Bizarre Noise On My K7 Images!!!!

Christopher M.W.T · 07-11-2009, 01:12 AM

I went out and about this arvo, ended up swapping over my 17-70 for another as my was having some issues getting focus, went through some of my photos and found the same ... effects I am complaining about.

One solution I found was to shoot in raw+ and change the black level, however is it a concern if I need to deliberately underexpose as it will show?

Once again an example,

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/3709519364_09c81cdbf6_o.jpg

KungPOW · 07-11-2009, 01:16 AM

Originally posted by C.W Tsorotes

My spider senses are telling me something isn't right with my unit.

Problem with your unit? See a doctor.

Problems with how you use your camera? Read about "shoot to the right".

It means that to minimize noise in the photo you need to:

1. shoot RAW
2. Overexpose as much as you can without clipping the image (shooting to the right)
3. Use post process software (like photoshop, or Lightroom) to pull the exposure back.

This means, no JPEG's, no 5 stops under-exposure, and no straight from camera results.

All cameras need to be treated this way to get the best results. Even Canikons. Otherwise everything you are going adds to the noise.

Christopher M.W.T · 07-11-2009, 01:26 AM

Originally posted by KungPOW

Problem with your unit? See a doctor.

Problems with how you use your camera? Read about "shoot to the right".

It means that to minimize noise in the photo you need to:

1. shoot RAW
2. Overexpose as much as you can without clipping the image (shooting to the right)
3. Use post process software (like photoshop, or Lightroom) to pull the exposure back.

This means, no JPEG's, no 5 stops under-exposure, and no straight from camera results.

All cameras need to be treated this way to get the best results. Even Canikons. Otherwise everything you are going adds to the noise.

Thanks for that,

I'm tinkering with raw now, finding the difference is huge between jpg much prefer it next thing to buy is a 16gig card.

With shooting RAW i'm finding that the issue pretty much disappears, looks like no more JPG for me.

Christopher M.W.T · 07-11-2009, 01:52 AM

Oh man, I never quite realised that this is on so many other low-light photos ive taken on my P&S cameras over the years!

I guess having 14.6MP you see things that you didn't notice on 5-6mp cameras!!!! I kinda feel dumb now.

However interestingly I seem to notice it much more on MS Picture Viewer yet on photoshop CS4 its far less pronounced.

Thanks to everyone whos put in their two cents.

KungPOW · 07-11-2009, 01:57 AM

Here are some actual examples.

Step one: Overexposed about two stops, shot in RAW.

Step two: Pull the exposure back two stops, and adjust white balance.

100% crop of image. no noise reduction added

Now, what not to do.

JPEG shot at 2 stops under, and pushed up to the correct exposure.

100% crop:

All shot with K10D at iso 1600, handheld in crappy light. FA50 1.4 at 2.0

Glad to see you are leaving JPEG behind. Enjoy the new camera

Christopher M.W.T · 07-11-2009, 02:07 AM

There was almost a part of me about to swing to the Nikon D90 lol

but personally I love this cameras feel & features, that fact that it even has an in-built intervalometer really suprised me.

But I see now the folly of my ways,

KungPOW · 07-11-2009, 02:24 AM

Did you notice how my last two samples look like all the high iso tests you see when Pentax cameras are reviewed? I wonder why that is.

Now stop being woried about high ISO noise and get out and shoot some stuff. It must be the midle of the day in Australia right now.

Wheatfield · 07-11-2009, 08:35 AM

Originally posted by C.W Tsorotes

My spider senses are telling me something isn't right with my unit.

My spider sense tells me that every K-7 you put your hands on is going to have something not right with it.

séamuis · 07-11-2009, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by C.W Tsorotes

Take a look at the bottom near the receiver and PS3, and subwoofer. hmmm, im just not sure.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/3708946434_1ed28caf90_o.jpg

your not sure... but you have no experience or another camera to test it against? despite what everyone is telling you... oh man. where is Gooshin anyway?

Christopher M.W.T · 07-11-2009, 05:38 PM

Originally posted by séamuis

your not sure... but you have no experience or another camera to test it against? despite what everyone is telling you... oh man. where is Gooshin anyway?

I said earlier that I have a K100D to test with. However now it makes sense that im comparing a 14mp vs 6mp unit. Ive gone back through alot of photos I took on my P&S camera and I notice the same sort of noise now on dark dark scenes, just never noticed it before in the past.

I'm still getting use to the camera..

krypticide · 07-11-2009, 07:52 PM

Really don't see what's wrong with any of the "noisy" shots posted here. Sure, there's "noise" or "grain", but nothing that seems to be egregious or indicative of a bad unit.

pawzitiv · 07-11-2009, 08:22 PM

Originally posted by KungPOW

Here are some actual examples.

Step one: Overexposed about two stops, shot in RAW.

Step two: Pull the exposure back two stops, and adjust white balance.

100% crop of image. no noise reduction added

Now, what not to do.

JPEG shot at 2 stops under, and pushed up to the correct exposure.

100% crop:

All shot with K10D at iso 1600, handheld in crappy light. FA50 1.4 at 2.0

Glad to see you are leaving JPEG behind. Enjoy the new camera

KungPOW .. this is an extremely useful post. You've done a great job explaining the basics of how to work hi-ISO.

I think it should be a sticky in the "General Photography- Techniques and Styles" forum.

séamuis · 07-12-2009, 05:01 AM

Originally posted by pawzitiv

KungPOW .. this is an extremely useful post. You've done a great job explaining the basics of how to work hi-ISO.

I think it should be a sticky in the "General Photography- Techniques and Styles" forum.

more importantly, we need to send this to DPReview. so that they may finally know how high ISO should be done.

Christopher M.W.T · 07-12-2009, 06:19 AM

Good news

my initial doubts with this camera are gone, it's really grown on me in the last 24hrs.

A shot of the sky pretty much untouched, shot in RAW.

Sky High on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

1600 ISO of my parents cat, minimal tweaking, no flash.

Sky High on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Using bracketting taking 5 shots at +/- 1 EV of my car and editted in Photomatix.

Audi - K7 + Photmatix on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

My cat Simba at 100iso 70mm with flash.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3712263917_01d657cef2_m.jpg

HarryN · 07-12-2009, 07:57 AM

While your testing at strong underexposure may not be the norm, it is a useful test, at least to me. There is a lot of range of lighting in many shots, and it is all too easy to be happy with properly exposed areas and miss those details in the shadows.

You can always do like I did after my experiences with DSLR - go back to shooting film on a manual SLR and scan it. Of course, no one here would ever accuse me of being a serious photographer either.

Keep posting your shots. My wife wants a K-7. I told her she could keep her pentax P+S digital or have one of my ME Supers. That went well.

07-11-2009, 08:22 PM	#57
pawzitiv Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 91	Every digital photographer needs to know this! Originally posted by KungPOW Here are some actual examples. Step one: Overexposed about two stops, shot in RAW. Step two: Pull the exposure back two stops, and adjust white balance. 100% crop of image. no noise reduction added Now, what not to do. JPEG shot at 2 stops under, and pushed up to the correct exposure. 100% crop: All shot with K10D at iso 1600, handheld in crappy light. FA50 1.4 at 2.0 Glad to see you are leaving JPEG behind. Enjoy the new camera KungPOW .. this is an extremely useful post. You've done a great job explaining the basics of how to work hi-ISO. I think it should be a sticky in the "General Photography- Techniques and Styles" forum.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Bizarre AF Lens?	Swift1	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	7	08-18-2010 07:22 AM
Bizarre K20D operation	FruitLooPs	Pentax DSLR Discussion	3	06-28-2010 07:24 PM
Help - *istDS stuck in some sort of bizarre loop	peetucket	Pentax DSLR Discussion	8	07-06-2009 01:08 PM
HELP PLEASE !!! Bizarre K10d exposure problem!!	StephenG	Pentax DSLR Discussion	15	10-02-2008 12:52 PM
cs3 noise filter vs. noise ninja vs. ???	reknelb	Pentax DSLR Discussion	0	03-04-2008 04:55 PM

07-11-2009, 01:12 AM	#46
Christopher M.W.T Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,689 Original Poster	I went out and about this arvo, ended up swapping over my 17-70 for another as my was having some issues getting focus, went through some of my photos and found the same ... effects I am complaining about. One solution I found was to shoot in raw+ and change the black level, however is it a concern if I need to deliberately underexpose as it will show? Once again an example, http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/3709519364_09c81cdbf6_o.jpg

07-11-2009, 01:16 AM	#47
KungPOW Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Vancouver, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,699	Originally posted by C.W Tsorotes My spider senses are telling me something isn't right with my unit. Problem with your unit? See a doctor. Problems with how you use your camera? Read about "shoot to the right". It means that to minimize noise in the photo you need to: 1. shoot RAW 2. Overexpose as much as you can without clipping the image (shooting to the right) 3. Use post process software (like photoshop, or Lightroom) to pull the exposure back. This means, no JPEG's, no 5 stops under-exposure, and no straight from camera results. All cameras need to be treated this way to get the best results. Even Canikons. Otherwise everything you are going adds to the noise.

07-11-2009, 01:26 AM	#48
Christopher M.W.T Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,689 Original Poster	Originally posted by KungPOW Problem with your unit? See a doctor. Problems with how you use your camera? Read about "shoot to the right". It means that to minimize noise in the photo you need to: 1. shoot RAW 2. Overexpose as much as you can without clipping the image (shooting to the right) 3. Use post process software (like photoshop, or Lightroom) to pull the exposure back. This means, no JPEG's, no 5 stops under-exposure, and no straight from camera results. All cameras need to be treated this way to get the best results. Even Canikons. Otherwise everything you are going adds to the noise. Thanks for that, I'm tinkering with raw now, finding the difference is huge between jpg much prefer it next thing to buy is a 16gig card. With shooting RAW i'm finding that the issue pretty much disappears, looks like no more JPG for me.

07-11-2009, 01:52 AM	#49
Christopher M.W.T Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,689 Original Poster	Oh man, I never quite realised that this is on so many other low-light photos ive taken on my P&S cameras over the years! I guess having 14.6MP you see things that you didn't notice on 5-6mp cameras!!!! I kinda feel dumb now. However interestingly I seem to notice it much more on MS Picture Viewer yet on photoshop CS4 its far less pronounced. Thanks to everyone whos put in their two cents.

07-11-2009, 01:57 AM	#50
KungPOW Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Vancouver, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,699	Here are some actual examples. Step one: Overexposed about two stops, shot in RAW. Step two: Pull the exposure back two stops, and adjust white balance. 100% crop of image. no noise reduction added Now, what not to do. JPEG shot at 2 stops under, and pushed up to the correct exposure. 100% crop: All shot with K10D at iso 1600, handheld in crappy light. FA50 1.4 at 2.0 Glad to see you are leaving JPEG behind. Enjoy the new camera

07-11-2009, 02:07 AM	#51
Christopher M.W.T Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,689 Original Poster	There was almost a part of me about to swing to the Nikon D90 lol but personally I love this cameras feel & features, that fact that it even has an in-built intervalometer really suprised me. But I see now the folly of my ways,

07-11-2009, 02:24 AM	#52
KungPOW Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Vancouver, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,699	Did you notice how my last two samples look like all the high iso tests you see when Pentax cameras are reviewed? I wonder why that is. Now stop being woried about high ISO noise and get out and shoot some stuff. It must be the midle of the day in Australia right now.

07-11-2009, 08:35 AM	#53
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,976	Originally posted by C.W Tsorotes My spider senses are telling me something isn't right with my unit. My spider sense tells me that every K-7 you put your hands on is going to have something not right with it.

07-11-2009, 10:18 AM	#54
séamuis Banned Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Savannah, U.S./Baguio City, P.H. Posts: 5,979	Originally posted by C.W Tsorotes Take a look at the bottom near the receiver and PS3, and subwoofer. hmmm, im just not sure. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/3708946434_1ed28caf90_o.jpg your not sure... but you have no experience or another camera to test it against? despite what everyone is telling you... oh man. where is Gooshin anyway?

07-11-2009, 05:38 PM	#55
Christopher M.W.T Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,689 Original Poster	Originally posted by séamuis your not sure... but you have no experience or another camera to test it against? despite what everyone is telling you... oh man. where is Gooshin anyway? I said earlier that I have a K100D to test with. However now it makes sense that im comparing a 14mp vs 6mp unit. Ive gone back through alot of photos I took on my P&S camera and I notice the same sort of noise now on dark dark scenes, just never noticed it before in the past. I'm still getting use to the camera..

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

07-11-2009, 07:52 PM	#56
krypticide Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,079	Really don't see what's wrong with any of the "noisy" shots posted here. Sure, there's "noise" or "grain", but nothing that seems to be egregious or indicative of a bad unit.

07-12-2009, 05:01 AM	#58
séamuis Banned Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Savannah, U.S./Baguio City, P.H. Posts: 5,979	Originally posted by pawzitiv KungPOW .. this is an extremely useful post. You've done a great job explaining the basics of how to work hi-ISO. I think it should be a sticky in the "General Photography- Techniques and Styles" forum. more importantly, we need to send this to DPReview. so that they may finally know how high ISO should be done.

07-12-2009, 06:19 AM	#59
Christopher M.W.T Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,689 Original Poster	Good news my initial doubts with this camera are gone, it's really grown on me in the last 24hrs. A shot of the sky pretty much untouched, shot in RAW. Sky High on Flickr - Photo Sharing! 1600 ISO of my parents cat, minimal tweaking, no flash. Sky High on Flickr - Photo Sharing! Using bracketting taking 5 shots at +/- 1 EV of my car and editted in Photomatix. Audi - K7 + Photmatix on Flickr - Photo Sharing! My cat Simba at 100iso 70mm with flash. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3712263917_01d657cef2_m.jpg

07-12-2009, 07:57 AM	#60
HarryN Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Pleasanton, CA Posts: 68	While your testing at strong underexposure may not be the norm, it is a useful test, at least to me. There is a lot of range of lighting in many shots, and it is all too easy to be happy with properly exposed areas and miss those details in the shadows. You can always do like I did after my experiences with DSLR - go back to shooting film on a manual SLR and scan it. Of course, no one here would ever accuse me of being a serious photographer either. Keep posting your shots. My wife wants a K-7. I told her she could keep her pentax P+S digital or have one of my ME Supers. That went well.