SPP 6.5.0 vs. SPP 6.4.1, noise reduction comparison

(....and why the sd1 Merrill is the better performer)

With the release of the new Sigma Photo Pro 6.5.0 Sigma made some changes in the noise reduction processing for Quattro cameras.

Sigma:
"It has an improved algorithm in noise reduction when developing RAW data for the sd Quattro series and dp Quattro series."

Let's see what has been changed:

click the image for full resolution

Conclusion:
-No changes when NR is turned off. (first row)
-Middle position: SPP 6.5.0 adds a slightly higher amount of NR. (but no improvement in the NR quality)
-Bottom: Again very slightly more NR applied.

And now the SD1:
To keep it simple, i only show the best two versions.
Top: best default setting for this image
Bottom: overlay of a monochrome (blue channel) image over the color image.

click the image for full resolution

Conclusion: 
-clearly better and cleaner rendering with less luminance noise on both SD1 samples.
(sharpness suffering a bit because of the mediocre edge performance of the 8-16mm lens)

Better ISO performance of the Quattro? Still a myth..