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| Extreme example of noise in ISO 25,600 test image from 2020. No noise reduction added. (click to enlarge) Nikon Z7; 24-70mm f/4 lens @ 50mm; 1/4000th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 25,600 |
With the recently introduced artificial intelligence (AI) based noise reduction feature by Adobe in Lightroom, as well as the available AI based noise reduction programs/plug-ins such as Topaz Photo AI, Topaz DeNoise AI, DXO DeepPrimeXD and On1's NoNoise AI, is digital noise still a major concern that we should be considering when deciding which camera to buy?
That is the question that arose in my mind after seeing the results of Adobe's latest effort as well as regularly using the Topaz and DXO products. I haven't formed a final opinion yet but I thought feedback from you may provide a more complete aggregation of thoughts.
At this point, the only situations I can think of in which digital noise from the latest generation of sensors should be a serious consideration is:
1) you regularly and prolifically shoot at very high ISOs and don't want to spend the extra time required to put your images through the plug-ins/programs, or
2) sometimes at very high ISOs, extreme digital noise itself can obscure fine detail which cannot be recovered by using a noise reducing/eliminating program.
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| Same image as above but with the new Lightroom DeNoise feature invoked (click to enlarge) |
Other than those two 'off the top of my head' circumstances, I'm not sure how much digital noise the latest generation of camera/sensor/image processor combinations produces will any longer be a consideration for me when deciding which camera to buy.
Certainly, for the types of photography I regularly practice, I shoot mostly at ISOs much lower than ISO 6400 and 3200 and digital noise can easily be eliminated without penalty.
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| Highly cropped (5.1%) portions of the above ISO 25,600 images for comparison. No noise reduction on the left and LR Denoise on the right. (click to enlarge) This is an example of how the modern artificial intelligence (AI) noise reduction can save an image that, otherwise, was not usable. Looking at the image on the right, I think I may have applied a bit too much noise reduction. I had the Lightroom Denoise slider set at 73 out of 100 and that might have been a bit too heavy handed. I’m still experimenting with it. So...can we forget about noise as a consideration when buying our next new camera? |
Will you consider how much digital noise a new camera produces influence your next purchase? Your thoughts?
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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One of the reasons I bought my latest camera was because of how well it performs regarding noise. I shoot aperture priority mostly and at times I need a high ISO for some of the nature images I have gotten. It's a Pentax K3III. Anyway, I still view it as important because of your point 2. I use Topaz products mainly but sometimes they can fail at producing the results I want in situations where there are a lot of different textures in the image like birds in a leafy tree. The less noise I can have, the better. Right now anyway.
ReplyDeleteShelly, good to hear from you. It has been a while. Even though I don’t currently own a digital Pentax, I’m an old Pentax fanboy. I used a Spotmatic in the early-mid 1970s and made thousands of photos with it. I really like what Pentax gives us. I do still have two Pentax 6X7 film cameras and maybe one day, I’ll run some film through them again.
DeleteThanks, I mostly lurk. :-) I've used Pentax since I got my first SLR way back when on the recommendation of a cousin who liked how well they were built. I should have known at the time that they wouldn't be very popular as he was into Betamax too. LOL I have to agree with him though on the quality. I just wish they got more love.
DeleteSince I am invested in the Fujifilm ASP-C system, enjoy it and intend to stick with it, I can’t really put too much weight on noise performance if I look to buy a newer model. I don’t think Fujifilm currently offers anything in APS-C that is a real improvement over my X-T3. Perhaps the most I can hope for is that Fujifilm continues to work toward improving it in future cameras to offer me an appreciable upgrade. For me, improved handling of noise in camera would be great because I have gotten to where I can get very close to what I want straight out of the camera with little editing of the resulting jpeg. The camera processing will likely never be able to match the AI processing of dedicated software on a computer, so improved sensor/hardware performance would be a plus for me. If Fujifilm were to introduce an APS-C model with better sensor technology with regard to noise then it would probably factor into my decision. My reason to consider it would be better results without the need to process raw images using additional software that I must invest in and that I can’t use on my iPad or phone.
ReplyDeleteBrent
Noise can mysteriously appear on some images. There does not appear to be any rhyme or reason for this. Other images, exposed at extreme ISO's may not exhibit a noise problem. I expect noise when photographing wildlife pre-dawn at ISO 25,600 and up. Still, some images do not exhibit objectionable noise. The greater problem appears to be a non-linearity in the reduced dynamic range. I'm not a scientist, but this is the way it looks to me. I have seen noise in bright daylight images using full frame that I think should not be visible. All a mystery to me.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, Topaz Denoise is very useful (and frequently applied) as is the new Adobe Denoise. I do note that the Adobe Denoise is very effective with Olympus RAW and not as good with Nikon RAW. My current cameras, the OM1 and Nikon Z7, are the best photo makers I have ever used.