In-camera noise reduction in the K-5

PALADIN85020 · 11-04-2010, 10:28 AM

I've just ordered a K-5 through B&H and it should arrive this Friday, Nov. 5. I can hardly wait!

One of the features I like is the camera's ability to shoot at high ISO numbers. However, I'm concerned about noise at ISO 1600+.

Has anyone had experience with the in-camera noise-reduction function? I don't have any computer noise reduction software for post-processing, so will need to rely on the in-camera noise reduction software.

If you do have some experience with this, could you show some before and after examples at different ISO ratings?

Many thanks!

John

JohnBee · 11-04-2010, 10:57 AM

Originally posted by PALADIN85020

I've just ordered a K-5 through B&H and it should arrive this Friday, Nov. 5. I can hardly wait!

One of the features I like is the camera's ability to shoot at high ISO numbers. However, I'm concerned about noise at ISO 1600+.

Has anyone had experience with the in-camera noise-reduction function? I don't have any computer noise reduction software for post-processing, so will need to rely on the in-camera noise reduction software.

If you do have some experience with this, could you show some before and after examples at different ISO ratings?

Many thanks!

John

I don't think you have anything to worry about at ISO1600.
Just make sure you have NR turned off for best results.

TBH. I think the K-5 is amazing up to ISO3200(without NR), after which it comes down to ones own tastes as to whether they prefer noise or NR past that point.

Personally, I like the unadulterated look(noise and all) up to ISO6400 but that's just me

glanglois · 11-04-2010, 12:12 PM

Don't rule out NR software too quickly. You can easily try that software to see if it works better for you.

Don't worry about all the complexity available in NR SW; I think they all have some default settings that may be a decent place to start (and perhaps end) with. Easy to use - just give put it on auto and it will probably do at least as good a job as your camera.

Some, like Noiseware, have free versions with some limitations - limitations that may not mean anything at all to you. So it's a great deal.

I think all the others have trial versions, good for perhaps 30 days. You can then try them (with default settings if that's better for you) and see what you think.

narichey81 · 11-04-2010, 12:58 PM

you are looking to drop $1600 on a camera and wont spend $50 on a noise removal program?

rawr · 11-04-2010, 01:38 PM

The in-camera noise reduction features of the K-5 allow you to tailor the amount of NR that gets applied to your images by ISO range. And the software included with the camera (Pentax Digital Camera Utility 4) can do noise reduction.

That's all you'll probably really need. Don't worry about the issue of NR for now. Use your camera, see what the images look like, and then decide whether you need any fancy post-processing NR software. Everything may work for you perfectly without any requirement for any extra NR.

Probably 95% of the people who shoot DSLR's have not heard of NR software or used it. So don't sweat it.

jsherman999 · 11-04-2010, 04:40 PM

.

All things considered, almost any 3rd-party external NR software is probably going to give you better results, as long as you use it correctly.

But I would be interested in seeing what the k-5 jpeg engine produces with NR on low, medium, high, vs. the same image taken through ACR NR or Topaz Denoise. Thom Hogan had an aside in a recent article that I found intriguing, and made me wonder about the in-camera NR of the K-5:

From Thom Hogan re the D7000:

Quote:

...The bottom is the same file processed via ACR 6.3 Beta about as best as I could come up with using Adobe's sharpening and noise reduction controls plus a bit of other adjustment to make up for the deliberate slight underexpose I set in my tests (curiously, the camera wanted to set something close to my underexposure as its actual exposure, but that's a different story for a different day and is easily explained). Yes, there's some noise reduction smudging going on (the camera actually does slightly better in JPEGs than this).

.

simico · 11-05-2010, 02:15 AM

Originally posted by JohnBee

TBH. I think the K-5 is amazing up to ISO3200(without NR)

I think the same. I turned off NR below ISO6400 for the jpegs, probably will apply very minimal NR at 3200 on raw files (when they finally get supported by the app I use).

PALADIN85020 · 11-05-2010, 10:59 AM

I tried the NR software by Noiseware on some high-noise high-ISO pics I had taken recently with my K200D. Works well, but there is some loss of detail and sharpness in certain areas of the pictures. I'll compare it against the in-camera NR with some experimentation. I'm only hours away from getting my K-5; it's "out for delivery" by UPS as I write!

Thanks for all the replies!

John

rawr · 11-05-2010, 11:09 AM

Originally posted by PALADIN85020

I'll compare it against the in-camera NR with some experimentation.

I used Noiseware on my K200D but barely used it with any of my K-x images. The K-5 seems even better than the K-x, so I think you will probably never need to use Noiseware again once you get the K-5.

11-04-2010, 10:28 AM	#1
PALADIN85020 Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 442	In-camera noise reduction in the K-5 I've just ordered a K-5 through B&H and it should arrive this Friday, Nov. 5. I can hardly wait! One of the features I like is the camera's ability to shoot at high ISO numbers. However, I'm concerned about noise at ISO 1600+. Has anyone had experience with the in-camera noise-reduction function? I don't have any computer noise reduction software for post-processing, so will need to rely on the in-camera noise reduction software. If you do have some experience with this, could you show some before and after examples at different ISO ratings? Many thanks! John

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11-04-2010, 10:57 AM	#2
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667	Originally posted by PALADIN85020 I've just ordered a K-5 through B&H and it should arrive this Friday, Nov. 5. I can hardly wait! One of the features I like is the camera's ability to shoot at high ISO numbers. However, I'm concerned about noise at ISO 1600+. Has anyone had experience with the in-camera noise-reduction function? I don't have any computer noise reduction software for post-processing, so will need to rely on the in-camera noise reduction software. If you do have some experience with this, could you show some before and after examples at different ISO ratings? Many thanks! John I don't think you have anything to worry about at ISO1600. Just make sure you have NR turned off for best results. TBH. I think the K-5 is amazing up to ISO3200(without NR), after which it comes down to ones own tastes as to whether they prefer noise or NR past that point. Personally, I like the unadulterated look(noise and all) up to ISO6400 but that's just me

11-04-2010, 12:12 PM	#3
glanglois Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Madison, Wis., USA Posts: 1,506	Don't rule out NR software too quickly. You can easily try that software to see if it works better for you. Don't worry about all the complexity available in NR SW; I think they all have some default settings that may be a decent place to start (and perhaps end) with. Easy to use - just give put it on auto and it will probably do at least as good a job as your camera. Some, like Noiseware, have free versions with some limitations - limitations that may not mean anything at all to you. So it's a great deal. I think all the others have trial versions, good for perhaps 30 days. You can then try them (with default settings if that's better for you) and see what you think.

11-04-2010, 12:58 PM	#4
narichey81 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 58	you are looking to drop $1600 on a camera and wont spend $50 on a noise removal program?

11-04-2010, 01:38 PM	#5
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	The in-camera noise reduction features of the K-5 allow you to tailor the amount of NR that gets applied to your images by ISO range. And the software included with the camera (Pentax Digital Camera Utility 4) can do noise reduction. That's all you'll probably really need. Don't worry about the issue of NR for now. Use your camera, see what the images look like, and then decide whether you need any fancy post-processing NR software. Everything may work for you perfectly without any requirement for any extra NR. Probably 95% of the people who shoot DSLR's have not heard of NR software or used it. So don't sweat it.

11-04-2010, 04:40 PM	#6
jsherman999 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,237	. All things considered, almost any 3rd-party external NR software is probably going to give you better results, as long as you use it correctly. But I would be interested in seeing what the k-5 jpeg engine produces with NR on low, medium, high, vs. the same image taken through ACR NR or Topaz Denoise. Thom Hogan had an aside in a recent article that I found intriguing, and made me wonder about the in-camera NR of the K-5: From Thom Hogan re the D7000: Quote: ...The bottom is the same file processed via ACR 6.3 Beta about as best as I could come up with using Adobe's sharpening and noise reduction controls plus a bit of other adjustment to make up for the deliberate slight underexpose I set in my tests (curiously, the camera wanted to set something close to my underexposure as its actual exposure, but that's a different story for a different day and is easily explained). Yes, there's some noise reduction smudging going on (the camera actually does slightly better in JPEGs than this). .

11-05-2010, 02:15 AM	#7
simico Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Budapest Posts: 821	Originally posted by JohnBee TBH. I think the K-5 is amazing up to ISO3200(without NR) I think the same. I turned off NR below ISO6400 for the jpegs, probably will apply very minimal NR at 3200 on raw files (when they finally get supported by the app I use).

11-05-2010, 10:59 AM	#8
PALADIN85020 Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 442 Original Poster	I tried the NR software by Noiseware on some high-noise high-ISO pics I had taken recently with my K200D. Works well, but there is some loss of detail and sharpness in certain areas of the pictures. I'll compare it against the in-camera NR with some experimentation. I'm only hours away from getting my K-5; it's "out for delivery" by UPS as I write! Thanks for all the replies! John

11-05-2010, 11:09 AM	#9
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Originally posted by PALADIN85020 I'll compare it against the in-camera NR with some experimentation. I used Noiseware on my K200D but barely used it with any of my K-x images. The K-5 seems even better than the K-x, so I think you will probably never need to use Noiseware again once you get the K-5.