High ISO noise reduction settings?

Dewman · 05-26-2012, 12:26 PM

I recently bought a Pentax K2000. Although not new to photography, I'm certainly new to digital photography. I notice that my camera has a "High ISO noise reduction" feature that offers three options: " Off, weakest, weak and strong."

What would be the best setting for a novice digital guy to use, and why? Please be aware that I'm not to familiar with many of the technical terms used in the digital world, so....if you would....keep it as simple as possible.

I've read previous threads on the subject, but they didn't really tell me what I need to know.

Thanks for any advice you may offer,
Dewman

Anvh · 05-26-2012, 01:01 PM

It means what it says and it depends on how you shoot and what you shoot.
Sometimes the noise gets lost in the details so you don't need heavy noise reduction and other times, mostly with smooth surfaces you want more noise reduction.

I know not direct answer, if you can do it on your computer then that would be the best choice but the most time consuming one as well.

Marc Sabatella · 05-26-2012, 03:56 PM

The higher you turn up the NR, the more the system will try to eliminate noise - and in the process, smear away real detail. Only you can decide what compromise between noise and detail you find most pleasing. Chances are, it will depend on the specific situation as well as the specific ISO level you have set. But really, as mentioned, for best results, leave NR off, shoot RAW, and then fine tune the results in post processing.

simico · 05-29-2012, 11:39 PM

When I had a K-m/K2000 I used the weakest noise reduction setting (until I switched to RAW). Strong surely made the photos worse by smearing too much detail, even weak setting was much for my taste.
I prefer noise over lost details. You can always run another noise reduction on the photo, but you can't recover details that has been lost due to too strong noise reduction. If you shoot RAW then this doesn't matter - you can set your custom noise reduction to each photo (some require less, others require more) and even apply noise reduction (and sharpening, etc) selectively (i.e. different amount for the main subject and for the background, etc).

Dewman · 05-30-2012, 05:13 AM

Originally posted by simico

When I had a K-m/K2000 I used the weakest noise reduction setting (until I switched to RAW). Strong surely made the photos worse by smearing too much detail, even weak setting was much for my taste.
I prefer noise over lost details. You can always run another noise reduction on the photo, but you can't recover details that has been lost due to too strong noise reduction. If you shoot RAW then this doesn't matter - you can set your custom noise reduction to each photo (some require less, others require more) and even apply noise reduction (and sharpening, etc) selectively (i.e. different amount for the main subject and for the background, etc).

Thanks for the reply. It was exactly what I wanted to know. It was set on "weakest" when I bought it, but even after reading the owner's manual, I wasn't sure if that was where it should be set at. For the time being and until I become more proficient at digital photography, I think I'll leave it where it's at.

Regards,
Dewman

05-26-2012, 12:26 PM	#1
Dewman Veteran Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Idaho Posts: 5,492	High ISO noise reduction settings? I recently bought a Pentax K2000. Although not new to photography, I'm certainly new to digital photography. I notice that my camera has a "High ISO noise reduction" feature that offers three options: " Off, weakest, weak and strong." What would be the best setting for a novice digital guy to use, and why? Please be aware that I'm not to familiar with many of the technical terms used in the digital world, so....if you would....keep it as simple as possible. I've read previous threads on the subject, but they didn't really tell me what I need to know. Thanks for any advice you may offer, Dewman

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05-26-2012, 01:01 PM	#2
Anvh Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 4,616	It means what it says and it depends on how you shoot and what you shoot. Sometimes the noise gets lost in the details so you don't need heavy noise reduction and other times, mostly with smooth surfaces you want more noise reduction. I know not direct answer, if you can do it on your computer then that would be the best choice but the most time consuming one as well.

05-26-2012, 03:56 PM	#3
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	The higher you turn up the NR, the more the system will try to eliminate noise - and in the process, smear away real detail. Only you can decide what compromise between noise and detail you find most pleasing. Chances are, it will depend on the specific situation as well as the specific ISO level you have set. But really, as mentioned, for best results, leave NR off, shoot RAW, and then fine tune the results in post processing.

05-29-2012, 11:39 PM	#4
simico Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Budapest Posts: 821	When I had a K-m/K2000 I used the weakest noise reduction setting (until I switched to RAW). Strong surely made the photos worse by smearing too much detail, even weak setting was much for my taste. I prefer noise over lost details. You can always run another noise reduction on the photo, but you can't recover details that has been lost due to too strong noise reduction. If you shoot RAW then this doesn't matter - you can set your custom noise reduction to each photo (some require less, others require more) and even apply noise reduction (and sharpening, etc) selectively (i.e. different amount for the main subject and for the background, etc).

05-30-2012, 05:13 AM	#5
Dewman Veteran Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Idaho Posts: 5,492 Original Poster	Originally posted by simico When I had a K-m/K2000 I used the weakest noise reduction setting (until I switched to RAW). Strong surely made the photos worse by smearing too much detail, even weak setting was much for my taste. I prefer noise over lost details. You can always run another noise reduction on the photo, but you can't recover details that has been lost due to too strong noise reduction. If you shoot RAW then this doesn't matter - you can set your custom noise reduction to each photo (some require less, others require more) and even apply noise reduction (and sharpening, etc) selectively (i.e. different amount for the main subject and for the background, etc). Thanks for the reply. It was exactly what I wanted to know. It was set on "weakest" when I bought it, but even after reading the owner's manual, I wasn't sure if that was where it should be set at. For the time being and until I become more proficient at digital photography, I think I'll leave it where it's at. Regards, Dewman