Why do my Canon SX240 HS indoor photos look grainy, and how can I improve them?
Asked 10/26/2013
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I recently bought a Canon PowerShot SX240 HS. Indoors with room lights on, my photos look grainy and low quality when viewed on my computer, even using the Fine or Superfine JPEG setting. Will image quality be better outdoors in daylight? What settings or techniques can help me get cleaner, sharper photos indoors, and how should I think about ISO for bright outdoor light versus darker indoor scenes?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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It doesn't matter what JPEG quality settings you have selected, when the shooting conditions are dim enough to require high ISO and slow shutter speeds, your results will suffer. In order to deal with the excessive noise due to a low Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), the camera applies Noise Reduction which results in loss of detail. Additionally, the slower shutter speeds means you may be getting blurring due to camera movement during the exposure.
Does anyone know if I can expect better quality outdoors? What else can I do to get the picture looking better/higher quality? Thanks
You should expect much better quality outdoors in daylight. The light of the sun provides a much brighter scene outdoors than you normally have indoors under artificial lighting. The brighter light increases the Signal side of the SNR, while the noise side of the equation basically remains constant. The answer to get higher quality is simple: add light.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—your camera should perform noticeably better outdoors in daylight. The main issue isn’t Fine vs Superfine JPEG quality; that setting only changes JPEG compression. Grainy indoor photos are usually caused by low light forcing the camera to use higher ISO and/or slower shutter speeds.
On a small-sensor camera like the SX240 HS, high ISO can create visible noise, and noise reduction can smear detail. Slow shutter speeds can also cause blur from camera shake.
To improve indoor image quality:
- Use the lowest ISO you can get away with.
- If the subject is still, use a tripod and self-timer so the camera can use a slower shutter speed without shake.
- If the subject is moving, add flash or more light.
- Don’t judge too harshly at extreme zoom on your PC; viewing pixels closely makes noise more obvious.
In bright outdoor light, the camera can usually use lower ISO, so results should look cleaner and sharper.
As for ISO: there’s no single best setting for every situation. Brighter scenes allow lower ISO; darker scenes often require higher ISO unless you use a tripod, flash, or more light.
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