Camera Labs

Hi all. The title gives it away, but I've got a 500D. The last two times I've been out, I've been doing long exposures at night and on a different occasion, some high ISO (1600. it's high for the 500D!).

I just wanted to check if anyone (probably Jiko) has any thoughts on the following two custom functions;
a) Long exposure noise reduction
b) High ISO speed noise reduction

I shoot with the long exposure NR 'on'. I don't ever turn it off because I assume that whatever the camera does to the RAW file is only in effect when you're exposing ~>10s.

With regard to the high ISO NR, I've turned this off, set to 'disabled'. As with allowing the camera to produce JPEGs from the RAW files, I assume that its ability to apply NR is poorer than applying NR in PP? Is it also irreversible? I'm concerned that if it's turned on, then I'll get a softer image by default.

I know the usual responses are 'use noise ninja or DXO' etc - I don't really have much interest in the software solutions and want to get the camera performing at its best. I only use Canon DPP, so if there's anyone with NR experience with that, then great - I only ever see it soften the image!

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As far as I know high ISO noise reduction is only affecting JPGs, not the RAW files. I keep it switched on.

I don't really know know much about long exposure noise reduction and if it's affecting only JPG or if it changes anything in RAW files. But if you are doing long exposures it takes twice the time when this feature is switched on so I switched it off. I was using the camera for taking shots of lightning ( https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/t ... directlink for example) and you never know when it will appear so that extra time the camera needs for noise reduction was just disturbing like hell.

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Canon EOS 500D + Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm 4L IS USM + EF 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 100mm 2.8L Macro IS USM + Sigma 12-24mm 4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM + Canon Speedlite 580 EX II + Nissin Speedlite Di 466

Do you even get noise from long exposures?

I don't conduct a lot of fancy stuff, so I wouldn't know. I think it's enabled, but if you record to RAW and it only affects the JPGs, it probably won't make a lot of difference. I generally use lower ISO's, especially with the camera being a lower end model.

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II

I don't know how the build in noise reduction affects RAW files but it is irreversible if it does. I always have every camera noise reduction turned off because I like to control as much as possible manually. I assume that an actual version of Canon DPP does a better job in noise reduction than the image processor of your camera but I haven't tested it yet.
Unfortunately, Canon DPP offers you only a choice between lesser noise or details thus I stopped using it after finding a better program for noise reduction. If you would like to get more detailed photos, I suggest you to do the same. I know you wouldn't like to hear that but I get much sharper and more detailed results with the noise reduction of NeatImage than with Canon DPP when processing the 16-Bit tiff file. As you can see here and here (click download for larger resolution), I get very sharp and detailed results when using ISO 1600 with my EOS 400D by reducing the noise with NeatImage.

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My Cameras: Canon Powershot SX1 IS, Canon EOS 400D
My lenses: Canon EF 75-300 III, Petri 50mm f/1.8 & 28-70mm lens with M42-EF adapter
Very cheap but lovely equipment ^^
My Photos

I'll have to remember the name - neat image.

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II

I never tried long exposure noise reduction with raw but I would imagine it has to affect the raw unless it saves two images (or two contained in one file). The doubled exposure is due to it taking a "dark" exposure of the same settings, which captures only noise. It can then subtract this from the shot you took. At long exposures, you are much more prone to hot pixel effects. Some raw converters or noise reducers are quite effective at reducing hot pixels anyway.

I also use neat image, although I can't say it is a universal fix. I tend to use it as an intermediate step during processing so it is affected by whatever else has gone on before it.

And hello DarkSoul! Didn't recognise you from dA earlier!

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

I've taken pics with long exp noise reduction on and off with my 50D. It activates for all exposures 1 sec and longer. It will eliminate hot pixels pretty well. I see no reason to turn it off, unless the exposure time being doubled is a nuisance.

I can't say much about high ISO noise reduction.

Afterwards I can eliminate hot pixels pretty well as well and it doesn't take much longer

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Canon EOS 500D + Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm 4L IS USM + EF 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 100mm 2.8L Macro IS USM + Sigma 12-24mm 4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM + Canon Speedlite 580 EX II + Nissin Speedlite Di 466