Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D90 High ISO Shoot-Out

I shot the Nikon D3100 against the Nikon D90 to see how the high ISO noise and image quality compares side by side.

I shot the Nikon D3100 with my Nikon 50mm f1.4G, and my Nikon D90 with my Nikon 50mm f1.8D. Shot them both at f2.8, as both lenses are tack sharp and virtually identical for sharpness by f2.8.

Lighting is fairly low, from overhead compact flourescent bulbs. I've left the images with the color as shot out of camera. No color correcting for white balance has been done.

The conclusion from these samples and all the shooting I've been doing in the last couple weeks... the Nikon D3100 is about a stop better at high ISO. Maybe not quite a full stop, but bear in mind the D3100 has an extra 2 megapixels on the D90, so close to a stop better is VERY impressive.

Also, at the higher ISO settings I find myself liking the image color better out of the D3100. The color from the Nikon D3100 at higher ISO settings seems to hold together a little better than the D90 colors.

Here's some side by side composite images I put together from D3100 and D90 images at ISO 800, 1600, 3200, and 6400. The full size images are over at my Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D90 Flickr page.

The images are all processed in Nikon's ViewNX2 as Lightroom 3 doesn't support the D3100 at this time. Images are all as shot, no editing done, and saved at the High Quality JPG setting. They were cropped at full resolution, and as you can see, no re-sizing has been done, so the D3100 images are a little bigger than the D90 images.


Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D90 @ ISO 800


Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D90 @ ISO 1600


Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D90 @ ISO 3200


Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D90 @ ISO 6400

Here's the full stack of ISO 800 through 6400 from the D3100. Feel free to download it from the Flickr page and compare it as you will against the D90 stack below.



Here's the full stack of ISO 800 through 6400 from the D90.



These images are cropped from the full size image. The full size images on the Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D90 Flickr page have more in the photo to compare if you want to do further pixel peeping.

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Nikon D3100 @ ISO 3200 with Bounce Flash Dialed Down

Here's some more samples from the Nikon D3100. These are shot at ISO 3200 with some bounce flash off the ceiling or wall.

The flash is the Nikon SB-400 and is dialed down to create a more subtle mix with the ambient.

Over-all, the image quality I'm seeing from the Nikon D3100 is superb. ISO 6400 is quite usable. I'd say the D3100 is about a stop or more better than the Nikon D90 at high ISO.

For a $500 crop sensor DSLR, the Nikon D3100 is really amazing!

Click on any of the images below for a larger photo. Full size jpgs at my D3100 Flickr page.


Ella at large - Nikon D3100 & 50mm f1.4G at ISO 3200


Ella biting football - Nikon D3100 & 50mm f1.4G at ISO 3200


Ella holding football - Nikon D3100 & 50mm f1.4G at ISO 3200


Ella crushing football - Nikon D3100 & 50mm f1.4G at ISO 3200


Ella watching Baby Einstein - Nikon D3100 & 50mm f1.4G at ISO 3200


Lilly watching Caillou - Nikon D3100 & 50mm f1.4G at ISO 3200


Ella pausing - Nikon D3100 & 50mm f1.4G at ISO 3200


Lilly playing kitchen - Nikon D3100 & 50mm f1.4G at ISO 3200


Ella eating Cheerios - Nikon D3100 & 50mm f1.4G at ISO 3200


Ella standing - Nikon D3100 & 50mm f1.4G at ISO 3200


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One of the big things I'm curious about with my new Nikon D3100 is how the high ISO noise levels and image quality stack up.

Lightroom 3 doesn't support the D3100 files yet, so we're left with RAW conversions from ViewNX2 or jpgs straight out of the camera.

Still, even though I'm dying to see how Lightroom 3's new advanced noise reduction handles the Nikon D3100 RAW files, things are looking very good using ViewNX2 and OOC jpgs.

Here's some random shots from around the house to compare the D3100 high ISO noise at ISO 1600, 3200, 6400, and 12,800.

Click on any of the photos to see a larger image. Full size jpgs are available at my D3100 Flickr page.


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 1600


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 3200


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 6400


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 12,800


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 1600


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 3200


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 6400


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 12,800


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 3200


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 6400


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 12,800


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 1600


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 3200


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 6400


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 12,800


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 6400


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 6400


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 6400


Nikon D3100 with Nikon 50mm f1.4G @ ISO 6400

Stay tuned for more as I continue to put my new Nikon D3100 through it's paces...

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I had the Nikon D3100 with me at last Saturday's wedding.

It was a great chance to try it out in low light indoors, not to mention mixed, less than ideal lighting.

Shot some candid and detail photos during the reception using the Nikon 50mm f1.4G on the D3100.

Here's a few (click on the image to see larger)...


Nikon D3100 @ ISO 1800


Nikon D3100 @ ISO 6400


Nikon D3100 @ ISO 3200

You can see the full-size jpgs at my Nikon D3100 Flickr set.

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