Experiences have been rising that the brand new Nikon Z6 III may need a extra restricted dynamic vary than the previous Z6 II. This commentary was made by William Claff over at Photons to Pictures who does in-depth testing of digital camera sensor efficiency, and many extra moreover. Claff’s findings present the Z6 III maxing out at 10.44EV of dynamic vary at ISO 100, in comparison with the Z6 II’s 11.26EV on the similar sensitivity. The Z6 III continues to path its predecessor by 0.6-0.7EV till ISO 800, the place the 2 cameras then carry out very equally:
Learn extra: Nikon Z6 III hands-on evaluation
Now, Claff evidently is aware of his stuff and has been testing sensor efficiency for a few years, so I am not about to criticize his outcomes or testing methodology. However what I can say is after I lab examined the Z6 III, I discovered that (in distinction to Claff’s outcomes), the Z6 III’s dynamic vary was nearly similar to that of the Z6 II at decrease sensitivities, though the brand new digital camera did path the earlier era by 0.5-1EV at ISO 6400 and above.
Whereas that is shocking and disappointing, in my view the extra noteworthy distinction between the 2 cameras is their sign to noise ratio efficiency – aka how a lot picture noise every digital camera produces at a given ISO sensitivity. In our sign to noise ratio check I discovered the Z6 III and Z6 II generated very related noise ranges at decrease sensitivities, however at ISO 1600 the brand new digital camera begins to provide noticeably noisier pictures than these from the Z6 II, and this pattern then continues as much as ISO 25,600 – our highest examined sensitivity.
And it isn’t simply us that is seen the Z6 III is producing noisier pictures at greater ISOs – try this detailed picture noise comparability between it and the unique Z6 from YouTuber testcams:
Although you would be forgiven for assuming a brand new digital camera will carry out higher in each check metric than the digital camera it replaces, that is usually not the case. Mostly, a brand new digital camera mannequin with a better megapixel depend than its predecessor will usually produce a decrease sign to noise ratio, as cramming extra pixels onto a sensor of the identical dimensions – be that APS-C or full-frame – makes every pixel smaller, much less gentle delicate, and subsequently extra liable to producing noise.
However within the case of the Z6 III, its 24.5MP decision is similar to that of the Z6 II. The distinction right here might as an alternative be all the way down to the Z6 III’s new partially stacked sensor building. Once more, that is hypothesis not established truth, however the place {a partially} stacked sensor improves sensor readout velocity for sooner burst taking pictures and decreased rolling shutter distortion, it may additionally have a detrimental impact on picture noise and dynamic vary. That is additionally backed up by the sensor outcomes on Photons to Pictures, which usually present the dynamic vary efficiency from stacked sensors being barely decrease than that from equal, non-stacked chips.
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I am unable to offer you a conclusive rationalization as to why a stacked sensor would compromise picture readability and dynamic vary, however I doubt it is all the way down to the stacked sensor building itself. Merely layering parts of a sensor needn’t hinder picture high quality. Moderately, utilizing this design to ramp up a sensor’s readout velocity is extra prone to be the perpetrator, although logically even this does not actually add up. To seize a single nonetheless picture, the sensor within the Z6 III is utilizing the identical (or very practically the identical) variety of pixels to the sensor within the Z6 II. Each sensors are of similar dimensions, leading to similar pixel sizes. If the picture is then captured with the identical shutter velocity period and on the similar ISO sensitivity, the 2 cameras ought to produce very related noise ranges and dynamic vary, assuming Nikon‘s picture processing can be comparable. And but our lab check outcomes are echoing these from different testers: the Z6 III is not performing in addition to the Z6 II (and even the unique Z6) when it comes to dynamic vary and picture readability, leaving the elevated sensor readout velocity as the obvious trigger.
However earlier than you rush to return your new Z6 III, let’s simply ‘zoom out’ for a second. The variations in picture high quality between the 2 Z6 fashions highlighted by our lab testing, and that of William Claff, are comparatively minor. In our case we check with all excessive ISO noise discount disabled, and any dynamic vary enhancements shut off, with a view to preserve a degree enjoying discipline. In additional ‘actual world’ utilization with these techniques enabled, would you actually be prone to spot such delicate variations in picture high quality until you have been purposely searching them out? It is unlikely.
Then when you think about the features {that a} sooner readout velocity can deliver for elevated burst taking pictures charges, greater video resolutions at sooner bit/body charges, and different picture high quality enhancements like decreased rolling shutter distortion; many would argue that this elevated hybrid digital camera versatility is price a small trade-off in noise and dynamic vary.