How can I get sharper, lower-noise night photos on a tripod?
Asked 11/11/2011
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I’m shooting night scenes and the moon with a Canon 550D and a 70-200mm f/4L, usually at ISO 100–400 on a tripod. My results are better than handheld, but when I zoom in or crop heavily I still see softness and noticeable noise. What causes this in tripod-mounted night shots, and what settings or techniques can improve sharpness and reduce noise?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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Some of the following suggestions will depend on your camera (I have a Nikon so I'm not sure about Canons).
Rather than press the shutter button directly, try using a remote shutter release or alternatively there may be a timer function which delays the shutter - this will allow (at least some) vibrations to settle down.
Look in your camera manual to see if you can use mirror lockup - this may also help.
Can you attach a weight (even your camera bag) to your tripod to improve its stability - some tripods have a little hook off the center column for exactly this reason.
If you wish to use a higher ISO, you could use noise reduction software, such as Noiseware, which has a free version: http://www.imagenomic.com/nwsa.aspx Or other software to try includes Noise Ninja.
Originally by user4348. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4348
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A tripod helps, but night shots can still lose sharpness from vibration, focus errors, subject movement, and long-exposure noise.
To improve sharpness:
- Use a remote release or the self-timer so pressing the shutter doesn’t shake the camera.
- Enable mirror lockup if your camera offers it.
- Make the tripod as stable as possible: avoid raising the center column, and hang a bag/weight from the tripod if possible.
- In wind or on shaky floors, even tiny movement can blur long exposures.
- Turn off lens image stabilization when the camera is firmly on a tripod.
- Focus carefully using Live View; magnify the preview and focus manually, then leave the lens in manual focus.
About noise:
- Long exposures can show more sensor noise, even at low ISO, because the sensor heats up and the signal is weak in dark scenes.
- ISO 100 reduces amplification noise, but it won’t eliminate long-exposure noise.
- Noise reduction software can help clean up higher-ISO or long-exposure images.
Also, heavy cropping—especially of the moon—will make both softness and noise much more obvious. Better technique helps, but extreme crops can still look noisy.
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