D90 vs D610

Hello,
I'm considering upgrading to a D610 next year from a D90. I am interested in compositing 7 or so RAW images into one HDRI for utilizing in the 3D work I do to light my scenes with "real world" lighting. The 3D HDRI illumination is an aside here, but it is my end-goal. To achieve the desired quality for my purposes, I am thinking that part of getting the best images for this requires I capture as much information with each bracketed exposure as possible.

As I understand it, the D610 will have larger pixel blocks (I forget the correct term) on the sensor, and thus will provide greater dynamic ranger per pixel. Secondly, the larger sensor on the D610 will allow me to capture the full 180º required from my fisheye, whereas my D90 is truncating the image. For my purposes, I require 180º degrees of an image. Effectively I am capturing the "sky dome" for use in other software.

Is the above logic regarding the sensor correct, and will the D610 a rational step in achieving my desired goal?

Cheers,
Mike

p.s. A good explanation of the process using Canon systems can be found here.

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Thanks

610 is Full frame and awesome. Get it. I have the 600 and love it. As far as your questions, I believe your correct.

Hi Mike. Which fish eye do you have?

I have no clue on what you are trying to achieve. My question is, if field of view is not the main reason, can't you achieve that goal with your current camera?


Sent from my iPhone.

Glenn,
I have the Rokinon 8mm, which is purports to have 180º capture (though I think that is only with a full-frame sensor). What I am trying to do, is set up a system where I am effectively photographing the sky, using multi-bracketed exposures. I want to capture everything from the horizon up. This then creates a "sky dome" image. I then take the multiple exposures and pull them into Photoshop, create an HDRI, then pull it in to something like Hugin to get my final EXR. I then take that EXR into my 3D software to light 3D animated scenes (or stills, like in architectural rendering).

I have been thinking about ways to do this with the D90, which "chops" the image. I suppose I could take bracketed exposures at 45º increments, then stitch everything together, but that will result in a "messier" image. Ideally, I am very quickly grabbing my different exposures without manipulating the camera, or allowing for my environment to noticeably change.

Mfrankfort, cheers! Thanks! $2000 is a bit steep to just "get," but I'm quite interested, and think it will serve my purpose well. I believe all my glass will transfer over too. Glad to hear the 600 is treating you well.

Keep in mind I believe the D610, like the D600 can only bracket 3 images at a time.

koboldstudios said:

Glenn,
I have the Rokinon 8mm, which is purports to have 180º capture (though I think that is only with a full-frame sensor).

Click to expand...

Actually the Rokinon is designed for APS-C (crop) sensor cameras like your D90. It has a 180º field-of-view with your (and other) crop sensor cameras. Using it on a full-frame camera will not yield a wider field-of-view. Using that lens on a D600 will only result in reducing the resolution to ~10MP (auto DX crop mode).

The Rokinon is much like the Sigma 15mm fish, it's 180 degrees on the diagonal. I have them both and use the Rokinon on my DX bodies and the Sigma on my D600 and D800. Field of view is close to identical, but since you're bringing it up I may just need to do an empirical test today. I'll shoot the D600 and D90 since they are the sensors in question here.

As was pointed out, the D610's sensor is comprised of more, and larger pixels than the D90. The D90 will actually have better resolution at the DX crop (10MP's vs. 12MP's), but the newer technology of the D610's sensor may more than compensate for the differences. That said, if you want to go full frame then get a lens that will take advantage of that. Or opt for the D800 will will allow you to shoot at 16MP's with the Rokinon, while giving you 36MP's to play with the rest of the time. In this case, you're either dropping money on another Fisheye or about the same amount to upgrade to the D800.

Rick M said:

Keep in mind I believe the D610, like the D600 can only bracket 3 images at a time.

Click to expand...

Automatically, yes. For the type of work Mike seems to be interested in I don't doubt that manually adjusting the shutter to bracket more wouldn't be an issue. That said, the D800 would offer him the number of shots he wants automatically as well.

BackdoorHippie said:

Automatically, yes. For the type of work Mike seems to be interested in I don't doubt that manually adjusting the shutter to bracket more wouldn't be an issue. That said, the D800 would offer him the number of shots he wants automatically as well.

Click to expand...

Yea, I wasn't sure if he meant bracketing the same shot 7 exposures or stitching like a pano. The problem I had with manual bracketing is any motion in clouds/trees becomes a problem with the time it takes to manually change settings. As you suggested, D800 unless there is no motion in his subject.

We'll see how this goes. The D800 is a pretty expensive camera, and I certainly don't make my "bread and butter" on photography. I'm hesitant to make the jump, but may end up doing it since the end product will be crisper/better. There isn't *much* movement in my subject. If there are clouds that are moving slowly, then there may be some slight ghosting.

Thanks everyone for the responses. ...I'll be thinking about this for a bit.

Bracketing as few as three shots with any clouds or trees is going to be a problem. I learned this the hard way on my D3100, which caused my upgrade for auto-bracketing. You just can't make the changes fast enough even with mild wind, clouds and leaves move too much.

Hello!

I am not a professional, but I made some research on sky photography. If you take long exposure photos from the stars you will see the movement on your pictures. 30 sec exp. time is a way too much, the starts will be lines, not dots... That is why people increase the ISO and lower the exposure time. I would use simply long exposure time and high ISO to get more data recorded on the sensor.

To get the best performance, I advise you to upgrade to full frame camera since it is better for low light shooting. Upgrading to a very fast fisheye, Fullframe lens is also necessary to be able to record the best image.

I hope it helps!