Meaning of STOPS when measuring dynamic range

[Radtech1]

When I was looking at the specs for the new MarkII, someone (canon, reviewer? I dont remember) that they said that the dynamic range of the Mark II was going to be something like 8 stops. 10d and even film I understand to be about 5 or 6 stops.

My question is this, are stops on a liniar, logorithimic or cubic scale?

Rad

[Jesper]

Have a look at Norman Koren's in-depth explanation: http://www.normankoren.com/digital_tonality.html

We'll have to wait and see if the dynamic range of the 1D Mark II is really 8 stops. Probably it's just a theoretical value and Canon is saying it only for marketing reasons. As you can read in the article on Norman Koren's website, 8 stops is about the theoretical maximum dynamic range that's possible with a 12-bit A/D converter (which is what the 1D Mk II, 10D, and most other digital cameras have).

p.s. this question belongs in the EOS DSLR forum....

[Roger_Cavanagh]

Have a look at Norman Koren's in-depth explanation: http://www.normankoren.com/digital_tonality.html

We'll have to wait and see if the dynamic range of the 1D Mark II is really 8 stops. Probably it's just a theoretical value and Canon is saying it only for marketing reasons. As you can read in the article on Norman Koren's website, 8 stops is about the theoretical maximum dynamic range that's possible with a 12-bit A/D converter (which is what the 1D Mk II, 10D, and most other digital cameras have).

Norman didn't say that. He showed that 12-bit provides sufficient value discrimination for 11 stops, but argued that 9 would be usable. Chuck Westfall is claiming 9 stops for the 1DMkII. I've seen reports of the D60 and 10D being measured at 8-8.5 stops. Of course, these reflect measurements in "ideal" shooting conditions.

Regards,