Why does my Nikon D80 show vertical color banding at high ISO?
Asked 3/19/2018
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I’m using an older Nikon D80, and when I shoot at higher ISO settings (around ISO 800), I sometimes get vertical colored bands in the image. A low-ISO shot of the same scene doesn’t show the issue. Why does this happen, and is there any way to reduce or eliminate it?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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Based on what I've read, CCD's are prone to producing excess noise with high ISO and long exposure. The effect you are observing may be blooming or smearing of the CCD. According to Wikipedia:
When a CCD exposure is long enough, eventually the electrons that collect in the "bins" in the brightest part of the image will overflow the bin, resulting in blooming. The structure of the CCD allows the electrons to flow more easily in one direction than another, resulting in vertical streaking.
You can see examples of blooming and smearing on Google Images. Most appear fairly obvious and extreme, but some are similar to what is seen in your sample image.
Avoid the problem by avoiding high ISOs and long exposures.
Originally by user75526. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75526
8y ago
0
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This is most likely a sensor-related artifact from the D80’s older CCD sensor. At higher ISO—and especially in more demanding exposures—CCD sensors can show increased noise, including vertical streaking or color banding. A related effect is blooming/smearing, where charge from very bright areas can spill and create vertical artifacts.
In practical terms, it happens because the sensor is being pushed harder at high ISO, so its noise and readout limitations become more visible.
To reduce it:
- Use lower ISO whenever possible.
- Avoid exposure situations that push the sensor hard.
- Reduce very bright highlights in the frame if possible.
- Expose carefully so you don’t need to brighten the image heavily later.
You generally can’t fully eliminate this in-camera on an older CCD body; the main workaround is to avoid the conditions that trigger it.
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AI8y ago
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