DKO can you post the image comparisons you did in the graveyard?
I'm coming fro a 5D to a G1 but I'm not 100% sold yet. IQ is good, but I'm missing a lot of shots indoors with the slow kit lens. Maybe the 20m pancake will work for me.
Hi Jonobeck,
Here are 4 sets of images. In each case the D700 is above. This was taken in deep shadow with ISO 1600 v ISO 640 (ISO is usually 100 for the G1 and 400 on the D700 for the others). As I've mentioned before the actual ISO figures (according to DxO and matching my experience) flatter the D700 so here it is more like 1250 v 800). A little fill light was needed in each and I've boosted the contrast for the G1 a little. Noise levels more similar than expected but slight advantage to the D700 though the G1 seems a little crisper.
The next two were metered on the stone in the sun, making everything else very dark. I have used fill light 50 for both --pretty extreme and you might expect the G1 to fall apart but it doesn't --just slightly more noise again but nothing obtrusive.
In the next two, thanks to liveview, I got the exposure I wanted first time with the G1 but two attempts with the D700 were either side of correct so I darkened the first one slightly (of course I could have bracketed and eventually got the Nikon accurate). Note the white balance for this and the next is too cold from the Nikon which is typical of most cameras I have used in this high contrast situation but the Panny for some reason generally does much better. Fortunately, this is easily correctable in RAW
Finally another one with too wide a range of tones for any SLR type camera to full deal with but note that with an almost identical exposure and no corrections, the G1 shows more shadow detail and crisper details on the individual blades of grass (look at max size in the gallery)
Hope this gives some idea of how the two cameras deal with this kind of awkward lighting. G1 with the 14-45 and D700 with the 17-35. taken towards wide and tele end respectively. Minimal or no cropping. Apertures generally around f8-9 for Nikon and f5.6 for G1
As for the pancake, I have ordered this particularly to deal with indoor situations as certainly :43: is still a little lacking when it comes to DoF flexibility and low light in terms of dedicated fast lenses but more are on the way it seems and of course many are already using legacy glass.
David