sturos Posted October 12, 2010 Share #1 Posted October 12, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi All, Long time Leica user, recently acquired an M8. so, I'm going to be shooting in low light in a classical music hall. need a quiet camera, but the M8 files at 1250 are a bit noisy. Anyone have the same experience, or have a fix for this?? Also, the firmware on my camera is 2.0...is there a newer version? Will upgrading help?? Many Thanks in Advance Stu Rosner Boston, MA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 12, 2010 Posted October 12, 2010 Hi sturos, Take a look here Noise Reduction on M8 at hi ISO. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
hoppyman Posted October 12, 2010 Share #2 Posted October 12, 2010 Stu there are a couple of things that I suggest may assist you there. Firstly underexposure and then lightening the darks when you develop the files will likely result in much more apparent noise. It will pay you to carefully establish the correct exposure levels. Depending on exactly what you are photographing in the hall of course you may find that there is more light than you think (and you don't want to expose so that very dark backgrounds are rendered grey either). In post processing with Lightroom if you do not already use version 3 I recommend that you upgrade as there are advances in noise control there too. Further to that, the expedient of clipping your blacks a little more can cover some noise (that's a standard approach). Still with Lightroom 3, judicious use of the masking and noise reduction controls in your processing can make a world of difference. Finally a third party noise reduction tool is very helpful for more heavy duty needs. I use Neat Image but others like Noise Ninja have very good reputations as well. I took a look at my catalog for M8 shots at 1250 ISO. Just a fun shot but maybe not a bad example (no third party noise reduction) On firmware you should have 2.005 loaded http://en.leica-camera.com/service/downloads/rangefinder_cameras/m8/ Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/133830-noise-reduction-on-m8-at-hi-iso/?do=findComment&comment=1470107'>More sharing options...
Dan States Posted October 13, 2010 Share #3 Posted October 13, 2010 Hoppyman pretty much said it all. The M8 has basic center weighted metering so you need to be more precise in difficult situations. Most of the 1250 noise people complain about is due to improper exposure and then trying to pull miracles out of the files in post processing. In theater lighting you need to be careful not to blow the highlights, especially at high iso. LR3 has a kick-butt NR system that can pull a full extra stop out of nearly any high iso file. Great stuff! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombii Posted October 13, 2010 Share #4 Posted October 13, 2010 LR3 noise reduction is good but when you have more difficult cases, Imagenomic Noiseware Professional is better than anything else I've tried including Noise Ninja. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstotler Posted October 13, 2010 Share #5 Posted October 13, 2010 Hi All, Long time Leica user, recently acquired an M8. so, I'm going to be shooting in low light in a classical music hall. need a quiet camera, but the M8 files at 1250 are a bit noisy. Anyone have the same experience, or have a fix for this?? Also, the firmware on my camera is 2.0...is there a newer version? Will upgrading help?? Many Thanks in Advance Stu Rosner Boston, MA Stu--ditto to the comments above. The higher your ISO goes, the less latitude you have in post to pull exposure. With the M8 I'd rather underexpose (not grossly, but a bit) at 320 and pull heavily in post--or almost nail exposure at 640--than shoot at 1250. (EV 5 and above is OK at 320 plus push at f/1.2. Not ideal, but OK.) I'll only shoot at 1250 when I know I'm going to go black and white in post. Usually when I'm in EV 3-ish conditions with f/1.2. I almost never use de-noising software as I don't like the look of it. f/1.4 or wider is your friend in darkness like that. Luck and cheers! Will Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pklein Posted October 13, 2010 Share #6 Posted October 13, 2010 I would avoid ISO 1250 unless you can't get a decent image wide open at 640. If you use 1250, don't use any minus exposure compensation, and expose for the most important facial tones. If a few highlights blow, it's still better than having noisy "mud" in the image. I find ISO 640 or 320 works fine in most concert halls. A spot meter helps. The trick is to measure the faces and then open up one stop. With the M8, you can of course take a couple of test shots, "chimp" both the image and the histogram, and adjust accordingly. One more bit of advice: The M8 is noisier than a film M. Use the "discrete" shutter mode, shoot duing loud passages or on strong beats. Keep the shutter release pressed, put your camera under a thick coat, and then let go of the shutter release to cock the shutter again. See here: L1004556RavelTrio-w 90 Summicron (1980s non-ASPH), 1/90, probably f/2.8, ISO 640 --Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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