Nikon D5 XQD Samples

The Nikon D5 has an unprecedented ISO range, covering ISO 50 to a stellar 3,276,800! That is 3 stops above any digital camera we have seen before. All images below are 100% unmodified crops from the Nikon D5. ISO, aperture and Custom White-Balance were fixed in-camera and noise-reduction was turned off. As usual, the camera was calibrated to produce the highest and most realistic image quality it can achieve.

Part of the secret of the Nikon D5 is its new EXPEED 5 image processor. It renders JPEG images from RAW sensor data with all Picture Control parameters plus optional Noise Reduction. There are 3 levels to chose from, with Normal providing the best noise reduction with minimal impact at fine details. It neatly improves the output up until ISO 102400 which is the highest standard sensitivity of this camera. In the extended range though, it makes things slightly worse. The Low level works better there but such images are never very usable.

These crops help determine which ISO settings can be acceptably used on this camera. As image noise increases, most cameras compensate with noise reduction which introduces softness. The point at which a print become unacceptably noisy is a matter of personal taste.

Nikon D5
Noise Reduction Off	Noise Reduction Normal
ISO 50	ISO 50
ISO 100	ISO 100
ISO 200	ISO 200
ISO 400	ISO 400
ISO 800	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 1600
ISO 3200	ISO 3200
ISO 6400	ISO 6400
ISO 12800	ISO 12800
ISO 25600	ISO 25600
ISO 51200	ISO 51200
ISO 102400	ISO 102400
ISO 204800	ISO 204800
ISO 409600	ISO 409600
ISO 819200	ISO 819200
ISO 1638400	ISO 1638400
ISO 3276800	ISO 3276800