Grahame Loc: Fiji

Perhaps I should have been more clear, my last para was specific to this image for which the OP had mentioned that he exposed well to the right. I have seen the original which the OP Pm'd me and it is exposed extremely well.

It of course shows some minor noise when viewed at 100% that you would expect but this is very easily reduced if you are concerned with simple minimum work. Note, I did not say "as you said, ISO 125 should never produce noise", noise at some degree is always present.

CTTonymm Loc: Connecticut

Another option is to use ON1 Photo Raw which now includes an outstanding No Noise module - best results appear to be running the No Noise developing module first in post processing. The AI is really good and can be tweaked with sliders for sharpening, detail, color etc and can be masked out to preserve detail where needed (e.g. white feathers here ?).

R.G. Loc: Scotland

You ask about how to reduce noise but what that really indicates is a desire for smoothness. As others have mentioned, the noise isn't bad, but I think the problem is your sharpening has left the image with a lack of smoothness - which you are now missing, but the trouble is you're seeing noise as being the problem rather than the loss of smoothness. One answer would be to learn how to keep the sharpening to the edges and to learn to moderate the sharpening that the small detail gets, plus keeping the sharpening away from the smooth areas as much as possible. If you do that, the rest of the image doesn't need much in the way of denoise, and that is often the case.

Hip Coyote

A few thoughts...first, I think you did the right thing by using raw, trying not to crop, etc. Makes sense to me. I also suggest using a denoise and a sharpen program (such as Topaz). I also have to question how you are using this shot and viewing it. Too many people get hung up on noise by viewing the pic on a screen, say 8X and then concern themselves with noise. You are not going to review the photo at 2 inches away...you are going to view it at 3 feet or more depending on size. This is why I think the obsession with massive mega-size camera sensors capable of 40+ megapixels is wrong headed, generally.

One thing that LR has is the enhance. I used it on an image that I knew was going to be severely cropped image (and I used micro 4/3 format) so I enhanced the raw file and then cropped. It is an acceptable amount of noise (I know you did not need to crop..but try it is a technique to put in your quiver.)

Finally, I hear those cameras are defective. I will buy it for $200 sight unseen. joking aside, it is a wonderful camera and one I may buy soon. I think AI, such as denoise and sharpen programs are going to make the cameras like this even more usable.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Sharpening will often emphasize the noise. Cutting back on the sharpening or applying localized sharpening (only on the image areas which benefit from sharpening) can help.

Hip Coyote

Great point.

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert