Noise in Nikons Vs Canon (D70 vs 300D or 20D)

[darb]

** please put away sport team rivalry i am but a humble fence sitter awaitng corruption. **

what are your thoughts? I note that at equal ISO's theyre all pretty much on par with one another(infact d70 has nicer noise), but the canons seem to have a bit of an edge over nikon in the noise department, silky smooth ISO100 and even at higher ISO's apparnetly less noise due to their own CMOS ... all of this ive read in reviews around the place.

i had a 300D, recently stolen, so im either up for a D70 or a 20D (if finances permit.) ... the extra money for the 20D seems a little excessive, but i am an extremely pedantic person when it comes to noise, i absolutely hate it ...have seen plenty of D70 photos at night, with long exposures that look OK ... but always a tiny bit of grain / noise there.

id prefer the D70 over 300D any day, but im thinking the 20D might be better for me given my intense dislike of noise / grain ... except the price.

any thoughts? How good is the Noise reduction engine onboard the D70, does it detract from image quality?

basically i love everything about the D70 over the 300D and it is by all rights a better camera ... but im just a bit curious on the noise and how you guys find it?

these are the sorts of shots i like to take ;

night shot at ISO200 (canon.)
http://darb.net/lane-poole/IMG_2933?full=1


ISO100 night shot
http://darb.net/hotham-2004-photos/IMG_2233?full=1

ISO100 in the afternoon into sunset.
http://darb.net/assorted-personal/IMG_3389?full=1

Snowy Tree's ISO100 (polarised.)
http://darb.net/hotham-2004-photos/IMG_2721?full=1

[Onyx]

I suggest you have a read of Clint Thayler's D70 vs 20D review here:

http://www.stereografx.com/

(The very first link)

This review supplements the dry, technical, pixel peeping type review found elsewhere on the net (DPReviews especially). It assume you know of the specifications and features differences between the two (eg. 6MP vs 8MP, 3FPS vs 5FPS, etc), and addressed the often forgotten aspects of a camera: the unquantifiable differences that separate a good camera from a great camera - handling, ergonomics, shooting issues.

Regarding noise differences of CMOS vs CCD: the "silky smooth" images are due to lost resolution. It resolves less, so it looks smoother. The Canons performs aggressive noise reduction (and subsequent destruction of fine details) in camera. You could achieve the same look on a Nikon by running the image thru a noise reduction software, eg. Noise Ninja or Neat Image.

Also, have a look at other review comparisons between the Canon and Nikon - not all of them are consistent with DPReviews findings. You'll find conflicting reports of which has the lower noise, which perform better at high ISOs, etc. Which brand has the edge depends on which website you choose to believe.

[MHD]

Hmmm... Didnt know that one (agressive anti noise!)

[gstark]

Hmmm... Didnt know that one (agressive anti noise!)

It's constantly telling the images to "shut up!"

On a more serious note, I don't find the noise at all an issue: for me it's a matter of "do I want the image?". Frequently I'm shooting in dimly lit bars, and high ISOs are simply the nature of the game. Frequently, the noise adds an element of character to the images as well.

It comes down to the compromises that you're willing to accept. Why not join us at Lane Cove this Saturday? You can get to play with a D70 and shoot some images, and then you can make some more realistic judgements based upon upon your own findings.

FWIW, I happen to like the smoothness of the Canon images.

[birddog114]

Noise!!!
- Turn the volume down or unplug the power cord!!!
I'm not so worry about noise, it can be fixed with software as Onyx mentioned and sometimes it does "adds an element of character" as Gary stated.