DxOMark, currently stylized as DXOMARK, is a commercial website described as "an independent
benchmark that
scientifically assesses
smartphones,
lenses and
cameras".
Founded in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, DxOMark was originally owned by
DxO Labs,
a
French engineering and consulting company, which is headquartered in
Boulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious commune in the Parisian area, located from its centre. It is a subprefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and ...
, Paris, France.
DxOMark Image Labs was separated from DxO Labs in September 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a se ...
, and was later re-branded to DxOMark in 2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
. DxOMark is now a wholly independent privately-owned company
A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...
.[
DxOMark scores are used in many independent news publications and specialist media sites, including: '' The Washington Post, The New York Times, Die Zeit, ]Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
, Les Numeriques, '' NDTV'', India Today, The Indian Express, China Daily, Forbes, Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fran ...
'', ZDNet, Extreme Tech
ExtremeTech is a technology weblog, launched in June 2001, which focuses on hardware, computer software, science and other technologies. Between 2003 and 2005, ExtremeTech was also a print magazine and the publisher of a popular series of how-t ...
, Tech Crunch
TechCrunch is an American online newspaper focusing on high tech and startup companies. It was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare.
In 2010, AOL acquired the company for approximately $ ...
, ''TechRadar
''TechRadar'' is an online publication owned by Future and focused on technology. It has editorial teams in the US, UK and Australia and provides news and reviews of tech products and gadgets. It was launched in 2007 and expanded to the US in ...
'', CNET
''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and telev ...
, '' PC World'', Gizmodo, Engadget, Digital Trends, The Next Web
TNW (The Next Web) is a website and annual series of conferences focused on new technology and start-up companies in Europe. The Next Web company was established in 2006 by co-founders Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten and Patrick de Laive in Amsterd ...
, ''The Verge
''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts.
The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media' ...
'', GSM Arena, Android Authority, Mac Rumors, '' Digital Photography Review'', '' Shutterbug'', Imaging Resource, Trusted Reviews
''Trusted Reviews'' is a web publication focused on technology, published in London, UK by Incisive Media.
History
Trusted Reviews was founded in 2003 by Hugh Chappell and Riyad Emeran as a response to the decline in sales of computer review ...
, '' T3'', XDA-Developers, ''First Post
''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18.
The ''Network 18'' group was originally owned by Ragha ...
'', Xataka, VANDAL, 3D JUEGOS, PetaPixel, '' Tom's Guide'', BGR, Sina
Sina may refer to:
Relating to China
* Chin (China), or Sina (), old Chinese form of the Sanskrit name Cina ()
** Shina (word), or Sina ( ja, 支那, links=no), archaic Japanese word for China
** Sinae, Latin name for China
Places
* Sina, Al ...
, and Sohu.[
]
DxOMark rating systems
The score(s) awarded by DxOMark are based upon a comprehensive and highly-documented, but commercially secret methodology. An overall ' headline' (''v'') score is awarded, but that is based upon an aggregated overview of a number of other very specific and detailed test attributes
Attribute may refer to:
* Attribute (philosophy), an extrinsic property of an object
* Attribute (research), a characteristic of an object
* Grammatical modifier, in natural languages
* Attribute (computing)
In computing, an attribute is a sp ...
, although the actual weighting
The process of weighting involves emphasizing the contribution of particular aspects of a phenomenon (or of a set of data) over others to an outcome or result; thereby highlighting those aspects in comparison to others in the analysis. That i ...
of those individual attributes is unknown.[ DxOMark themselves stress that "the overall score is not a weighted sum of the sub-scores. It is a proprietary and confidential mapping of sub-scores into a combined score". DxOMark also highlight that they consult directly with the equipment manufacturers, with the objective of helping them make better cameras.][
In respect of specific score figures, it is not clear what headroom or ceiling level is available to the DxOMark scoring system.][ Some early high performers might have suggested an upper limit of 100 points,][ yet later high performers are awarded scores in excess of 100. It is also important to note that the DxOMark score is not based on any ]average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
s.[
]
Camera sensor rating
The DxOMark Sensor Score measures several important image quality metrics
Metric or metrical may refer to:
* Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement
* An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement
Mathematics
In mathema ...
of the RAW image captured by the camera's sensor. The overall score is a confidential combination of three sub-scores:
* Colour depth, measured in bits, called a Portrait score;
*Dynamic range
Dynamic range (abbreviated DR, DNR, or DYR) is the ratio between the largest and smallest values that a certain quantity can assume. It is often used in the context of signals, like sound and light. It is measured either as a ratio or as a base- ...
, measured in stops of dynamic range, called a Landscape score;
* Low-light performance, measured in an ISO
ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization.
ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance
* Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007
* Is ...
equivalent, called a Sports score.
Another metric, the Perceptual MegaPixel
The Perceptual MegaPixel (P-MP) is a proprietary ranking of lens-camera combinations, created by DxO Labs. It is intended to express the resolution of which a combination of camera and lens is capable. Complete scientific or technical documentatio ...
(P-MPix), defined as 'the unit of a sharpness measurement', is used to rate the resolution
Resolution(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate
* Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body
* New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual m ...
a camera produces when paired to a particular lens
A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...
. DxOMark claims that P-MPix is a more accurate and relevant value for photographers to consider than alternate measures of sharpness when evaluating camera and lens image quality.[ As of December 2015, the ]Canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western can ...
EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens mounted on a Canon EOS
Canon EOS (Electro-Optical System) is an autofocus single-lens reflex camera (SLR) and mirrorless camera series produced by Canon Inc. Introduced in 1987 with the Canon EOS 650, all EOS cameras used 35 mm film until October 1996 when the EOS ...
5DS R has the highest measured P-MPix (45 P-MPix), followed by the Carl Zeiss
Carl Zeiss (; 11 September 1816 – 3 December 1888) was a German scientific instrument maker, optician and businessman. In 1846 he founded his workshop, which is still in business as Carl Zeiss AG. Zeiss gathered a group of gifted practica ...
APO Sonnar T* 2/135 ZE (41 P-MPix on Canon EOS 5DS R and 36 P-MPix on Nikon
(, ; ), also known just as Nikon, is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and Photography, imaging products. The companies held by Nikon form the Nikon Group.
Nikon's products include cam ...
D800E).
Camera lens rating
The DxOMark Lens Score provides ratings for camera lens
A camera lens (also known as photographic lens or photographic objective) is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capa ...
es, as tested using its proprietary tool-set in combination with various camera models. As with the DxOMark Sensor Score, the DxOMark Lens Score is an aggregation of five separate sub-scores; namely: sharpness, distortion, vignetting
In photography and optics, vignetting is a reduction of an image's brightness or saturation toward the periphery compared to the image center. The word '' vignette'', from the same root as ''vine'', originally referred to a decorative borde ...
, transmission, and chromatic aberration
In optics, chromatic aberration (CA), also called chromatic distortion and spherochromatism, is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same point. It is caused by dispersion: the refractive index of the lens elements varies with the wav ...
.[
]
Smartphone camera rating
As smartphones began to overtake point-and-shoot cameras, DxOMark began testing smartphones and other mobile devices in 2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
, and introduced DxOMark Mobile[ in ]2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gath ...
. A major update was made in September 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a se ...
, adding tests designed to stress the capabilities of current-model smartphones, including those with dual lenses; such as lower-light shooting, telephoto zoom, depth effect, and bokeh
In photography, bokeh ( or ; ) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in out-of-focus parts of an image. Bokeh has also been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light". Differences in lens aberrations and ...
. In September 2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, the DxOMark Mobile score was renamed DxOMark Camera.
DxOMark Camera Overall Score is the headline number reported for each tested device, and consists of a proprietary combination of DxOMark Camera Photo, and DxOMark Camera Video category scores.
DxOMark's Camera Photo score is a proprietary combination of nine category sub-scores:[
*Exposure and contrast
*Colour
*Auto-focus
*Texture
*Noise
*Artifacts
*Night (enhanced from Flash, September 2019)]
*Zoom[
*Bokeh][
*Wide (added September 2019)][
*Preview (added October 2020)
DxOMark's Camera Video score includes six of the same sub-scores as DxOMark's Mobile Photo score (Exposure, Colour, Auto-focus, Texture, Noise, and Artifacts), along with Stabilisation.
DxOMark's tests are conducted by the company's technical staff under a variety of lighting conditions; ranging from low-light 1 Lux, to bright daylight outdoors.][ Sub-scores are combined using a proprietary and confidential mapping into an overall score. Tests are also confined to default modes, except for Zoom and ]Bokeh
In photography, bokeh ( or ; ) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in out-of-focus parts of an image. Bokeh has also been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light". Differences in lens aberrations and ...
, which has caused reviewers to be cautious when using them.[
]
Selfie-camera rating
On 22 January 2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, DxOMark started to release the results of a new metric; testing the front-facing ' selfie' cameras on smartphones. These new standalone DxOMark Selfie tests are undertaken for both Photo and Video, though the 'headline' DxOMark Selfie score will combine both.[ For DxOMark Selfie Photo, there are sub-scores for Exposure, Colour, Focus, Texture, Noise, Artifacts, Flash, and ]Bokeh
In photography, bokeh ( or ; ) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in out-of-focus parts of an image. Bokeh has also been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light". Differences in lens aberrations and ...
. For DxOMark Selfie Video, sub-scores include Exposure, Colour, Focus, Texture, Noise, Artifacts, and Stabilisation.[
]
Smartphone audio rating
On 10 October 2019, DxOMark introduced a new Audio benchmark for smartphones. Phones are tested for playback using their internal speakers, and for recording using their built-in microphones. DxOMark Audio tested categories include:[
*]Timbre
In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and musica ...
(frequency response, treble/mid-range/bass, total balance, volume dependency)
* Dynamics (attack, bass precision, punch, volume dependency)
* Spatial (wideness, balance, distance, localisation)
* Volume (maximum, minimum, user volume consistency)
* Artifacts (noise, pumping, clipping, user artifacts, other artifacts)
For recording only:[
*]Background
Background may refer to:
Performing arts and stagecraft
* Background actor
* Background artist
* Background light
* Background music
* Background story
* Background vocals
* ''Background'' (play), a 1950 play by Warren Chetham-Strode
Rec ...
(directivity, noise profile, artifacts)
Smartphone display ratings
In October 2020, DxOMark introduced a rating system for mobile device displays (screens). DxOMark Display tests over 400 measurements, and more than 20 hours of laboratory evaluations and real-life scenarios. The result includes six sub-scores: Readability, Colour, Video, Motion, Touch, and Artifacts.
Wireless speaker ratings
In November 2020, DxOMark introduced a rating system, DxOMark Sound, for wireless speakers, based on factors including both lab tests using sound-level meters and calibrated microphones, as well as 20 hours of perceptual assessment. Customised music clips, created by DxOMark in collaboration with professional musicians and recording studios, include those in the styles of jazz, hip-hop, classical, pop, rock, Latin, electronic, and alternative genres.
Battery ratings
DXOMARK started smartphone battery testing on 10 May 2021. DXOMARK's battery test protocol is based on 70 measurements and takes 150 hours to test.
Comparison tool
Users of the DxOMark website can select several devices of the same class, and have the website display a comparison of their test scores and graphical versions of the actual test data.[
]
Analyzer
''Analyzer'' is a suite of software tools published by DxOMark, that includes test targets and test equipment. It is used by camera companies, as well as press
Press may refer to:
Media
* Print media or news media, commonly called "the press"
* Printing press, commonly called "the press"
* Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers
* Press TV, an Iranian television network
People
* Press (surname), a fam ...
publications and websites; to test sensors, lenses, and standalone cameras, as well as mobile devices with cameras. Testing can be performed on both RAW and JPEG images, as well as video. Analyzer is also the analysis engine behind DxOMark.com[ Results can be displayed either numerically or graphically. Originally introduced by DxO Labs, Analyzer is now a product of DxOMark, which has been separated from DxO.][
Analyzer includes modules for testing optics, sensors, stabilisation, video, timing, and 3D features.
]
Usage in industry
DxOMark ratings are often used by the press to describe the image quality characteristics of their cameras and mobile devices.[ High DxOMark Camera ratings have also been featured as hallmarks of quality in vendor announcements and marketing materials, although reviewers are careful to note that the ratings only reflect image quality. DxOMark also provides consulting services to hardware manufacturers, related to image quality.]
See also
*Comparison of smartphones
This is a comparison of the various internal components and features of many smartphones.
Hardware and OS
2020s 2022
2021
2020
2010s
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2000s
2009
...
References
;Citations
;Further reading
*
External links
www.DxOMark.com
— official website
DxOMark press releases
— at www.DxOMark.com
Analyzer website
— at DxOMark.com corporate site
DxOMark Image Labs SAS
— at DxOMark.com corporate site
{{Portal bar, Telecommunications, Engineering, Technology, Science
Product testing
Metrics
French photography websites
Software companies of France
Privately held companies of France
Photography companies of France
Benchmarks (computing)