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too much "noise"
Hi ive been noticing alot of "noise" in my digital photos ive taken at partys or when theres low light, (see image below) i think the term is noise im noticing fuzzy/grain effect in the photos mostly in dark areas of my pics. My cameras a fuji Z5fd and i think the highest iso setting is 1600 would buying a digital camera with a higher iso say 3200 improve my photos and reduce this "noise"? Ive tried a few of the free demo noise reducing image software available on the net, neat image being one but wasnt that impressed.
Is there any digital cameras out there you guys could recommend that i buy to help improve my photos taken in low light? Ideally id like to but a dlsr but i dont want to carry a larger camera with me as most of my shots are of nights out, partys etc and i like having a small camera in my pocket incase a photo oppertunity arises.
Some time in the future id like to buy a dlsr and wonder what the starting price is for a descent one/ what would be a good one to buy and roughly how much id have to pay, uk retail prices.
Is there any digital cameras out there you guys could recommend that i buy to help improve my photos taken in low light? Ideally id like to but a dlsr but i dont want to carry a larger camera with me as most of my shots are of nights out, partys etc and i like having a small camera in my pocket incase a photo oppertunity arises.
Some time in the future id like to buy a dlsr and wonder what the starting price is for a descent one/ what would be a good one to buy and roughly how much id have to pay, uk retail prices.
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While I can't see much noise at the size posted, I don't doubt that it is there. Most P&S cameras have very small sensors which are not particularly optimized for high ISO.
Exceptional cameras are from, well, FujiFilm
A compromise camera which works very well to ISO 800 and ISO 1600 is usable for smaller prints, and which you can still find for pretty reasonable prices, is the Fuji F40fd. I have some high-ISO samples here:
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=77225
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0701/07010402fujifilmfinepixf40fd.asp
just been reading the spec for this camera and if its going to produce images with less noise in low light conditions i will seriously consider buying it, heres a link to my current camera (below)
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0611/06110901finepixz5fd.asp
The Panasonic LX3 is designed to be better with Noise. However if you really want improved noise, DSLR is the way to go. I specifically recommend the Canon Rebel XT for a budget. (Under 400 used).
Other Gear: Olympus E-PL1, Pan 20 1.7, Fuji 3D Camera, Lensbaby 2.0, Tamron 28-75 2.8, Alien Bees lighting, CyberSyncs, Domke, HONL, FlipIt.
~ Gear Pictures
Problem is, DSLR is hard to deal with when you don't want to be encumbered.
The LX3 noise profile is pretty decent - not as good as some of the earlier-model Fuji F series, but decent.
@ TA-2D: just because a camera advertises it is capable of ISO 3200 doesn't mean its capable of producing anything useful. Usually, it's just a blurry, noisy mess.
I see that your posted shot is at ISO 800, Try re-shooting a comparable scene at ISO 400 - the flash might be powerful enough, and there will be less noise.
Factory refurbished Fuji F20's are available on Ebay (and maybe elsewhere) for around $100-$130 USD. It has the same sensor and lens as the F30/F31 Ziggy mentioned, and also the same powerful flash. The main differences are the F20 goes up to ISO 2000 and has fewer manual controls than the F30/F31. The F40 is similar to the F20, although high-ISO performance is not quite as good.
Alernatively, there are many cameras that don't have as good hihg-ISO performance as the Fuji F20/30/31, but have images stabilization. This allows you to use a lower ISO - say, ISO 200 rather than 800 - and works effectively when shooting still subjects.
Here's an F20 (back when I still had it) shot from about 6-7 ft away. Flash used, ISO 100.
Shooter on a shoestring.
If you truely want much lower noise at higher ISO's you pretty much have to get a dslr. If you want portability and such that the point and shoots offer, I think you'll have to live with it.
The new Panasonci LX3 seems fairly quieter but it's still too noise at ISO above 400 in my view.
Panasonic and Olympus are coming up with digicam sized cameras, called Panasonic G1 IIRC, that are using a dslr sized sensor called the micro 4/3 system, but they are not out yet, so you may want to keep an eye out for that by the end of this year.