Is there an online source for camera specs measured to ISO imaging standards?
Asked 1/27/2016
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I'm looking for a reliable online resource that lists camera specifications measured according to ISO imaging standards, such as ISO 12233 for resolution, ISO 15739 for noise/dynamic range, ISO 12232 for sensitivity, and related standards for tonal response, color, and image quality. Manufacturers rarely publish this kind of information in full, and some specs like dynamic range are often omitted or presented inconsistently. Is there any source that reports camera performance strictly using these standards, or do photographers who want standardized comparisons usually have to run their own tests?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
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No one publishes standardized camera specs online based strictly on ISO standards.
The basic problem is that many of these standards were originally written to be applied to categories specific to the nature of photographic film. Even though they have been updated to apply to digital imaging, there are enough differences between how film images are captured and developed and how digital images are captured and developed to make at least some of these same categories less meaningful in terms of the resulting viewable image that can be produced by a camera with a specific set of these technical specifications.
Depending on the demosaicing algorithms used, the same raw data can be developed differently and thus yield widely varying measurements from the same image file in terms of these categories originally created to describe film characteristics: Tonal Response, Resolution, Dynamic Range, Signal-to-Noise Ratio, Sensitivity, etc.
The measurement of a film's sensitivity, for example, was based on the shape and size of the crystals in the film's emulsion and how much they reacted to a specified amount of light. Changing the development time or the concentration of the developing chemicals didn't change the original chemical composition of the emulsion or how that emulsion reacted to a specified amount of light when first exposed, it just changed the subsequent chemical reaction applied to that emulsion after the film had been exposed.
With digital imaging many, but certainly not all, of theses categories are more dependent upon the processing applied to the raw data coming off the sensor than to the hardware that captures the raw data. And since the raw data may be offloaded from the camera and be processed by a near infinite variety of systems and applications, the measurements provided by ISO standards such as those mentioned in the question are less meaningful, in terms of the capturing hardware, in the digital environment than they once were when applied to the variety of film available. Film had to be selected prior to the capture of an image. With digital imaging, processes that don't even exist at the time the raw data is captured may later be applied to that data.
There are two interrelated characteristics mentioned in the question that are heavily dependent upon hardware: Dynamic Range and Signal-to-Noise Ratio. Among those listed in the question, these two categories also happen to be the ones most referenced by both manufacturers and well known independent testing labs. But even there, most photographers are much more interested in the artistic possibilities hardware with a specific set of specifications will allow them to exercise than they are the exact method and standards used to obtain comparative measurements between two particular camera models they may be considering to use to capture images. Both the marketing departments of camera makers and the independent testing labs are going to direct their efforts at those most likely to be interested in the practical usage of the cameras because that's where they both stand to gain the most - either in terms of buyers and units sold or in terms of visitors to and ad revenue from their web sites.
Does that mean that anyone who wants standardized specs should go ahead and benchmark their own camera using expensive tools?
Pretty much. Because there is no realistic economic incentive for anyone else to do it for you.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
10y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There generally isn’t a single public source that publishes camera specs strictly and comprehensively according to ISO imaging standards.
A big reason is that some standards were developed around film-era concepts and, even when updated for digital cameras, don’t always map cleanly to real-world digital image results. With digital capture, outcomes can vary depending on raw conversion, demosaicing, noise reduction, sharpening, and other processing. That means the same source data can produce different measured results depending on how it’s processed.
Manufacturers therefore tend not to publish a full set of standardized ISO-based performance numbers beyond familiar items like ISO sensitivity ratings, and even those are often simplified for marketing or usability.
So if you want tightly standardized, directly comparable measurements, you usually have to rely on independent test labs or perform your own benchmarking with proper test targets, controlled lighting, and measurement tools. In practice, photographers often use reputable review sites and lab tests as approximations rather than expecting complete official ISO-standard spec sheets.
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