Hi, Iliah.
Thanks for the illustration.
I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but looking more closely, particularly at the User Gamma Curve in addition to the differences in tonal range gradations (and resultant details) that are visible in the rendered images, it looks like you're trying to show us that while the analog "side" of the D2X sensor may have significantly less DR than the 1DsMk2 counterpart, the digital conversion "side" does benefit from not having to squeeze the extra DR into the same bit space, which means more tonal values to spread around for each stop of light capture.
So in the end, there's a subtle, little-spoken-of benefit -- and perhaps, even a wise, intentional compromise on Nikon's part -- that we get from the smaller DR. It's certainly not so obvious as getting "greater" DR and also not as easy to explain to the masses, but it's a fact of life. And perhaps, this is even one thing that contributes a little (or maybe a lot!) to our perception of the plasticky look of Canon(!) now that I think of it.
In order for the camera to truly benefit from the extra DR w/out this kind of compromise, it will need to at least increase the bit depth of the A-to-D conversion (and the RAW file size too) accordingly, but Canon has not done this yet.
BTW, it seems that you even tried to make sure we see the point by rendering the Canon image more contrasty, stretching out whatever tonal values there are in the shadows and midtones so we can see if there are much of any to speak of.
So I guess while we need to be careful not to blow highlights w/ the smaller DR, Canon folks will need to be careful not to underexpose because there's not much details to recover in the shadows.
Hmmm... I wonder if Canon's stretching of tonal values is contant or variable according to meter reading. I imagine it's either constant or doesn't have too many steps if variable. Could have a pretty real negative impact on properly exposed images that don't make use of the wider DR, but need fine details and tonal gradations in the shadows and lower midtones...
Very good and enlightening illustration. Thanks much.
_Man_
PS: BTW, does this mean RAW Magick will soon support Canon RAW too?
