Introduction
It's been about 18 months since we last did a side-by-side ISO test, so with some newer cameras available to us, here are some new results. All cameras were used in their default settings. The Nikons (D300, D700, D7000) all used the excellent 70-200mm f2.8 II lens at f/8. The Canon 60D used the only lens we have available, the kit 18-135mm also at f/8, which is perhaps not the best performer. The S90 used the built in lens zoomed out. All cameras used their on-board flash.
Unlike last time, when the D90 and D200 struggled to autofocus, all of the cameras in this test did a much better job (AF fine tune was not used).
We've attempted to frame all of the shots approximately the same (the one issue being the minimum focus distance of the 70-200mm was too long to let the D700 'get as close' to the test subject). In the last test, the cameras were all in the 10-12mp range, however in this test we have cameras at 10, 12, 16 and 18mp, meaning the center 100% crops appear at different sizes.
Underneath each image you will find links to the full size JPEG version of the image (which should display in your browser).
To view different ISO images side by side, please use our ISO Comparison Tool.
ISO 100 (LO-1) Samples
Nikon D7000, ISO 100 (jpeg)
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Canon 60D, ISO 100 (jpeg)
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Nikon D300, ISO 100 (jpeg)
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Nikon D700, ISO 100 (jpeg)
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Canon S90, ISO 100 (jpeg)
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ISO 200 Samples
Nikon D7000, ISO 200 (jpeg)
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Canon 60D, ISO 200 (jpeg)
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Nikon D300, ISO 200 (jpeg)
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Nikon D700, ISO 200 (jpeg)
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Canon S90, ISO 200 (jpeg)
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ISO 400 Samples
Nikon D7000, ISO 400 (jpeg)
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Canon 60D, ISO 400 (jpeg)
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Nikon D300, ISO 400 (jpeg)
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Nikon D700, ISO 400 (jpeg)
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Canon S90, ISO 400 (jpeg)
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ISO 800 Samples
Nikon D7000, ISO 800 (jpeg)
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Canon 60D, ISO 800 (jpeg)
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Nikon D300, ISO 800 (jpeg)
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Nikon D700, ISO 800 (jpeg)
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Canon S90, ISO 800 (jpeg)
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ISO 1600 Samples
Nikon D7000, ISO 1600 (jpeg)
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Canon 60D, ISO 1600 (jpeg)
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Nikon D300, ISO 1600 (jpeg)
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Nikon D700, ISO 1600 (jpeg)
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Canon S90, ISO 1600 (jpeg)
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ISO 3200 Samples
Nikon D7000, ISO 3200 (jpeg)
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Canon 60D, ISO 3200 (jpeg)
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Nikon D300, ISO 3200 (jpeg)
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Nikon D700, ISO 3200 (jpeg)
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Canon S90, ISO 3200 (jpeg)
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ISO 6400 Samples
Nikon D7000, ISO 6400 (jpeg)
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Canon 60D, ISO 6400 (jpeg)
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Nikon D300, ISO 6400 (jpeg)
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Nikon D700, ISO 6400 (jpeg)
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ISO 12800 Samples
Nikon D7000, ISO 12800 (jpeg)
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Canon 60D, ISO 12800 (jpeg)
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Nikon D700, ISO 12800 (jpeg)
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ISO 25600 Samples
Nikon D7000, ISO 25600 (jpeg)
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Nikon D700, ISO 25600 (jpeg)
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Conclusion
All five cameras in this group give very useable results up to ISO 400, so all four cameras would print very nicely up to 8x10 inches or even larger. Once you hit ISO 800, noise starts to become very noticeable on the S90 and D300, both of which degrade quickly from there.
However, the D700, D7000 and 60D all still have relatively low noise even at ISO 1600, with the D700 giving the cleanest looking images, as you'd expect. Beyond that the D700 reigns supreme. The D7000 and 60D really aren't that far apart.
It must also be pointed out that pixel peeping at 100% is not the best way to judge final image quality. The D700 only has 12 megapixels, the 60D has a whopping 18mp, so looking at the center 300 x 250 pixels of the image isn't a fair indication of how much noise would appear in a final print from each image. Clearly the 60D image would print at a higher dpi, which would emphasise noise slightly less than the same size print from a D700.
To view different ISO images side by side, please use our ISO Comparison Tool.
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