hitting the sensor passes through an additional layer (the translucent mirror), which reduces the amount of light and the image quality.

How Dust and Damage on Lenses Affect Image Quality

This photograph was taken by a lens with some "obstruction" on the front element. Aside from the blurry patch of nastiness in the bottom portion of the frame, the rest of the image looks pretty decent. What do you think the "obstruction" is? A little dirt? A smudge where the photographer accidentally touched the front element? A scratch? The answer is a little closer to a scratch than a smudge...