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50D Sensor
Hi
I have been using canon 50d for several years now and it would seem that the sensor on this camera is actually poor in regards to High ISO noise in low light . In fact the light does not need to very low at all for this to become an issue, anything over 800 iso introduced more noise that I would have expected for this camera is this the experience of other who have used this camera model ?
Thanks
Carl
I have been using canon 50d for several years now and it would seem that the sensor on this camera is actually poor in regards to High ISO noise in low light . In fact the light does not need to very low at all for this to become an issue, anything over 800 iso introduced more noise that I would have expected for this camera is this the experience of other who have used this camera model ?
Thanks
Carl
Carl Lea Wedding and event photographer - Wellington - Web Site
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If you want a markedly large improvement in high-ISO noise reduction, the Canon 5D MKIII, 6D and 1D X are all splendid in high-ISO noise signatures and very nice color rendition up to ISO 6400, or so.
For tips on optimizing the Canon 50D for low light situations:
2) Shoot RAW. RAW files intrinsically have more correctability than JPG files, and a modern software RAW de-mosaicing algorithm is much more efficient in producing cleaner output images than JPGs.
3) Use software noise reduction. My favorite RAW post-processing workflow for High-ISO images from older Canon cameras starts with Phase One Capture One RAW software (P1C1). It works splendidly to suppress both pattern noise and chroma noise. The result of P1C1 noise reduction, often with a bit of contrast reduction too, and I get fairly fine monochromatic noise which often is usable as it is. Additionally I may add some Neat Image noise reduction to just the shadow areas, and sometimes even some PhotoShop Despeckle or Dust and Scratches to just the darkest tones (for really bad noise problems). These last steps squash the shadow details, but that may be preferable to shadow noise in some cases.
4) In reduced dynamic range scenes, "Expose to the Right". It may be even preferable to slightly blow out unnecessary highlight detail in order to reduce noise. (Click here for the explanation.)
5) Try using an in-between (fractional) ISO. Some ISO settings may give the appearance of lower noise than the full-stop ISO settings. For instance try both ISO 1600 and ISO 1250, to see which offers a better visible noise for your style of shooting. (Do watch out for highlight clipping too.)
6) Make sure that ALO (Auto Lighting Optimizer) is disabled. ALO can exacerbate high-ISO noise on the 50D.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Using that link, click on the "Measurements" tab, then select "SNR 18%", making sure that the "Print" setting is also selected. This shows an normalized chart of an 8" x 12" print at 300 dpi. This demonstrates that printed images will fair slightly better, in terms of noise, using a Canon 50D versus a Canon 20D. Likewise images resampled to a more normal screen resolution will display less noise in a Canon 50D versus a Canon 20D comparison.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Link to my Smugmug site
I've shot with both of those cameras, the 50D is significantly better than the 20D when you look at an overall image. Pixel peeping when one camera has twice the pixel density of the other is not useful. The 50D has about a 1-stop advantage in ISO performance (that is, similar whole-image-level noise at ISO 1600 to what the 20D had at 800).
That said, anything modern is going to blow the 50D away. It's looking like the 7D2 is another 1.5 stops better than the 50D. 6 years of technical advancement will do that.
--Ian
Carl