What happens and how can I fix this?

[analox]

I move from P&S to Olympus E520 DSLR months ago and by far I'm very happy with its performance. Except for one

photo I took during the sunset, with setting like this f4.6, 1/10s, Auto White Balance, ISO 100, VIVID Sharpness,

Contrast, Saturation = 0.

<img>http://www.photo.net/photo/7941625</img>

It is quite disappointing for the amount of noise observed at the "shadow" part of the image, especially the neck

:|. I thought that noise should not be too bad at ISO100. Anyone have the same issue? Or please tell me what is

wrong with my settings for this case?

 

Also, how would you "evaluate" noise in the images? Initially I viewed them at 1:1 ratio but it seems not the

right way :D.

 

I have a feeling that E520 produces noise that is quite noticeable in the 'dark' shadow area. I put some "test"

images I took in low light - indoor condition for your viewing. What do you think?

ISO 100: <img>http://www.photo.net/photo/7941824</img>

ISO 200: <img>http://www.photo.net/photo/7941841</img>

ISO 400: <img>http://www.photo.net/photo/7941843</img>

ISO 800: <img>http://www.photo.net/photo/7941848</img>

ISO 1600: <img>http://www.photo.net/photo/7941837</img>

[analox]

Sorry for the troublesome image links. Seems that I still don't know how to post images here

[analox]

Here is the photo I mentioned

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/7941625-lg.jpg" />

<p></p>

ISO 100:

<p></p>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/7941824-md.jpg" />

<p></p>

ISO 200:

<p></p>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/7941841-md.jpg" />

<p></p>

ISO 400:

<p></p>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/7941843-md.jpg" />

<p></p>

ISO 800:

<p></p>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/7941848-md.jpg" />

<p></p>

ISO 1600:

<p></p>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/7941837-md.jpg" />

<p></p>

All links are from <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=866624" >here</a>

[kari v]

Your sofa shots look like expected. Clean up to ISO 400, noise creeps in at 800 and 1600 is clearly noisy but still prints nicely (careful not to underexpose).

 

Sunset image looks like camera processor tried to open up underexposed shadows. There's always noise in the shadows if you bring it up. There's also some flare which steals contrast from the forehead hair and gives a colored blob. Move your black point a bit to the right, his hair should be black after all.

[kari v]

Shooting in contra light is always a bit tricky. Next time try using some fill flash and if you end up with too bright image you can make it darker in post while good ambient light + flash exposure minimizes noise and prevents sky/clouds from burning (at least to a degree).

[julianj1]

Noise lurks in the shadows. You can't escape it! As it is a fact of life I would concentrate more on getting the

exposure right. In your picture, if the face were correctly exposed then the noise issue would not be noticeable You

probably need a flash there to get both face and sunset exposed corretly or you will get (as in this picture) an over-

exposed sky and an under-exposed face.

 

Also, you have not mentioned whether this is a RAW image or if you are taking jpegs for example; this will also

effect the way in which subtle tones are rendered. Unless there is a good reason not to (e.g. not enough space on

your card), take the picture with the highest quality setting you can.

[davidlong]

According to the exif information, Kari is probably correct -- you have the gradation set so that the camera will try to bring up the shadows automatically. Often that's useful, but it can bring out noise too in some cases.

[analox]

Thank you all for your quick response :). Very useful indeed! The photo was taken during my going out with friends, so I simply capture to jpeg to avoid the RAW processing...

 

Kari: what do you mean by "Move your black point a bit to the right..."? Is "black point" the focusing center in the viewfinder?

[patrick j dempsey]

You can also shoot backlit sunset photos using a reflector instead of a flash. A reflector will produce a warmer tone than the flash (since it's reflecting the setting sun) and you can have it away from the camera which produces more natural looking light and shadows than on-camera flash which tends to make people look like flat cartoon characters. And since the reflector is "on" all the time you can control it much more by looking through the viewfinder than the flash which is only on when you press the button. Adding a little light to the face with a reflector will also make AF work better if you are having any issues with that.