The Nikon D700 offers High ISO Noise Reduction with four different options: Off, Low, Normal (the default setting) and High. These settings take place at sensitivities of 2000 ISO and above.
To compare the effect of these settings we photographed our High ISO Noise composition at 3200 ISO and above using each of the NR options and have presented 100% crops from each below.
The entire composition can be seen in the image left, and the crops are taken from an area in the very middle of the image. The D700 was fitted with the Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm lens, set to 24mm f8.
As with all NR options it's a case of weighing-up detail with visible noise against the smearing of speckles and genuine detail by noise reduction. Nikon's achieved a good balance with the default Normal setting which retains a good degree of detail without too much smearing.
Certainly the step-up to High NR is a step too far in our view, but if you're applying NR through post production, you'll prefer the Low or even Off settings.
As always, it's a case of experimenting with your particular workflow, and in case you're thinking that's a lot of noise for a full-frame sensor, remember you're looking at sensitivities of 3200 to a whopping 25,600 ISO below.
Now to see more real-life examples across its sensitivity range, check out our Nikon D700 Gallery.
