Working with digital images

[clindler]

I have Nikon D70, latest fw (ver 2.0 A & B), compact flash Ultra II by SanDisk and I generally just use the Auto mode. I've noticed that my photos all appear to be grainy. This happens when shooting in RAW or JPEG modes with large image size and fine quality. I can't figure it out! Am I expecting too much to get a good, crisp image?

[ShutterbugGail]

Hi clindler and welcome to the Q&A Board,

Have you tried changing the ISO to a lower number such as between 50 and 200, rather then leaving the camera set at auto ISO? You should really be getting close to noise-free images with a dslr! Are you shooting in very low light?

[Mike54]

Hi clindler, out of curiousity are shooting in low light and/or with longer exposures? Perhaps you can provide some info on what/where you're shooting?

[Deb]

Hi, it's also possible that the EV adjustment setting has inadvertantly be set causing your camera to select a high ISO value in Auto mode. Be sure the EV adjusment setting is set to 0.

[clindler]

EV is set to 0 - ISO Defaults to 1600. Pictures have been taken in varied lighting conditions however problem still exists in outdoor and indoor setting with plenty of light. I guess I can't offer a lot of specifice because it seems to happen to all pictures no matter the light.

[Deb]

Oh my ... if your ISO is defaulting to 1600, it's no wonder you have a serious grain issue.

Reset your ISO to around 200 and see if your AUTO mode adjusts the shutterspeed and aperture like it should. Make sure your lens' aperture is set to its locked position (where that little dot and catch is).

[clindler]

Just took 4 test photos for comparison - 200, 400, 800 & 1600. All at the same subject. [glb]WOW![/glb] What a difference! There's no comparison between the 200 & 1600. Much better quality at 200 (as far as grainy goes). Of course, being a newbie I do realize that sometimes it may be appropriate to use higher settings - that's the part I still need to learn. Actually 1 more question. On the D70 I have the option to turn ISO to Auto. Should I manually set it to 200 the turn on Auto? According to the manual it will only adjust from 200 if needed. Thanks for the help!  

[ShutterbugGail]

Of course, being a newbie I do realize that sometimes it may be appropriate to use higher settings - that's the part I still need to learn.

I don't have a dslr but the principles of ISO are the same for all digital cameras (though dslrs are much more capable of producing cleaner images at higher numbers).

Personally, the first thing I do when I get a digital camera (I've had seven) is to shut off Auto ISO. I keep my camera set at ISO 50 and bump it up to 100 if necessary. I would use these two settings even if I had a dslr. If my camera was capable of shooting at ISO numbers without noise, I would only use them when necessary.  The lower the ISO, the better detail and image sharpness.

Here is some info about ISO and image noise that you may find useful:


http://www.digicamhelp.com/advanced-digital-camera-settings/iso.htm

http://www.digicamhelp.com/what-is-digital-image-noise/index.htm

[Deb]

Hi Clindler, yep, by all means turn Auto ISO off. I've got a D100 and a 20D and always select the ISO I want to use manually. If I see that the lighting is such that I can't get a proper exposure using a combination of apertures/shutterspeeds with a tripod, I'll then raise the ISO value. For instance, say it's breezy. I'm shooting leafy trees and the lighting conditions warrant a large aperture with a slow shutterspeed. Well I'll raise the ISO value because to not do so would result in very blurry trees/leaves. There is a balance. Remember, it's all about the available light and conditions for movement.