Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 versus Canon EOS 400D / XTi real-life noise
To compare noise levels under real-life conditions we shot this scene with the Sony Alpha DSLR A200 and the Canon EOS 400D / XTi within
a few moments of each other using each of their ISO settings in Aperture Priority mode.
Both cameras were fitted with their respective kit lenses, set to f8 and adjusted to deliver the same field of view.
The image left was taken with the Sony A200 at 28mm f8 and with a sensitivity of 100 ISO; the original JPEG measured 4.20MB. The crops are taken from an area just below and to the left of the centre and presented here at 100%.
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The Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 employs the same 10.2 Megapixel CCD sensor as its predecessor, so unsurprisingly the results below are not dissimilar to what we previously observed with the original Alpha A100. As such the A200 records a decent amount of detail with low noise between 100 and 400 ISO, where it's pretty much neck-in-neck with the Canon EOS 400D / XTi.
At 800 ISO though, the A200, like its predecessor, suffers from a drop in detail due to smearing. At this sensitivity, the Canon delivers a noticeably superior result. At 1600 ISO, there's a further drop, and again a result which falls behind the Canon; indeed we'd say the 400D / XTi at 1600 ISO delivers similar results to the A200 at 800 ISO.
New to the A200 over its predecessor is a 3200 ISO option which exhibits noticeable smearing and chroma noise. It's really only for emergency use, but at least it has a 3200 ISO setting, unlike the Canon 400D / XTi. So ultimately like the A100 before it, the new A200 performs well up to 400 ISO, but falls slightly behind the Canon 400D / XTi at higher sensitivities.
The A200 applies High ISO Noise Reduction
by default, but this can be disabled if desired - scroll to the bottom of this page to see a comparison with and without NR. Or to see more real-life examples across its sensitivity range including several taken under low light, check out our Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 sample images page.
Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 (High ISO NR on - default)
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Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi |
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100 ISO
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100 ISO |
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200 ISO
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200 ISO |
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400 ISO
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400 ISO |
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800 ISO
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800 ISO |
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1600 ISO
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1600 ISO |
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3200 ISO
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3200 ISO not available |
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