Digital camera accessories

[Beckie]

When I download pictures I on my Sony digital camera using the conversion lens, they appear very grainy. Is there anything I can do to alleviate this problem. All my pictures are taken indoors & the lighting isn't the best so I adjust for that using Photoshop, but I would like to know how to get clearer pictures.

[ShutterbugGail]

Hi and welcome Beckie!

The grainy problem you're facing is quite common. In digital photography, these randomly-spaced speckles are called "noise." We have some information at the main site about the cause and prevention of noise, which can, more often than not, be removed using software. There are some very effective noise removal programs such as the free, home edition of Neat Image.

In many cases, even though you have noise in an image, it will not be visible in small sized prints (4x6," 5x7").

Take a peek here:

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

[Deb]

Hi Beckie, if you have a good quality lens, I suspect the noise you are seeing is a result of the lighting conditions (low light) rather than from the lens itself. (I've used a Nikon Teleconverter designed for the Nikon 995 with very good results which I why I'm mentioning this.)  

[Beckie]

The camera is a Sony DSC-S85 and the conversion lens is also by Sony, I purchased the better quality one they had to offer. I guess it's due to the poor lighting on my production floor. I'll try using the photoshop software to take out the noise and see what happens. It wouldn't be a problem except these are always viewed on a computer. Thanks for your help & if you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear them.

[Deb]

Hi Beckie, just thought I'd mention an excellent noise reduction software to you. It's called Neat Image (http://www.neatimage.com/index.html). They have a functional demo you can download. IMHO it's one of the best NR softwares on the market.  

[ShutterbugGail]

Hi Beckie, just thought I'd mention an excellent noise reduction software to you. It's called Neat Image (http://www.neatimage.com/index.html). They have a functional demo you can download. IMHO it's one of the best NR softwares on the market.  

The Demo edition of Neat Image is distributed as freeware for non-commercial use. We have a mini-tutorial about using it here:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/what-is-noise-reduction/noise-reduction.htm

[Beckie]

Thanks for the help everyone. I downloaded the demo version & tried it. Amazing the difference between how that works versus the despeckle filter in Photoshop!!! I appreciate your answers & advice. Glad I found your website.