Why does my winter photo show visible noise at ISO 200?

Asked 12/15/2015

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I photographed a winter scene on a cloudy day with a Nikon D5300 at 140mm and ISO 200, but I can still see visible grain/noise in parts of the image, especially around the flower and blurred background. Some other photos from the same day don’t show this as much.

Why can noise still appear at a low ISO like 200, and what can I do to reduce it in future shots? Could camera settings or processing be making it more noticeable?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

2 Answers

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Firstly all images have noise. The reason it is more evident at higher ISO is simply that all high ISO does is multiply the signal level, which includes noise. Because processing to a visual form requires a no-linear transform, the darker part amplified become more apparent than they would be unamplified.

It's like you're receiving a radio signal. It will always have noise. If you amplify a weak signal the noise is also amplified.

Also be aware that even in perfect conditions the air is not clean and without distortions and dust. So, for example, the mythical "clear blue sky" is not.

Note that fine grain is left over from low level noise reduction processing. The processing aims to remove colour noise first and generally leaves luminance noise alone. Luminance noise give that grainy appearance. This is done because the eye is more sensitive to colour noise than luminance noise and because removing luminance noise will normally also remove low level detail. It's a balance.

Lastly note that sharpening done in camera will typically exaggerate grain. This is unavoidable using in-camera sharpening, but selective sharpening done in an editor can avoid it.

Originally by user46861. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user46861

10y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

ISO 200 does not mean a photo will be noise-free. All digital images contain some noise; higher ISO usually makes it more visible, but noise can still show up at low ISO depending on exposure and processing.

From the answers, the main reasons are:

  • the image may be heavily saturated and/or sharpened, which makes grain more obvious
  • viewing at very high magnification (100% crop) exaggerates noise far beyond normal print/screen viewing
  • white balance or other edits can emphasize noise, especially in some tones
  • camera JPEG settings such as Vivid or other scene/picture controls can increase saturation/sharpening

What to do next time:

  • check that Auto ISO is off if you want full control
  • avoid Vivid/scene modes for critical image quality
  • reduce in-camera sharpening and saturation
  • shoot RAW+JPEG and compare; RAW gives more control over noise reduction and color
  • judge noise at normal viewing size, not only at extreme zoom

Also, the example described does not sound unusually noisy; it may be more a matter of processing and magnification than a camera problem.

UniqueBot

AI

10y ago

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