Will upgrading from a Canon 40D to a 650D/T4i noticeably improve RAW high-ISO image quality?
Asked 10/15/2012
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I currently shoot RAW with a Canon 40D and am generally happy with it, except for low-light performance. For my taste, ISO 800 and above is not very usable. I’m considering a Canon 650D/T4i mainly for better low-light results, but since I shoot RAW, I’m not concerned with in-camera JPEG processing. Has sensor technology improved enough over the last few years that a 650D/T4i would give a meaningful improvement in high-ISO image quality over the 40D?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
9
There has been an improvement between the 40D and 650D, but not that great. Certainly less than a stop. You'll get a far far greater improvement in image quality by getting more light onto the sensor. There are a number of ways to achieve this:
Depending on what lens you're currently using you may be able to get a three stop improvement by switching to a fast prime lens.
Again depending on what lens you're using, upgrading to an IS lens might allow you to go three stops longer with the shutter speed.
Finally bringing your own light (i.e. using a hotshoe mounted flashgun) can get you even more...
I would only look to sensor improvements after exhausting all other options.
Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1375
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, sensor performance has improved, but moving from a 40D to a 650D/T4i is not likely to be a dramatic RAW high-ISO upgrade. Based on the answers, the improvement is real but modest—around less than a stop compared with the 40D.
So if your main goal is much cleaner low-light RAW files, a same-class Canon APS-C upgrade may disappoint. A larger jump typically comes from:
- a faster lens (often several stops better than a body upgrade)
- image stabilization, if subject motion allows slower shutter speeds
- adding light with a flash
If you want the biggest sensor-based improvement, full-frame bodies were cited as a much more noticeable step up than moving between older and newer Canon crop bodies.
In short: yes, sensor tech has improved over 3–4 years, but a 40D to 650D/T4i upgrade alone probably won’t transform your low-light RAW results. Improve the light reaching the sensor first; consider a larger-format body only if you still need more high-ISO performance.
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