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New monitor, noisier pics??

El ComatEl Comat Registered Users Posts: 51 Big grins
edited March 25, 2010 in Digital Darkroom
My old monitor died (17" CRT from 2001), so I bought a new computer/monitor. I have an LG Flatron W2453V (24" LCD), which is very nice, but all my higher ISO/low light pics look much grainier and noisier. Is this due to the pixel size on the monitor (and larger screen allowing less compression of the photos), or is the new monitor just showing the cold hard truth (my pics are actually noisy/grainy)? The difference is more noticeable around ISO 800/1600 in low-light settings. I'm shooting an XSi with the 18-55 IS kit lens.

On another note, what's the easiest way to calibrate my new monitor?

Thanks!
Adam

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    EclipsedEclipsed Registered Users Posts: 360 Major grins
    edited March 22, 2010
    Newer monitors tend to be a little more saturated and have more contrast then older monitors. Does your new monitor look brighter color wise or a little more intense?

    It doesn't sound like a calibration issue. It may be that your newer monitor is better and you are noticing stuff you didn't before.

    If you want to run noise pictures through a noise reduction software, I recommend Noiseware Community Edition. It is free and is the best I have used for the price. mwink.gif
    http://noiseware.com/download_nwsa.aspx
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    QarikQarik Registered Users Posts: 4,959 Major grins
    edited March 22, 2010
    I went through the same issue I *think*. Was working on Lightroom on 15 in macbook. Pictures looked great. Then switched to 27 in imac. The default image size was nearly 100% zoom already so everything has more grain. I suspect that is what is happening to you as well.

    On one level it really brings out limitations of your HW...so worry about it. One another level, no body really views images at the size really...so don't worry about it.
    D700, D600
    14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
    85 and 50 1.4
    45 PC and sb910 x2
    http://www.danielkimphotography.com
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    ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 23,830 moderator
    edited March 22, 2010
    CRTs have an intrinsic "analog" smoothing effect. LCD displays are much more "digital" and tend not to scale the noise as well, making the images appear noisier unless you display at 100 percent with a true 1:1 relationship of camera pixel to screen pixel. (It's a little more complicated and also relates to drivers and displaying software and OS, but the basic premise is still true.)

    Eclipsed is also correct in that LCD displays also tend to have higher contrast than CRTs, which most people seem to like, and it makes images seem "crisper", but it also exaggerates the appearance of grain.

    You will, over time, adjust and visually/mentally translate to the new system, and begin to accept your new display as normal. Just give it time.

    In the mean time, whenever you want to compare a new image for grain, pull up an older image that you trust and view it simultaneously on the screen to use as a "standard" image for the visual comparison.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
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    David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,191 moderator
    edited March 25, 2010
    Moving this thread over to Digital Darkroom since it deals with computer peripherals and photography. Hopefully, the tech nerds will come out and help.
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
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    NewsyNewsy Registered Users Posts: 605 Major grins
    edited March 25, 2010
    El Comat wrote:
    My old monitor died (17" CRT from 2001), so I bought a new computer/monitor. I have an LG Flatron W2453V (24" LCD), which is very nice, but all my higher ISO/low light pics look much grainier and noisier. Is this due to the pixel size on the monitor (and larger screen allowing less compression of the photos), or is the new monitor just showing the cold hard truth (my pics are actually noisy/grainy)? The difference is more noticeable around ISO 800/1600 in low-light settings. I'm shooting an XSi with the 18-55 IS kit lens.

    On another note, what's the easiest way to calibrate my new monitor?

    1. What resolution are you using it in? the native 1920x1080?

    2. LCD's are sharper than CRT's, sometimes too sharp. Hopefully the monitor has a sharpness control and you can use this next web site to check and adjust if necessary.

    http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/sharpness.php

    3. Re calibration. The easiest way is with a hardware colorimeter but you can try to do it by eye; again, use the Lagom.nl site.

    I suggest you consider either the:

    Colorvision Spyder3 Elite
    Xrite i1 Display2

    Both of these have a feature where you can measure the white luminance value and can calibrate to a specific custom value. This is you primary means of controlling brightness. The lesser models from Colorvision or Xrite do not allow you to calibrate to a specific value. LCD's are much brighter than CRT's. They tend to hold their RGB values fairly well over time but brightness, in some models, noticeably drops off in the first year. If you are trying to match two monitors, print matching and trying to avoid dark prints from edited images, this is a huge help.

    .
    http://newsy.smugmug.com

    .
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