Digital Cameras - Kodak Pro 14n SLR Digital Camera Review, Information, Specifications

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Kodak DCS Pro 14n Digital SLR
Kodak's latest digital SLR brings full-frame, 13.7 megapixel resolution to market for under $5,000.

(Review first posted 3/23/2003)

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Page: "Resolution" Analysis

Boring Res Targets, ~100mm prime lenses on both cameras

These shots were captured using the Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 macro lens on the 14n, and the Canon 100 mm f/2.8 macro on the 14n. Different lenses, to be sure, but each is one of the very sharpest made by its manufacturer.

Standard ISO-12233 Res Targets

Pro 14n EOS-1Ds

It turns out that the 14n and 1Ds really outstrip the resolution present in the standard ISO-12233 res target. To produce accurate results with ultra-high resolution digicams like these, I made the 2x resolution target below. (These shots are as they came from the camera, with "medium" sharpening applied for the 14n, and default sharpening for the 1Ds.)

Special 2x ISO-12233 Res Targets

Pro 14n EOS-1Ds

This new res target contains elements of a standard-sized ISO-12233 around the edges, and a precisely half-size 12233 in the middle. You frame it the same as a standard 12233, with the tips of the outer set of arrows just touching the edges of the frame. Shot that way, the spatial frequencies of the inner res target are exactly 2x those of the normal one. - Just multiply the lines per picture height numbers you see by 2 to arrive at the actual spatial frequency values.
These shots here have had unsharp masking applied in Photoshop to bring out the maximum detail. Here are links to the unsharpened versions of the shots for the 14n and the 1Ds.

Crops of vertical wedges from 2x res target

(NOTE - Res target is 1/2 size, so resolution numbers will be 2x those displayed) Pro 14n EOS-1Ds

Here are the vertical resolution wedges (showing spatial frequency response along the horizontal axis) from the 2x target, shot with both cameras.

These were shot with each manufacturer's ~100mm lenses, but unfortunately at an aperture of f/4.0, rather than the f/5.6 or f/8 that would probably be optimal for best sharpness. (I'd already had to ship back the 14n when I discovered that I'd shot with the aperture set to f/4.0, so had to shoot the1Ds example the same way so they'd be comparable.)

You can still clearly see though, that the capabilities of the 14n do extend beyond the 2000 lines/picture height that the normal-sized 12233 target displays. I'd call the 14n's resolution here as somewhere around 2100 lines/picture height of strong detail, while the 1Ds shows about 1900.
Here once again are links to the unsharpened versions of the shots for the 14n and the 1Ds.

Crops of horizontal wedges from 2x res target

(NOTE - Res target is 1/2 size, so resolution numbers will be 2x those displayed)

Pro 14n
Here's the crop showing spatial frequency response along the vertical axis for the 14n. The artifacts make it a little bit of a judgement call to decide where to peg the resolution, but I'd make it out to be somewhere around 1800 lines/picture height of strong detail. (900 lines on the chart.)

EOS-1Ds
Here's the same crop from the 1Ds. Here the aliasing is a bit less discontinuous, but it's still a bit of a judgement call to say what the resolution is. I'd put this at about 1650 lines/picture height. (825 lines on the chart)

The Pro 14n does clearly outperform the 1Ds on the resolution target, which I guess is to be expected given the difference in pixel counts between them and the lack of an antialias filter on the 14n. The missing antialias filter does cause the 14n to produce stronger color moire artifacts at very high spatial frequencies than those of the1Ds, but the import of that (as well as of the higher resolution) will be up to individual photographers to decide.

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Standard ISO-12233 Res Targets
Pro 14n	EOS-1Ds

It turns out that the 14n and 1Ds really outstrip the resolution present in the standard ISO-12233 res target. To produce accurate results with ultra-high resolution digicams like these, I made the 2x resolution target below. (These shots are as they came from the camera, with "medium" sharpening applied for the 14n, and default sharpening for the 1Ds.)

Special 2x ISO-12233 Res Targets
Pro 14n	EOS-1Ds

This new res target contains elements of a standard-sized ISO-12233 around the edges, and a precisely half-size 12233 in the middle. You frame it the same as a standard 12233, with the tips of the outer set of arrows just touching the edges of the frame. Shot that way, the spatial frequencies of the inner res target are exactly 2x those of the normal one. - Just multiply the lines per picture height numbers you see by 2 to arrive at the actual spatial frequency values. These shots here have had unsharp masking applied in Photoshop to bring out the maximum detail. Here are links to the unsharpened versions of the shots for the 14n and the 1Ds.

Crops of vertical wedges from 2x res target
(NOTE - Res target is 1/2 size, so resolution numbers will be 2x those displayed)	Pro 14n	EOS-1Ds
Here are the vertical resolution wedges (showing spatial frequency response along the horizontal axis) from the 2x target, shot with both cameras. These were shot with each manufacturer's ~100mm lenses, but unfortunately at an aperture of f/4.0, rather than the f/5.6 or f/8 that would probably be optimal for best sharpness. (I'd already had to ship back the 14n when I discovered that I'd shot with the aperture set to f/4.0, so had to shoot the1Ds example the same way so they'd be comparable.) You can still clearly see though, that the capabilities of the 14n do extend beyond the 2000 lines/picture height that the normal-sized 12233 target displays. I'd call the 14n's resolution here as somewhere around 2100 lines/picture height of strong detail, while the 1Ds shows about 1900. Here once again are links to the unsharpened versions of the shots for the 14n and the 1Ds.

Crops of horizontal wedges from 2x res target
(NOTE - Res target is 1/2 size, so resolution numbers will be 2x those displayed)
Pro 14n Here's the crop showing spatial frequency response along the vertical axis for the 14n. The artifacts make it a little bit of a judgement call to decide where to peg the resolution, but I'd make it out to be somewhere around 1800 lines/picture height of strong detail. (900 lines on the chart.)
EOS-1Ds Here's the same crop from the 1Ds. Here the aliasing is a bit less discontinuous, but it's still a bit of a judgement call to say what the resolution is. I'd put this at about 1650 lines/picture height. (825 lines on the chart)