Still Photography Throwdown

Still Photography Throwdown:
Silver Halide vs. Silicon
Mark D. Fairchild
Munsell Color Science Laboratory
Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science
College of Science
Rochester Institute of Technology
throwdown ¦ θrō doun¦
noun informal
a performance by or competition between rappers,
breakdancers, etc. : a funky hip-hop throwdown.
Question
• Do digital systems produce quality
comparable to film, or are they just more
convenient and flexible?
• Consumer/Prosumer Applications
Motivation
Systems
• Film (35mm, Medium Format)
• Digital (dSLR, Point & Shoot)
• A small case study, not an exhaustive
evaluation.
Hasselblad 501c
• Medium Format (6x6cm)
• Carl Zeiss Planar f/2.8 80mm T* Lens
• Portra 160nc Film
Nikon D2x
• 12.4 MPixel CMOS Sensor
• 17-55mm f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S DX
Zoom-Nikkor Lens
• Professional dSLR (2006)
Nikon F3
• 35 mm
• Portra 160nc
• Same Lens as D2x
• (1987)
Nikon CoolPix S220
• 10 MPixel CCD
• Point & Shoot
• Smile Detection / Blink Detection
• Noise?
• (2009)
Film Processing ?
Film Processing
• Process/Print/Scan in One Place?
• Mail Order to Hollywood Professional Lab
• 4x6 or 5x5 Optical Prints
• 5K Scans
Digital Processing
D2x
• RAW Workflow, Prints (Aperture)
S220
• JPEGs, Prints (iPhoto)
Scenes
Psychophysics
• Rank Order (4 Systems, 5 Scenes)
• Overall Image Quality
• Sharpness
• Color
Projected
• 19 Observers
• Self-Recorded Responses
• High-Quality Projector / Seminar Room
Instructions
There are four images (A, B, C, D) on each
screen. Please rank order them from best to
worst along each attribute and record your
response on the answer sheet.
First rank overall picture quality, then color
quality, then sharpness.
A
B
C
D
Prints
• Same 19 Observers
• Same Task
• D65 Print Room
• Experimenter Recorded
Responses
Online
• Amazon Mechanical Turk
• 167 Observers (on average)
• Paid $0.01 Per Response
• Best, 2nd Best, Worst
• Overall Quality Only
Results
Hasselblad 120
Nikon D2x
Nikon F3 135
Nikon CP S220
Overall
Percent in Rank
80
60
40
20
0
1
2
3
4
Rank
100
Hasselblad 120
Nikon D2x
Nikon F3 135
Nikon CP S220
Color
Percent in Rank
80
60
40
20
0
1
2
3
4
Rank
100
Hasselblad 120
Nikon D2x
Nikon F3 135
Nikon CP S220
Sharpness
80
Percent in Rank
Projected
Images:
Average
Across Images
100
60
40
20
0
1
2
3
Rank
4
Hasselblad 120
Nikon D2x
Nikon F3 135
Nikon CP S220
Overall
Percent in Rank
80
60
40
20
0
1
2
3
4
Rank
100
Hasselblad 120
Nikon D2x
Nikon F3 135
Nikon CP S220
Color
Percent in Rank
80
60
40
20
0
1
2
3
4
Rank
100
Hasselblad 120
Nikon D2x
Nikon F3 135
Nikon CP S220
Sharpness
80
Percent in Rank
Printed
Images:
Average
Across Images
100
60
40
20
0
1
2
3
Rank
4
Online
Images:
Average
Across Images
70
Hasselblad 120
Nikon D2x
Nikon F3 135
Nikon CP S220
60
Percent in Rank
50
40
30
20
10
0
1
2
3
Rank
4
IQ Metrics
• Slanted-Edge SFR
• MITRE IQM
Slant-Edge SFR
1.00
1.00
0.75
0.75
0.50
0.50
0.25
0.25
0
0
0
2.5
5.0
7.5
10.0
0
5.0
7.5
Frequency (cy/mm)
Nikon F3 - Portra 160NC
Nikon Coolpix S220
1.00
1.00
0.75
0.75
0.50
0.25
0
0
2.5
5.0
Frequency (cy/mm)
7.5
10.0
10.0
0.50
0.25
0
2.5
Frequency (cy/mm)
SFR
SFR
Nikon D2x
SFR
SFR
Hasselblad - Portra 160NC
0
2.5
5.0
Frequency (cy/mm)
7.5
10.0
MITRE IQM
• CSF-Weighted Power Spectrum
• Well Correlated to Visual Quality Judgements
• Remote Sensing Applications
2.50
Hasselblad 120
Nikon F3 135
Nikon D2x
Nikon CP S200
3.0 + log(Mitre IQM)
1.88
1.25
0.63
0
Slant Edge
Resolution Chart
Flowers
Shadow Cow
Tojo Garden
Image Content
Average
Summary
• D2x wins 4/5 Assessments
• F3/Film (Same Lens) wins 5th (Prints)
• S220 Could Use Fewer Pixels / Less Processing
6 MPixels...
Only Film ...
Actually dSLR!
Thank You ...
• cemetery @ night