Canon 6D in low light
May 1, 2021 12:19:47 #
A family of raccoons has discovered my bird feeders, so now I have to take them in at night - the squirrel stoppers do not deter the raccoons.
Yesterday evening, as the sun was setting, when they made their appearance I was waiting for them with my Canon 6D (Version 1) and my Canon 100-400mm L EF lens (also version 1).
This photo was taken handheld in manual mode (with auto ISO) with the lens at 400mm, aperture of f 7.1, and shutter speed at 1/400 sec exposure. The ISO was automatically adjusted to 12800.
Yesterday evening, as the sun was setting, when they made their appearance I was waiting for them with my Canon 6D (Version 1) and my Canon 100-400mm L EF lens (also version 1).
This photo was taken handheld in manual mode (with auto ISO) with the lens at 400mm, aperture of f 7.1, and shutter speed at 1/400 sec exposure. The ISO was automatically adjusted to 12800.
May 1, 2021 12:25:41 #
May 1, 2021 12:33:27 #
allanj
Loc: New York City
Great shot, but I would crop. Do not need so much out-of-focus grass and less on the sides.
May 1, 2021 12:33:40 #
Wonderful example and capture! We could go on and on about noise processing and / or exposure parameters. There's one other thing you could consider: resizing your image. The noise is not visibility until this image is inspected at the 1:1 pixel-details of your 5472x3648 sized file. It's minor even at that 1:1 level. Another way to disguise the digital noise is to resize the image a smaller size being all that is needed for an internet post, such as 2048px on the long-side, such as discussed in this post:
Recommended resizing parameters for digital images
Recommended resizing parameters for digital images
May 1, 2021 12:51:20 #
Plenty of noise ! - but considering the ISO quite good ......thanks for sharing
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May 1, 2021 13:00:59 #
Nice one! You must have a really steady hand. Subject is tack sharp. Appreciate shooting data as well. Thanks!
May 1, 2021 13:09:43 #
May 1, 2021 13:20:13 #
That’s great photo at least on my iPhone. All my attention was on the eyes. I totally forgot to notice the noise and I felt the surroundings worked as you have it.
I would definitely consider the suggestions for myself as there’s a lot of experience to learn from.
I would definitely consider the suggestions for myself as there’s a lot of experience to learn from.
May 1, 2021 13:59:22 #
amfoto1
Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
The Disappointed Diner. (A possible title for your image.)
Some years ago I had a family of racoons make camp on the roof of my house. At night I'd sometimes hear them scamper across the shakes. One night they were particularly busy so I went upstairs to a window that overlooked the roof, very quietly and without turning any lights on. Then I flipped on a flash light I'd brought with me. There were 4 or 5 baby racoons following mom around. One of the youngsters was right by the window, eye to eye with and about 12" away from me, with just the screen between us! I'm not sure which of us was more shocked. They all moved on soon after that and I had to go up on the roof to remove their cushy "nest" of leaves before the rainy season came.
Personally I like the "loose" nature of this shot. Yes, a tighter shot might be nice too... And you could make an argument about the subject being so centered. But there's nuthin' wrong with a looser and centered composition such as this either.
Noise is well handled for an ISO that high. But if you wanted to use the image large... say as a big and/or cropped print... it will needs some sharpening to bring out fine detail. But other work needs to be done first and selectively because simply sharpening to bring out detail would also greatly amplify the appearance of noise. So some overall noise reduction is the first step.Then any sharpening needs to be applied selectively, done only to the in focus areas. Then some add'l NR to the opposite, out of focus areas. Even a bit more background/foreground blur might help. Any of it needs to be done "gently", so the image doesn't look over-worked.
I hope you don't mind, I was curious how that might work on this image (I don't have a 6D to experiment with). So I downloaded your image and played around with those processes in Photoshop ("old school" stuff... I want to experiment with Topaz AI sometime). See what you think. Personally I think maybe it makes an already very good image just a little better in a subtle way. It doesn't make the noise "go away", but tries to keep it from being amplified when sharpness and details are enhanced. Compare side by side with your original.
Some years ago I had a family of racoons make camp on the roof of my house. At night I'd sometimes hear them scamper across the shakes. One night they were particularly busy so I went upstairs to a window that overlooked the roof, very quietly and without turning any lights on. Then I flipped on a flash light I'd brought with me. There were 4 or 5 baby racoons following mom around. One of the youngsters was right by the window, eye to eye with and about 12" away from me, with just the screen between us! I'm not sure which of us was more shocked. They all moved on soon after that and I had to go up on the roof to remove their cushy "nest" of leaves before the rainy season came.
Personally I like the "loose" nature of this shot. Yes, a tighter shot might be nice too... And you could make an argument about the subject being so centered. But there's nuthin' wrong with a looser and centered composition such as this either.
Noise is well handled for an ISO that high. But if you wanted to use the image large... say as a big and/or cropped print... it will needs some sharpening to bring out fine detail. But other work needs to be done first and selectively because simply sharpening to bring out detail would also greatly amplify the appearance of noise. So some overall noise reduction is the first step.Then any sharpening needs to be applied selectively, done only to the in focus areas. Then some add'l NR to the opposite, out of focus areas. Even a bit more background/foreground blur might help. Any of it needs to be done "gently", so the image doesn't look over-worked.
I hope you don't mind, I was curious how that might work on this image (I don't have a 6D to experiment with). So I downloaded your image and played around with those processes in Photoshop ("old school" stuff... I want to experiment with Topaz AI sometime). See what you think. Personally I think maybe it makes an already very good image just a little better in a subtle way. It doesn't make the noise "go away", but tries to keep it from being amplified when sharpness and details are enhanced. Compare side by side with your original.
May 1, 2021 14:23:09 #
allanj wrote:
Great shot, but I would crop. Do not need so much out-of-focus grass and less on the sides.
It’s a record shot, not high art. I’d leave the surroundings in the frame ... unless acoarst to please a Camera Club judge, which is unlikely cuz then he’d notice the (GASP !!!) noise.
FWIW, the noise excellent, looking very “photographic”, no blotches or lines. You could turn off auto ISO and just keep it at 12800. I’m gonna dust of my 6D and set it to 12800 right now, even though that will cost me two shutter speeds :-O
May 1, 2021 14:35:11 #
Great shot of this little rascal. I have to put my feeders in at night, too. Sometimes it is raccoons and sometimes possums.
May 1, 2021 15:34:23 #
IMO, the (high) level of noise renders this as more "artistic" than being a photographic representation ...in which case, the sky is the limit for noise level .....
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May 2, 2021 07:34:30 #
Great photo (the noise is minor and easily fixed in post), and I think it is a wonderful example of what the 6D is capable of in low light situations.
May 2, 2021 07:57:19 #
May 2, 2021 08:04:03 #
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