Man, my ISO settings on my camera are weak!

[mfer]

Anyone have any suggestions? Is there anything I can do about noise or am I just limited by my camera?








I'm really not happy with the amount of noise at ISO 1600 (above pics).

I took some of my wife as well outside (dusk) and it was at ISO 1100. Still to much noise for my liking. Her shirt is black, but you wouldn't know from the pic....
And yeah, if you didn't know, she's preggers.




Am I stuck here? An excuse to upgrade already even though I just bought this thing?

and thanks for the advice.

[kyle L]

Which camera did you buy? On my Canon XSi, I only go up to 800, that's my max otherwise like you said it gets really noisy.

[brandxbrand]

Are you kidding me?? At 1600' those are some pretty amazing images. Absolutely NOTHING wrong with your ISO settings, or your camera for that matter.

Youre shooting at dusk too. Possibly THE worst time to photograph without a flash. Your cameras light sensor is extremely sensitive to the light change, even though it still seems like there's enough light out.

I've seen more noise at 400.

[kyle L]

Originally Posted by brandxbrand

Are you kidding me?? At 1600' those are some pretty amazing images. Absolutely NOTHING wrong with your ISO settings.

I've seen more noise at 400.

+1, they aren't really that bad. The noisiest part of the picture is the wood, but everything else looks great.

[moviefreak]

they look fine as long as you do not use zoom at all.. lower the speed and use a tripod.. and select a lower ISO.. 100 or 200..

[mfer]

Ok, the first two are ok, but the last two I'm not happy with.

1/30s f/1.4 ISO 500

1/30s f/1.4 ISO 320

1/5s f/13.0 ISO 1600 --really trying for greater depth

1/30s f/1.4 ISO 1100 --just experimenting, but this is the one that really ticks me off. That shirt is BLACK, not brown.

Equipment is Nikon D40 with Nikkor 50mm 1.4g prime

[D18]

Have you tried any of the noise reduction software like noise ninja or neat image?

The other thing you could try is to take your camera off the setting where it will bump up the ISO and force it to stay at say 400.

You will then need to use a tripod and reduce the shutter speed to get a proper exposure. By the way most lenses are at their sharpest around f8. You can get more depth of field at f13 but the picture will be a bit softer.

[kyle L]

Originally Posted by mfer

Ok, the first two are ok, but the last two I'm not happy with.

1/30s f/1.4 ISO 500

1/30s f/1.4 ISO 320

1/5s f/13.0 ISO 1600 --really trying for greater depth

1/30s f/1.4 ISO 1100 --just experimenting, but this is the one that really ticks me off. That shirt is BLACK, not brown.

Equipment is Nikon D40 with Nikkor 50mm 1.4g prime

On my computer, it looks black, but the noise is red and blue. If you want more depth, you should get a tripod, raise the shutter speed and make the F stop greater. That will get you more depth.

[TerryF]

The solution to your problem is simple.

You have underexposed the images by a full stop.

The reason for this happening is that you have a reflective background and the cameras sensors are trying to counter for this, resulting in more noise than you would like.

If you are using software such as photoshop then you should be shooting in RAW which means you will be able to adjust the white balance in the post processing.

If not, then you need to shoot manual and adjust to EV+1. Try and keep your shutter speed at 1/60 or higher, add artificial light if required, use a tripod always, irrespective of the light.

ISO for Nikon consumer cameras such as yours shoot best at ISO 200 so try and keep it there (add light).

Kyle spoke of depth of field - good point.
Two factors affect DOF, aperture;the lower the aperture (open lens, smaller number) the smaller the DOF, and
distance to object/subject; the closer to the object/subject you are, the smaller the DOF will be.

So if you're shooting at 1.4 from say 450mm your DOF will be very small ie very little in focus. Move away to say 1.4meters and a lot more will be in focus. Alternatively, increasing the f-stop to say 5.6 or 8 will have the same effect.

To take good macro's, a 50mm lens on a crop body (1.5 in your case) will require a close-up lens or extention tubes like the Kenko Digi series. Of course if you were shooting with a camera with much higher resolution this may not be necessary.
My advice, buy a dedicated macro lens for this purpose.

I ran two of your images through Neat Image and the results are a lot better but due to under exposure one would need the RAW files to actually "fix" the images properly. The biggest problem with noise reduction software is the loss of image quality (IQ) which is very evident in the second image.

Hope this helps you in some way. Ive tried to explain in laymans terms but if there is something you want clarification on please give me a shout.

Cheers
Terry

[bewithabob]

Originally Posted by TerryF

The solution to your problem is simple.

You have underexposed the images by a full stop.

The reason for this happening is that you have a reflective background and the cameras sensors are trying to counter for this, resulting in more noise than you would like.

If you are using software such as photoshop then you should be shooting in RAW which means you will be able to adjust the white balance in the post processing.

If not, then you need to shoot manual and adjust to EV+1. Try and keep your shutter speed at 1/60 or higher, add artificial light if required, use a tripod always, irrespective of the light.

ISO for Nikon consumer cameras such as yours shoot best at ISO 200 so try and keep it there (add light).

Kyle spoke of depth of field - good point.
Two factors affect DOF, aperture;the lower the aperture (open lens, smaller number) the smaller the DOF, and
distance to object/subject; the closer to the object/subject you are, the smaller the DOF will be.

So if you're shooting at 1.4 from say 450mm your DOF will be very small ie very little in focus. Move away to say 1.4meters and a lot more will be in focus. Alternatively, increasing the f-stop to say 5.6 or 8 will have the same effect.

To take good macro's, a 50mm lens on a crop body (1.5 in your case) will require a close-up lens or extention tubes like the Kenko Digi series. Of course if you were shooting with a camera with much higher resolution this may not be necessary.
My advice, buy a dedicated macro lens for this purpose.

I ran two of your images through Neat Image and the results are a lot better but due to under exposure one would need the RAW files to actually "fix" the images properly. The biggest problem with noise reduction software is the loss of image quality (IQ) which is very evident in the second image.

Hope this helps you in some way. Ive tried to explain in laymans terms but if there is something you want clarification on please give me a shout.

Cheers
Terry

Terry these are great suggestions. I am finding that a lot of my recetn photos are similarly noisey (grainey). I will have to look for some way to shoot at a lower ISO add more artificial light to speed up the shutter. I had never tried the RAW setting before.. have done so little experimenting with digital. My best work from years ago was on film, and I never exceeded 100 ASA film; the best quality and detail was 25 ASA when I shot B&W and played in the darkroom. Those days are sadly, long gone.

[TerryF]

Originally Posted by bewithabob

Terry these are great suggestions. I am finding that a lot of my recetn photos are similarly noisey (grainey). I will have to look for some way to shoot at a lower ISO add more artificial light to speed up the shutter. I had never tried the RAW setting before.. have done so little experimenting with digital. My best work from years ago was on film, and I never exceeded 100 ASA film; the best quality and detail was 25 ASA when I shot B&W and played in the darkroom. Those days are sadly, long gone.

The best way to do it if you want to take good macro's is to build a light box. You can buy them for next to nothing but if you're handy with DIY then making one isnt too difficult either.

A cardboard box with the sides and top cut out just smaller than A4 is what you need to start. Then paste A4 white paper over the holes. Thick white card to make your infinity curve from bottom front to top back is then inserted and light shone into the box from three sides gives ample light to take most macro shots.
You can get a basic idea here... http://images.google.co.za/imgres?im...26tbs%3Disch:1

Alternatively, try using the round neon tubes used in the mountable magnifying glasses. This is what I'm referring to... http://www.electronics123.co.za/Main...duct&SKU=AD915

Good luck


Ps. Nothing beats 25 ASA!!

Heres a great site to illustrate what I meant by underexposed images http://www.tabletopstudio.com/docume...hy_Tips.htm#ev

Everything you need to photograph your time piece http://store.tabletopstudio-store.com/waphkit.html at a price!!

A cheaper light tent made in South Africa http://www.cameralight.co.za/index.p...hk=1&Itemid=28
Exchange rate approx 7.5:1 so divide the R495 by 7.5 and the cost is US$66 + shipping.

[mfer]

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys. I'm aware I was shooting in poor light. I tried SEVERAL settings and only showed the 4 best ones in the scenarios I chose. I was really disappointed with the last one. It was in Program mode and I didn't think 1100 was too high for ISO settings. I got this prime lens for just these situations. Poor lighting and taking portraits. (Parties, baby pics, etc). The face looks great, but the rest (especially the shirt) have to much noise for my liking. The shirt looks brown black, but it is really black black black. I have much to learn for sure but I'm never getting the time to do more experimenting. I need a better understanding of exposure. Better get the book everyone seems to recommend. Better learn more before spending more on a d90 or d300.

[mailman]

Congratulations on the pending arrival Mik

[vh_bu98]

So you have a Nikon D40 and a 50mm f/1.8. Your first lesson is to stop using P mode and switch to A mode and get an understanding of aperture which gives you control of depth of field. Shoot at f/1.8 (wide open) and increase it to maximum of your lens capability while focusing on the same object each time. A tripod would be really good for this. Then compare the photos to understand the differences. Disable auto-ISO as well to see how the images are affected.

Shutter speed should be the minimum of your lens length if you're hand holding. Your lens is a 50mm so the shutter speed should be at least 1/50. If your lens is 100mm, it should be at least 1/100. It's a general rule when hand holding a camera to avoid camera shake and blurry pictures. Also half press to focus, breath-in then breath-out slowly and press the rest of the way to shoot.

Remember that Aperture, Speed and ISO work together but you can't have the best from all three at the same time. You will always have to balance them.

Shoot in RAW and convert to JPG later. You'll get the best quality.

Of course you can step up to a full-frame sensor like the D700 fx and a f/1.4 lens if you really want to shoot high ISO.

I shot these with a D700 FX and the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lens with no flash in a lounge/bar and it was darker than how the pictures make it out to be.

http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...view=slideshow

[Dilemma]

I shoot my macro's with a 100mm macro, natural light, ISO 400.

[mfer]

Originally Posted by mailman

Congratulations on the pending arrival Mik

Thanks Paul! The anticipation is unbearable.

[TerryF]

Originally Posted by Dilemma

I shoot my macro's with a 100mm macro, natural light, ISO 400.

Very nice macro's Dilemma

[moviefreak]

If you want to find out light techniques a very good place to look info is www.strobist.com check it out..

[rr-nyc]

Originally Posted by brandxbrand

are you kidding me?? At 1600' those are some pretty amazing images. Absolutely nothing wrong with your iso settings, or your camera for that matter.

Youre shooting at dusk too. Possibly the worst time to photograph without a flash. Your cameras light sensor is extremely sensitive to the light change, even though it still seems like there's enough light out.

I've seen more noise at 400.

+1