slow shutter speed noise reduction

mde1970 · 12-30-2012, 12:21 PM

Apologise if this has been asked before (but a quick search and I cound not find the answer).
I do a lot of low light photography and often take bracketed shots in bulb mode (exposures of 1-2 minutes long). I have been wondering why my K-5 takes soooo long to process the RAW file and have discovered it’s the slow shutter speed noise reduction. When disabled the shot is processed instantly.

I have read an explanation of why this takes a long time (below) which is great. However I still have the question, is it better to use in camera NR or will I get the same results in PP software? I'm considering turning off this feature as a means to speeding up shooting but need to be sure I can clean up files in PP?

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/23376-slow-shutter...reduction.html

elliott · 12-30-2012, 01:25 PM

Dark frame is always better, but you can get good results with software too.

**baro-nite** · 12-30-2012, 01:29 PM

Originally posted by mde1970

is it better to use in camera NR or will I get the same results in PP software?

You aren't going to get the same results in PP, because the in-camera NR is by dark frame subtraction, based on the sensor itself. If you are taking several exposures of the same duration you could take a single dark frame and do the DFS yourself; that way you would have only one extra interval to wait around for (plus more work in PP, of course). That's what astrophotographers do, because they often want a bunch of exposures at the same settings. With bracketing you'll have different exposure times of course, but a single dark frame might still work well enough.

On other other hand, PP NR may be good enough, and a lot less fuss.

v5planet · 12-30-2012, 03:03 PM

Originally posted by mde1970

Apologise if this has been asked before (but a quick search and I cound not find the answer).
I do a lot of low light photography and often take bracketed shots in bulb mode (exposures of 1-2 minutes long). I have been wondering why my K-5 takes soooo long to process the RAW file and have discovered it’s the slow shutter speed noise reduction. When disabled the shot is processed instantly.

I have read an explanation of why this takes a long time (below) which is great. However I still have the question, is it better to use in camera NR or will I get the same results in PP software? I'm considering turning off this feature as a means to speeding up shooting but need to be sure I can clean up files in PP?

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/23376-slow-shutter...reduction.html

I have found with the K-5 that exposures that are only 1-2 minutes long don't generally need slow shutter speed noise reduction. Even exposures in the five minute range hold up really well, unless you need to pull lots of detail out of the shadows.

mde1970 · 12-31-2012, 01:28 AM

Dont think I'll be doing any exposures longer than 3-4 minutes so think I'll try turning it off and seeing how the results are.

many thanks for all the replies :-)

12-30-2012, 12:21 PM	#1
mde1970 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Reading Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 313	slow shutter speed noise reduction Apologise if this has been asked before (but a quick search and I cound not find the answer). I do a lot of low light photography and often take bracketed shots in bulb mode (exposures of 1-2 minutes long). I have been wondering why my K-5 takes soooo long to process the RAW file and have discovered it’s the slow shutter speed noise reduction. When disabled the shot is processed instantly. I have read an explanation of why this takes a long time (below) which is great. However I still have the question, is it better to use in camera NR or will I get the same results in PP software? I'm considering turning off this feature as a means to speeding up shooting but need to be sure I can clean up files in PP? https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/23376-slow-shutter...reduction.html

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12-30-2012, 01:25 PM	#2
elliott Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: North Carolina Photos: Albums Posts: 1,720	Dark frame is always better, but you can get good results with software too.

12-30-2012, 01:29 PM	#3
baro-nite Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North Carolina, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,294	Originally posted by mde1970 is it better to use in camera NR or will I get the same results in PP software? You aren't going to get the same results in PP, because the in-camera NR is by dark frame subtraction, based on the sensor itself. If you are taking several exposures of the same duration you could take a single dark frame and do the DFS yourself; that way you would have only one extra interval to wait around for (plus more work in PP, of course). That's what astrophotographers do, because they often want a bunch of exposures at the same settings. With bracketing you'll have different exposure times of course, but a single dark frame might still work well enough. On other other hand, PP NR may be good enough, and a lot less fuss.

12-30-2012, 03:03 PM	#4
v5planet Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Seattle Photos: Albums Posts: 1,915	Originally posted by mde1970 Apologise if this has been asked before (but a quick search and I cound not find the answer). I do a lot of low light photography and often take bracketed shots in bulb mode (exposures of 1-2 minutes long). I have been wondering why my K-5 takes soooo long to process the RAW file and have discovered it’s the slow shutter speed noise reduction. When disabled the shot is processed instantly. I have read an explanation of why this takes a long time (below) which is great. However I still have the question, is it better to use in camera NR or will I get the same results in PP software? I'm considering turning off this feature as a means to speeding up shooting but need to be sure I can clean up files in PP? https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/23376-slow-shutter...reduction.html I have found with the K-5 that exposures that are only 1-2 minutes long don't generally need slow shutter speed noise reduction. Even exposures in the five minute range hold up really well, unless you need to pull lots of detail out of the shadows.

12-31-2012, 01:28 AM	#5
mde1970 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Reading Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 313 Original Poster	Dont think I'll be doing any exposures longer than 3-4 minutes so think I'll try turning it off and seeing how the results are. many thanks for all the replies :-)