TEST: Handling the Noise

All digital cameras have sensors that can be set by the user for sensitivity using a setting called ISO.  The higher the number the higher the sensitivity to light which means a photographer can take pictures in lower light. The trade off is what is referred to 'noise' in the image, artefacts that, in the days of film, was referred to 'grain'.  This has the effect of lowering the quality of the image.  On the flip side of this particular coin, the lower the ISO number, the less noise and the better quality final image.

The test subject - a 1:36 scale Mini Miglia Corgi model

The way a camera handles 'noise' is also dependent on a number of factors. The first being the size of the sensor and the number of pixels that is packed onto that sensor.  For example a mobile phone cameras sensor or simple digital point and shoot are tiny compared to normal cameras.  Manufacturers pack millions of pixels onto these tiny sensors but the downside is the fact they cannot handle low light photography very well.  Remember just because a sensor has more megapixels than a rival doesn't mean it will take better pictures.

The advantage of higher ISO numbers is the ability to set a higher shutter speed in low light.  For example if you were taking a handheld low light shot and you were getting an exposure reading of 1/8s @ f4 ISO 200, chances are the image would be blurred and unusable due to 'camera shake' - the blur effect that is caused when the photographer can't keep the camera rock steady while the shutter is open.  If you make the ISO setting on your camera 1600, then the same exposure would be 1/60 @ f4 and the chance of camera shake is mainly eliminated.

Digital SLRs are split into full frame (same size as old 35mm film) and crop frame (APS-C) (1.5x smaller than full frame) but both are larger than the smaller sensors used on mobile phones and most compact cameras.

The purpose of this blog was to test the capabilities of my newly purchased Fuji X100.  This isn't a 'navel gazing' scientific test but an image comparison test to see how the final results look in the real world.

I own a Nikon D700 12.1 megapixel full frame DSLR, which is one of the best low light digital cameras on the market and can be pushed up 25600 ISO.   This is due to the large size of the full frame sensor and the modest 12 megapixel count, which means the pixels aren't so tightly packed together.  

The Fujifilm X100 has a specially developed APS-C 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor, which is large for a compact size camera, and one of things I have noticed is how well the camera handles noise even though the size of the sensor is smaller than the D700s.  The range is 200 to 6400 ISO, which can be extended to 100 and 12800 but only for jpeg images.  

I decided to try a little test shooting an image of a Mini Miglia Corgi model at 100, 400, 1600, 3200 and 12,800 to see how big a difference there was at these different settings.  As I shoot RAW rather than JPEG I tend to default to ISO 400 for handheld but will drop down to ISO 200 in bright light or when the camera is attached to a tripod.  To be honest there is no discernible difference between these two settings, I just prefer to shoot at 200, which gives me maximum quality, when taking landscapes on a tripod and I don't have to worry about camera shake.

Here are the test shots I took at each of the five settings I chose and I've enlarged the centre portion of each image to show the effect of the higher ISO setting on the image.

ISO 100

ISO 400

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 12800

As can be seen by these shots the images produced across the entire ISO range are more than usable - even at 12800 - with very little noise right up to 1600, with just a hint at 3200.  In Shanghai I found myself shooting with the X100 handheld at 1600 or 3200 without hesitation and the images the camera produced are outstanding.  As I said this isn't a scientific test but a real world test to see the effects at each level.

Whatever camera you use don't be afraid to shoot at high ISO settings.  It is better to have a noisy picture where the subject is sharp than miss the shot because the subject is blurred.  Noise can be dealt with quite well in post processing but nothing will make a blurred image sharp again.

I am off on my business travels again this week, heading off for three days in Marrakech.  I hope to be able to visit some of the sites while I'm there and I will update the blog when I can.

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