What causes a regular grid pattern in dark areas on a Canon 10D image?
Asked 1/16/2017
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2 answers
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I sometimes see a very regular grid-like pattern in photos from my Canon 10D. It appears in darker or underexposed areas rather than looking like random grain. What is this artifact, and is there anything I can do to prevent or reduce it?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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I might be wrong, but unfortunately I think that is just the pattern of your sensor's noise, meaning sensitivity of your sensor was so high, it captured byproduct of it's overheating.
This happens because camera wants to compensate for low light, making sensor more sensitive to capture more details. Sensitivity of a sensor is regulated by ISO, higher the ISO, higher the noise.
This is normal and every camera has this when using too high ISO. Only way to fix that is shooting in conditions with more light, so your camera doesn't have to use high ISO.
If you take a picture in conditions with more light, but the problem persists, then it might be a problem with the sensor.
Originally by user59981. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user59981
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A regular grid pattern like this is most likely a sensor/processing artifact rather than normal random noise. From the answers provided, it does not sound like classic moiré unless the subject itself had a fine repeating texture. It also doesn’t match ordinary noise very well because the pattern is too evenly spaced.
The most likely explanation is “grid banding” or fixed-pattern noise from the sensor/readout, which can become visible in darker or underexposed parts of an image and may be more noticeable at higher ISO or when shadows are lifted.
To reduce it:
- avoid underexposure, especially in low light
- use the lowest practical ISO
- give the sensor more light with a slower shutter, wider aperture, or added lighting
- avoid heavy brightening of dark areas in post
If it shows up even in well-lit, properly exposed images, it may indicate a sensor-related limitation or fault rather than user error. In short: it’s probably not moiré, but a camera sensor artifact that becomes visible when exposure is pushed or light is low.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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