Nikon D3x

Noise Reduction (6.51)

The first of our tests in this series looks at the noise levels across the four steps of noise reduction. You can see that software kicks in after ISO 400 for High, and at 800 for the other settings. The Low setting noise reduction has a minimal effect across the board.

We look at image noise results separately for the red, green, blue, yellow and luma (gray) channels. The tight grouping we found here is good, as substantial variation from a tightly grouped pattern would be visually noticeable. More on how we test noise.

In our image noise test, the D700 performed well, but not exceptionally so. It kept noise levels at a reasonable level across all ISOs, especially at ISO 100. For this test, we shoot the X-Rite ColorChecker chart, illuminated to 3000 lux, using the most accurate color mode available (in this case, neutral). The chart is photographed at every ISO setting that Nikon assigns a specific ISO value to, which excludes their Lo and Hi settings, and the images are analyzed using Imatest software to determine the amount of noise in each picture.

When you compare the D3x against the other cameras with noise reduction off, it sits in the middle ranks. It’s a bit lower at ISO 100 and a bit higher at ISO 1600, but overall pretty much right in the middle.

With the noise reduction cranked all the way up, the D3x still sits at about the same level as the other cameras, comfortably staying below 0.85% even at ISO 1600. What’s interesting is that once again the D700 performs slightly better than the D3x. Not massively, but enough to raise an eyebrow.

ISO Options

When you compare the D3x against the other cameras with noise reduction off, it sits in the middle ranks. It’s a bit lower at ISO 100 and a bit higher at ISO 1600, but overall pretty much right in the middle. The precursor model, the Nikon D3, had an official range of ISO 200 to 6400, with extended ISOs down to 100 and up to 25600.

ISO Comparisons
Nikon D3x	Nikon D700	Canon EOS 5D Mark II	Sony Alpha A900	Nikon D90
ISO Low
ISO 50		ISO 100	ISO 100	ISO 200
ISO 50		ISO 100	ISO 100	ISO 200
Nikon D3x	Nikon D700	Canon EOS 5D Mark II	Sony Alpha A900	Nikon D90
ISO 200
Nikon D3x	Nikon D700	Canon EOS 5D Mark II	Sony Alpha A900	Nikon D90
ISO 400
Nikon D3x	Nikon D700	Canon EOS 5D Mark II	Sony Alpha A900	Nikon D90
ISO 800
Nikon D3x	Nikon D700	Canon EOS 5D Mark II	Sony Alpha A900	Nikon D90
ISO 1600
Nikon D3x	Nikon D700	Canon EOS 5D Mark II	Sony Alpha A900	Nikon D90
ISO 3200
Nikon D3x	Nikon D700	Canon EOS 5D Mark II	Sony Alpha A900	Nikon D90
ISO 6400
Nikon D3x	Nikon D700	Canon EOS 5D Mark II	Sony Alpha A900	Nikon D90
ISO 12800
Nikon D3x	Nikon D700	Canon EOS 5D Mark II	Sony Alpha A900	Nikon D90
ISO 25600
Nikon D3x	Nikon D700	Canon EOS 5D Mark II	Sony Alpha A900	Nikon D90

NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.