X Vario - Noise reduction at high ISO

[dkCambridgeshire]

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For an ongoing project, I'm experimenting in total darkness with a Leica SF 24D flashgun fitted with a red filter on my X Vario - camera set to 'B&W' film mode, JPG, and 'AF assist' - using both preset high ISO settings i.e. ISO 1600, 3200 and 6400 and also Auto ISO .. and with the shutter and aperture dials both set to 'A'. I'm using the 28mm wide angle end of the zoom thus the 'auto everything' mode selects the widest f3.5 aperture. The flashgun is set to TTL and the camera's ISO settings appear on the SF 24D monitor. White balance is set to 'Flash'.

 

The red filter comprises three layers of red cellophane attached to the flashgun lens via a rubber band. The reasons why the red filter is necessary will be revealed when the project goes 'live' and I can post some 'in action' images but suffice to say the SF 24D / X Vario combination is working well in the experiment and producing decent correctly exposed B&W images at high ISO and the 'AF assist' works fine in total darkness.

 

The only slight 'hiccup' so far has been an occasional 'freeze' whereby a message on the monitor advised something along the lines of 'noise reduction in progress' (I forget the exact wording) … when the screen then went blank momentarily … followed by a visible 'countdown' in seconds commencing on the camera monitor from maybe 40 'ish' seconds down to zero … following which the image was finally revealed on the screen.

 

I have not come across this 'noise reduction in progress' delay before and so far cannot find any mention of it in the instruction manual. And it does not appear to be a mode that can switched on or off manually via the menu - it appears to kick in automatically - but it did not activate with every exposure.

 

Further experiments in total darkness will be conducted to try and replicate the 'noise reduction in progress' procedure when will make a note of actual camera settings in use - thus maybe discovering exactly why/when it 'kicks in'.

 

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this temporary 'freeze' when using high ISO settings whilst the camera presumably goes through its 'noise reduction' procedure to clean up the image and if so do you recall which ISO setting was in use?

 

This is the first time I have used the B&W mode at high ISO. When high ISO up to 6400 was in use with the regular colour mode and without using flash the noise reduction processing delay did not activate.

 

Best wishes

 

dunk

[dkCambridgeshire]

Edit to above: I am aware the 'Flash' white balance setting is incorrect when using a red filter - but it does not matter that much when using B&W mode - and I have also used 'Auto' white balance. I'm also planning to repeat the experiment using my X1 camera to see if a 'noise reduction processing countdown' similarly occurs at high ISO. There is nothing in the X1 instruction manual documenting its noise reduction mode.

 

dunk

[spylaw4]

Can't recall the details or settings - but I have had the "noise reduction in progress" LCD message from time to time in attempts at a shot in very dark conditions, but without flash. This on M8/8.2 but I see no reason why the circumstances should be any different from the XV.

[papimuzo]

The last time I got "noise reduction ...." was when I left the protector on the lense...!

Probably this process takes place when the light cell measurement detects a too low value or reach the limit of the ISO setting in the auto-ISO rules?

Anyway we are interested by your experiment with the IRs, thank to share.

[dkCambridgeshire]

The last time I got "noise reduction ...." was when I left the protector on the lense...!

Probably this process takes place when the light cell measurement detects a too low value or reach the limit of the ISO setting in the auto-ISO rules?

Anyway we are interested by your experiment with the IRs, thank to share.

 

Hmmm ... not experimenting with IR … but there is a very good reason why a red filter is necessary on the flash for this particular project and why B&W mode is in use (thus avoiding a colour cast if regular colour mode was set) . I do not wish to reveal the reason just yet. I have used the red filter on a flash for another project when I was using an IR camera but the filter had no influence on the IR part of the light source - but the flashgun red filter was serving the same purpose then as it was with the X Vario .

 

The 'noise reduction' message must be activated by a combination of factors and I hope to try and replicate same so as to 'avoid' the combination in future - because it takes up too much time waiting for the countdown to complete its cycle before the camera 'unfreezes' and the image pops up on the monitor.

 

Thank you for your comments.

 

dunk

[jaapv]

For an ongoing project, I'm experimenting in total darkness with a Leica SF 24D flashgun fitted with a red filter on my X Vario - camera set to 'B&W' film mode, JPG, and 'AF assist' - using both preset high ISO settings i.e. ISO 1600, 3200 and 6400 and also Auto ISO .. and with the shutter and aperture dials both set to 'A'. I'm using the 28mm wide angle end of the zoom thus the 'auto everything' mode selects the widest f3.5 aperture. The flashgun is set to TTL and the camera's ISO settings appear on the SF 24D monitor. White balance is set to 'Flash'.

 

The red filter comprises three layers of red cellophane attached to the flashgun lens via a rubber band. The reasons why the red filter is necessary will be revealed when the project goes 'live' and I can post some 'in action' images but suffice to say the SF 24D / X Vario combination is working well in the experiment and producing decent correctly exposed B&W images at high ISO and the 'AF assist' works fine in total darkness.

 

The only slight 'hiccup' so far has been an occasional 'freeze' whereby a message on the monitor advised something along the lines of 'noise reduction in progress' (I forget the exact wording) … when the screen then went blank momentarily … followed by a visible 'countdown' in seconds commencing on the camera monitor from maybe 40 'ish' seconds down to zero … following which the image was finally revealed on the screen.

 

I have not come across this 'noise reduction in progress' delay before and so far cannot find any mention of it in the instruction manual. And it does not appear to be a mode that can switched on or off manually via the menu - it appears to kick in automatically - but it did not activate with every exposure.

 

Further experiments in total darkness will be conducted to try and replicate the 'noise reduction in progress' procedure when will make a note of actual camera settings in use - thus maybe discovering exactly why/when it 'kicks in'.

 

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this temporary 'freeze' when using high ISO settings whilst the camera presumably goes through its 'noise reduction' procedure to clean up the image and if so do you recall which ISO setting was in use?

 

This is the first time I have used the B&W mode at high ISO. When high ISO up to 6400 was in use with the regular colour mode and without using flash the noise reduction processing delay did not activate.

 

Best wishes

 

dunk

Exactly the same with the M8/9240. The camera does a black frame reduction at long shutter speeds to eliminate hot pixels. I don’t know at what shutter speed the X kicks in, I guess about one second - There is no way to avoid it -fortunately- believe me, it is needed.