Nikon SLR Cameras

If I set up a Nikon d5 and a d7100 next to each other both on the same Iso, and exposure and so on. Would the d5 be more exposure?

Beau
02.01.2018
Beau

Because the pixel size is bigger on the d5?

Steve P
02.01.2018
Steve P

No. If exposure values changed due to pixel size, photography would be in a hell of a mess.

keerok
02.01.2018
keerok

Shot at exactly the same time using the same equivalent lens focal length? They'll get more or less exactly the same picture with a few degrees off from each other in terms of point of view. Exposure is the same since settings are the same unless there's a significant difference in light between those two positions (it's a possibility).

qrk
02.01.2018
qrk

The shots will be similar if you reset the cameras before doing this experiment. There will be slight exposure differences since the calibration of cameras aren't very precise and the rendering of the image may be different if looking at the JPEG output from the camera.

If shooting raw, the D5 is capable of better dynamic and color range which means the darker parts of the image can be brought up with less noise. This is where pixel size comes in to play.

Frank
03.01.2018
Frank

If you took a shot with the D5 and D7100 with the same ISO, shutter speed and aperture setting, the two shots should be the same providing you used the same lens and each camera's metering system was calibrated equally. It's no secret that camera manufacturers fudge the actual ISOs of cameras to falsely give cameras a better ISO result. But given that the D7100 is not a cheap camera, this probably would not be an issue, but it wouldn't surprise me since it's Nikon.

Not all f/stops are equal. If you used two different lenses, say a 50mm prime and an 18-55mm kit lens, there would likely be a very small difference due to the actual T-stop of each lens. While f/stops are general numbers referring to the size of the aperture, T-stops is the actual amount of light coming through the lens. So while a lens has an f/stop of f/2.8, it's actual T-stop could be a bit smaller, say f/3.

The size of the pixels won't change the exposure. The pixel size will determine how much signal can be stored during the exposure, and how many photons strikes it during the exposure as well. The amount of charge or signal that the pixel can store is always related to the physical size of the pixel itself. Apple calls this "deeper pixels." Say you taking a shot with a very bright segment such as a white clouds. With small pixels, it's quite easy for those super-bright areas to produce such a strong signal, that it's more than the holding capacity of the pixel. If so, then those white areas would be clipped and show up as pure white without details.

Since the larger the pixel the more photons will strike it during any given exposure, this means that larger pixels will be able to collect more light. This is massively important when you have deep shadows. Going back to the scene with the bright, white clouds, say you also have deep shadows. Small pixels would not capture as much light, and therefore those specific pixels would generate a very weak signal. The weak signal will create more noise with little to no detail depending upon just how dark the shadows are relative to the exposure. This is all how a large pixel will produce less noise and more dynamic range than smaller pixels, and why a 12MP camera like the Sony A7S ii produces far greater image quality than a 41MP Nokia phone.

John P
04.01.2018
John P

The shots should be identical.