Need some advice on this grainy picture

[extricate]

Hi there,

I'm using a Panasonic LX3.

I took this picture and it turned out very grainy. Can someone advise me on the settings to take? Why is this picture so grainy? Actually all the pictures i took on that day turned out like that.

Pls advise.



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[spree86]

The grainy effect in the picture is called noise. It occurs when you shoot at higher ISO. What ISO are you shooting at when you take your photos? To prevent this you can shoot at lower ISO and to accommodate for the longer exposure timing and camera shake, you can mount your LX3 on a tripod.

 

[canontom]

use tripod for night shot.

 

[Rashkae]

I see ISO grain and handshake blur. Learn the basics of nighttime photography first, and bring a tripod or learn how to use your surroundings as a tripod.

 

[wildcat]

"Actually all the pictures i took on that day turned out like that."

This was taken at ISO400, exposed for 1/30secs at 19:36. It was not zoomed in (35mm equivalent: 24mm).

Looks like IS may not be turned on, or if it was your hand may have been shaking quite badly, as the cause of it looks like motion blur from camera. You may want to boost the ISO further but using a compact camera like LX3, the noise level may not be acceptable if you push beyond ISO800.

You mentioned that all the picture you took that day turned out like that? That means those you took at 12pm or 4pm also turned out like that? When it is dark, most compacts (or even DSLRs) will not have the "auto" capability to handle night shots. Some cameras are smarter (in my opinion) in boosting the ISO, resulting in a lot of noise but there are people who also dislike noisy pics from high ISO. So some camera's auto settings just try to go as long as possible. The result?

What you see above. Maybe you can clarify what expectations you have from your compact camera.

 

[hotwork77]

According to your picture, the metadata as follows:
ISO 400, f3.2, 1/30sec.

What's happening to your photo is not grain. The ISO is only 400 and is still acceptable for your camera. What you're seeing as grain is actually camera shake. At the point you depress your camera, the camera point downwards and as you let go it moves back upwards. See the motion of the lights.

To take clear photos, you need to mount it on a tripod. If you don't have a tripod, you can always try some other support like railing, dustbin top or lean on someplace where you can get your hands steady.

Hope that helps.

 

[ovaltinemilo]

ISO noise... try to shoot in sunny afternoon...your cam will be well again..

 

[gundamseed84]

I guess for general PnS camera due to the smaller sensor compared to one with larger sensor in dslr, at same IS0 maybe PnS will show more noise compared to bigger sensor. Even for my canon 500D ISO 400 is ok but can be a little grainy depending on situations. To your camera, ISO 400 is considered high for your sensor already hence the noise is more obvious.

 

[sinned79]

from this photo, i dun see a need to bump up the ISO to 400. The sky is not so dark yet till you need to do this.

Try shoot at ISO 200 and use a tripod. And dun pixel peep.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

I think that is a very big diff between noise & grains.

What you are experiencing is noise

 

[extricate]

sorry guys, not very experiencing in this.

erm so the result if i have to lower the ISO. anyways,i will try lowering and give it a try. update u guys on the situation again. thanks man!

 

[enzeru21]

aiya LX3 and you zoom until like that sure will see some grain or noise la..

don't worry too much... just try not up ISO unnecessarily..

 

[sinned79]

sorry guys, not very experiencing in this.

erm so the result if i have to lower the ISO. anyways,i will try lowering and give it a try. update u guys on the situation again. thanks man!

shoot on tripod also. your camera should have a delay 2 second shoot. use that in case if your hand is unsteady when u press the shutter even though using a tripod, it wun result camera shake.

 

[tecnica]

Camera Maker: Panasonic
Camera Model: DMC-LX3
Image Date: 2010:08:12 19:36:51
Focal Length: 5.1mm (35mm equivalent: 24mm)
Aperture: f/3.2
Exposure Time: 0.033 s (1/30)
ISO equiv: 400
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: No
Orientation: Rotate 90
Color Space: sRGB

for the convenience of everyone.