How to fix grainy issues

[cameraseye]

New to forum. I am having a problem with grainy photos. I use a Canon 40D with a Canon 430EX external flash and 2 1000 watt soft boxes. How can I correct the grainy problem? Sorry for taking time with what is probably a simple fix issue.

[pathfinder]

What ISO are you shooting at?

Are you shooting in RAW?

How do you see the graininess? On your monitor, or in your prints?


Welcome to dgrin:thumb

[cameraseye]

What ISO are you shooting at?

Are you shooting in RAW?

How do you see the graininess? On your monitor, or in your prints?


Welcome to dgrin:thumb

The following is an example of the values used for a paticular photo. I shoot in Manual mode.

ISO = 1000
TV = 1/320
AV = 5.0
Focal length = 27.00 mm
Noise reduction = OFF
lens = 18-55 f/3.5-5.6

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated in advance. Thank you!!

[Scotto]

What camera? seeing as you have put TV/AV I am guessing Canon??? only problem is the lower end DSLRs dont handle higher ISO very well.

If this is the case ISO 1000 will be very grainy. When I was using a 350D (years ago) I knew that I was risking it with anything about ISO 800.

If the photography is important to you I am more than willing to run it through 'Noise Ninja' in Aperture to try to fix it for you.

[Nikolai]

The following is an example of the values used for a paticular photo. I shoot in Manual mode.

ISO = 1000
TV = 1/320
AV = 5.0
Focal length = 27.00 mm
Noise reduction = OFF
lens = 18-55 f/3.5-5.6

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated in advance. Thank you!!

It's hard to say without seeing the picture itself, but what strikes me as weird is that you're using a rather high ISO value, yet you've mentioned 3 lights...:scratch Is it possible to dial ISO back down to more reasonable value and either increase strobes power or shutter time? It doesn't look like you're shooting action with this setup anyway... :dunno

[Nikolai]

What camera as the lower end DSLRs dont handle higher ISO very well.

If this is the case ISO 1000 will be very grainy. When I was using a 350D (years ago) I knew that I was risking it with anything about ISO 800
he said 40D, man...:wink :deal

[Scotto]

:doh

Oh yeah see that now. - apologies

I covered a school assembly this morning had to use 1600 and upto 3200 ISO due to poor lighting haven't seen the photographs yet and I have never used such a high ISO on my 40D. Interested to see how good/bad the noise is now

[Nikolai]

:doh

Oh yeah see that now. - apologies

I covered a school assembly this morning had to use 1600 and upto 3200 ISO due to poor lighting haven't seen the photographs yet and I have never used such a high ISO on my 40D. Interested to see how good/bad the noise is now

Well, I was using 40D at 1600 and 3200 a lot when I was shooting school events: concerts, football games, and such. 3200 was only barely usable and required either a lot of NR in post or you kinda had to go with the flow and use the noise as an "artistic element". 1600 held up pretty well, though, at least with in-camera High ISO NR On and dumping the shadows (the noisiest parts of the image) in post.

[cameraseye]

:doh

Oh yeah see that now. - apologies

I covered a school assembly this morning had to use 1600 and upto 3200 ISO due to poor lighting haven't seen the photographs yet and I have never used such a high ISO on my 40D. Interested to see how good/bad the noise is now

Thank you for responding. My Canon is a 30D not 40D - sorry hit wrong key. I usually try to adjust the aperture first to get the exposure mark right. In the end, I most times have to increase the ISO to get the mark right. Should I not worry about the exposure mark? I did try to upload the pic, but file size is too large. Any other suggestions?

[Scotto]

Somethings going wrong somewhere here, you are using a 430EX flash and 2x1000 watt soft boxes and you are having to go to ISO 1000??

Can you take an actual meter reading from the subject, I use a similar set up and my settings are always around 1/125, F11/F16, ISO 100! Only think that springs to mind is the distance between the subject and softboxs is to large - but i'm guessing at this as I don't know the full set up etc

[I'm new to DGrin hope I aren't stepping on anyone toes dishing out advice]

[Nikolai]

Thank you for responding. My Canon is a 30D not 40D - sorry hit wrong key. I usually try to adjust the aperture first to get the exposure mark right. In the end, I most times have to increase the ISO to get the mark right. Should I not worry about the exposure mark? I did try to upload the pic, but file size is too large. Any other suggestions?

You better be careful with such things :wink Next time you'll forget to type and extra zero and get our heads spinning trying to figure out what on earth Canon 35D is :rofl

Back to your issue... Yes, a combination of Canon 30D and ISO1000 is probably not the best couple for the most clean image. Newest bodies handle such high ISO values better.
I also didn't understand your "exposure mark" comment. Did you mean aperture or shutter speed? With first one you don't seem to have a lot of choice since you're shooting with a kit lens (you still can open it a bit at 27mm, albeit image will become soft, but that seems to be lesser evil in your current situation). And the second one is what I recommended in the first place. However, I still don't understand how come you need to use such high ISO values if you have so much light power as you've mentioned.

Posting picture - resize it something like 600x200x72dpi and attach.

[cameraseye]

You better be careful with such things :wink Next time you'll forget to type and extra zero and get our heads spinning trying to figure out what on earth Canon 35D is :rofl

Back to your issue... Yes, a combination of Canon 30D and ISO1000 is probably not the best couple for the most clean image. Newest bodies handle such high ISO values better.
I also didn't understand your "exposure mark" comment. Did you mean aperture or shutter speed? With first one you don't seem to have a lot of choice since you're shooting with a kit lens (you still can open it a bit at 27mm, albeit image will become soft, but that seems to be lesser evil in your current situation). And the second one is what I recommended in the first place. However, I still don't understand how come you need to use such high ISO values if you have so much light power as you've mentioned.

Posting picture - resize it something like 600x200x72dpi and attach.

Sorry, exposure mark should have been metering. Tried to resize to suggested size and it distorted pic.

[Nikolai]

Sorry, exposure mark should have been metering.
Metering? :scratch :rolleyes :dunno
It's still ambiguous. There are TWO things: aperture (AV value, as in f/4.0, f/5.6, etc.) and shutter speed (TV value, e.g. 1/320sec, 1/60sec, etc ). So which one is it?

Tried to resize to suggested size and it distorted pic.
Well, I didn't mean literally those dimensions, just a ball park figure. Keep the ratio intact and make sure it fits in 640x640 box.