Quick High ISO Digital Noise Comparison Between The X-T1 and E-M1; Before and After Noise Reduction

X-T1 image right out of the camera.  ISO 1600, no editing,no noise reduction nor
sharpening applied.  (click to enlarge)
This was made just just after the sun had set and I thought it could represent a typical scene
in which the light was low and a photographer would use a higher ISO to capture the scene.
1/75th sec. @ f/4, ISO 1600

I think this will be my last test with the Fujifilm X-T1.  I'm enjoying the camera and plan to keep both this camera along with my Olympus E-M1.  Both have strengths and weaknesses, as do any tools, and I'll pick up the right tool for any particular circumstance when going out to photograph.

From my experience with the M4/3 format Olympus cameras over the past almost three years, I had become aware of the format's limitations using higher ISOs and the generation of digital noise.  As a last test of the Fujifilm X-T1, I wanted to perform a casual but practical test of X-T1's generation of digital noise versus my Olympus E-M1's in the same conditions.  This was not scientific, by any means, but a test under conditions I may find in my photographic travels.

I made identical images, above, with both cameras.  This one depicted is the X-T1 version right out of the camera with no editing, no noise reduction nor sharpening applied in Lightroom 5.7.1.


The two following images are 100% crops showing the amount and kind of digital noise in each camera's rendition of the scene.

100% crop of image above from the X-T1 (click to enlarge)
The luminance noise is fine grained and and very little chrominance noise.

The exact same circumstances as above, but this image was made with the Olympus E-M1 (click to enlarge)
Notice the much greater amount of luminance noise generated as well as more chrominance noise.

The following two images are the same but with noise reduction applied in Lightroom 5.7.1.

The X-T1 image with noise reduction judiciously applied (click to enlarge)
With modest noise reduction applied, the noise is effectively eliminated without much loss of detail.

The E-M1 image required much more noise reduction needing to be applied.  Looking closely,
some noise is still present, but I was hesitant to apply any more as the luminance slider was over
50 at this point. (click to enlarge)

The below test is a bit more taxing as I thought it might better represent photographing at night with illumination, such as on a street at night. 

RAW image from the Fujifilm X-T1 as described below (click to enlarge)

The ISO on both cameras was set to 3200. As I said, very simple and direct. Not scientific, but maybe representative of what a photographer might do under similar circumstances.

The image above is the full image from the X-T1 with no noise reduction. The image directly below is the full image from the Olympus E-M1 for comparison. 

Same subject as rendered from a RAW file from the Olympus E-M1 (click to enlarge)

The next two images are 100% crops of the above images with no noise reduction applied.

X-T1 image with no noise reduction applied (click to enlarge)

E-M1 image with no noise reduction applied (click to enlarge)

The next two images are 100% crops of the top images with "judicious" noise reduction applied in Lightroom 5.7.1.  

In the X-T1 image, the noise reduction settings were Luminance 40 , Color 25 .  In the E-M1 image, the noise reduction settings applied were Luminance 50, Color 25, which is as high as I'm willing to take it for this image.  Note the start of the breakdown and remaining noise in the Olympus image, even with higher level of noise reduction.  A better noise reduction program, such as DXO Optics Pro's cutting edge noise reduction technology would be required here, in my opinion.

X-T1 image with judicious noise reduction applied in Lightroom 5.7.1. (click to enlarge)

E-M1 image with judicious noise reduction applied in Lightroom 5.7.1. (click to enlarge)

It is clear to me in these particular examples that the X-T1 handles higher ISOs and digital noise much better than the E-M1.  That is to be expected since the number of pixels on each sensor is the same, but the X-T1's sensor is significantly larger, resulting in larger pixels, i.e., better light gathering ability.  

Lightroom did a nice enough job reducing the noise and keeping detail in the X-T1 in the first example image, but in the ISO 3200 test of the E-M1, the image didn't respond in a satisfactory manner, again, to me.  If I moved the sliders to apply any more noise reduction, the image started to get that funky compressed, plasticy, look.  As a result, there is a greater amount of residual noise left in order to keep the details of the image intact.

I have made many images over the past 30 months with my M4/3 gear at ISOs up to 6400 with better results than what I see in this second example.  I suspect the nature of the individual image has a lot to do with how noise reduction affects the image as well as how the final image looks.  That is why I underlined the words "in these particular examples" above.

All this being said, in reality when looking at any of the images in their totality, all look just fine when noise reduction is applied.  But "pixel peeping" will show a difference.

Is high ISO noise a problem?  The question then for each of us becomes "how often do we use high ISOs and how high do we push the ISOs on a frequent basis?"  If you use higher ISOs a lot, you may choose the X-T1 over the E-M1.  If you very seldom use high ISOs like I do, then these tests really don't matter and choose the camera you like better.  

If you choose the E-M1 and regularly use high ISOs, I would recommend you download and test the sophisticated noise reduction capabilities of DXO Optics Pro.  I think, from my testing, the noise is pretty much eliminated while the detail is maintained.

You decide if one or the other or both cameras meet your standards.  I just present what I find as I put both of these cameras through side-by-side to access their pros and cons.


Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.


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