Is there something wrong with my C-4040Z - Pictures Inside

[REAmemiya]

I've had my Olympus C-4040Z for about 3 years now. It has served me well. Recently i noticed that the quality of the pictures don't appear to be as good as they used to be when i first bought here. Here's a recent picture that i took that i think is a little grainy:

and

If you look really closely, you can see the different color pixels...it's really annoying me and i'm wondering if there's something i can do to fix this.

This is how i would expect my camera to take pictures:

Any suggestions or tips on how i can fix my camera so i can take better looking pictures?

 

[chancy]

Hello REAmemiya,

I'm venturing to speculate a cause.

I examined two of the smaller 3 photos by downloading them. I ain't good with cars, so I'll just call them by colour.

For the same 72 dpi resolution, both vary slightly in dimension 576x432 (red NSX) vs 640x480 (black). Has either one been cropped intentionally ?

What is obvious is that both vary considerably in file size 264KB (red) vs 76KB (black), it may suggest that you're using stronger lossy JPEG compression settings for the black car that are producing quality degrading artifacts, blocky/patchy colours & edge effects that robs the original image of smooth colour transitions & detail.

I wonder if you can provide a picture that you expect (the NSX) that's equal in dimension & resolution & compression as that in the garage for proper comparison for assistance by members here & elsewhere.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

 

[REAmemiya]

Hello REAmemiya,

I'm venturing to speculate a cause.

I examined two of the smaller 3 photos by downloading them. I ain't good with cars, so I'll just call them by colour.

For the same 72 dpi resolution, both vary slightly in dimension 576x432 (red NSX) vs 640x480 (black). Has either one been cropped intentionally ?

What is obvious is that both vary considerably in file size 264KB (red) vs 76KB (black), it may suggest that you're using stronger lossy JPEG compression settings for the black car that are producing quality degrading artifacts, blocky/patchy colours & edge effects that robs the original image of smooth colour transitions & detail.

I wonder if you can provide a picture that you expect (the NSX) that's equal in dimension & resolution & compression as that in the garage for proper comparison for assistance by members here & elsewhere.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Thanks for the response chancy. The first image of the black car was resized to 640x480. The original file size of the black car is that of the second picture (2272x1704). I will post the original picture of that 1st car when i get home. I think the original picture looks the same...kind of grainy. I'll see if i can get a larger version picture from a different camera for comparison purposes.

 

[chancy]

Thanks for the response chancy. The first image of the black car was resized to 640x480. The original file size of the black car is that of the second picture (2272x1704). I will post the original picture of that 1st car when i get home. I think the original picture looks the same...kind of grainy. I'll see if i can get a larger version picture from a different camera for comparison purposes.

Hello REAmemiya,

I think it is appropriate to compare a full res red NSX instead which I assume you've also resized. This can be compared with the garage one which you've already provided. Part of the grain may be attributed to the extreme light level outside vs inside the garage. This range may fall outside the dynamic range of your digicam, resulting in noise.

Once more I'm speculating here, do check if the compression settings could be a cause.

Cheers,

 

[REAmemiya]

Hello REAmemiya,

I think it is appropriate to compare a full res red NSX instead which I assume you've also resized. This can be compared with the garage one which you've already provided. Part of the grain may be attributed to the extreme light level outside vs inside the garage. This range may fall outside the dynamic range of your digicam, resulting in noise.

Once more I'm speculating here, do check if the compression settings could be a cause.

Cheers,

actually, i didn't compress the image of the NSX, i took it off a forum that someone else had posted. I'll take pictures in different lighting locations and see if i get similar results.

If the noise is a result of extreme outdoor lighting, is there anything i can do to adjust my camera for such settings? Maybe get a polarizing lens or UV lens?

 

[chancy]

actually, i didn't compress the image of the NSX, i took it off a forum that someone else had posted.

I had suspected that the red NSX was from a different source.

If your original intention was to request for help, it is only fair to those taking time to help if you provide pictures from the SAME camera when it is working and after its behaviour is suspect.

To include photo from a totally different source (without stating upfront) to compare with problematic behaviour then claim that the former is an expected result is irresponsible.

Even if your camera performs as well as your other source, it is only fair that this is mentioned from the beginning. Or if your statement is meant in jest, put a smiley at the end.

That's all I have to say. But I respect you for your subsequent clarifications.

If the noise is a result of extreme outdoor lighting, is there anything i can do to adjust my camera for such settings? Maybe get a polarizing lens or UV lens?

Choose a location where lighting is even and diffused. Polarizers will help improve image quality by reducing reflection & glare, but that will not help very much with extreme light levels in a scene.

Rgds,

 

[REAmemiya]

I had suspected that the red NSX was from a different source.

If your original intention was to request for help, it is only fair to those taking time to help if you provide pictures from the SAME camera when it is working and after its behaviour is suspect.

To include photo from a totally different source (without stating upfront) to compare with problematic behaviour then claim that the former is an expected result is irresponsible.

Even if your camera performs as well as your other source, it is only fair that this is mentioned from the beginning. Or if your statement is meant in jest, put a smiley at the end.

That's all I have to say. But I respect you for your subsequent clarifications.




Choose a location where lighting is even and diffused. Polarizers will help improve image quality by reducing reflection & glare, but that will not help very much with extreme light levels in a scene.

Rgds,

I apologize for being unclear in my initial post. I'll be sure to specify where the pictures came from in the future. i'll dig up some pictures i took when i first got the camera so you (or whoever else decides to help out) can compare initial performance when camera was first purchased and current performance.

 

[chancy]

I apologize for being unclear in my initial post. I'll be sure to specify where the pictures came from in the future. i'll dig up some pictures i took when i first got the camera so you (or whoever else decides to help out) can compare initial performance when camera was first purchased and current performance.

Hello REAmemiya,

No offense intended in my previous post. I'll try my best to help if you can provide the needed photos for comparison.

If not possible, try taking the same subject in an evenly lit environment with varying compression levels.

Cheers,

 

[REAmemiya]

Ok, i was able to dig up some pictures for comparison. This first picture i took back in September 14, 2002 around the time i first got my digicam:

this next picture is a current picture i took recently on October 10, 2004:

If you look carefully, you'll notice that the recent picture contains lots of small green and red dots or pixels. I really feel like the color is not as solid as it used to be when i first got the camera. If you need additional pictures to help figure out what the problem is, please let me know. I appreciate any help...is it possible that i just need to get a new digicam?

 

[REAmemiya]

btw, neither of these pictures have been resized. i know the second picture was taken at a larger resolution...but honestly, the resolution setting doesn't matter because every picture i take now looks grainy with red and green pixels.

 

[Xpose]

whats your iso for both shoot, it seem to me that the second pic is very noisy. One best bet is if both the shots were taken using the same iso but produce such result, it would be best to sent it in to the service center

 

[REAmemiya]

how much do you think it would cost to service this camera?

if it's going to cost $200 or more i'd rather just buy a new camera altogether. i'm pretty sure i used default settings...i'll have to double check the resolution and ISO on the first shot. I know for sure that the ISO was set to AUTO for both of them.

 

[chancy]

btw, neither of these pictures have been resized. i know the second picture was taken at a larger resolution...but honestly, the resolution setting doesn't matter because every picture i take now looks grainy with red and green pixels.

Hello REAmemiya,

I opened both photos in photoshop & looked at the EXIF information which describes the camera taking settings. I have also downloaded a copy of your 4040 manual from Oly JP. My comments :

First thing I noticed as mentioned by Xpose are varying ISO settings, your better looking photo was taken at ISO100, this gives the best image quality & it shows. For the grainy photo, the ISO shows 400, that means that the camera is amplifying the image signal causing noise & colour artifacts resulting in the discoloured grained patterns you see.

The operating ISO range of your camera is 100-400. The latter is normally used in dim lighting (indoors, at night). The imaging degrading effects of noise from high ISO is an issue that's under control only recently from cameras with larger imagers than that in the 4040 or with purpose-built noise reduction circuitry on the sensor itself. Earlier cameras as the 4040 do have have such facility.

Issue #2: Both photos are taken at different officially supported resolutions of the 4040 :

Low Res, 1920x980 for the better looking car
High Res, 2272x1704 grainy looking car

The higher resolution photo is likely to show more detail, in this case reveal noise from high ISO setting, while the lower res shot which is shot at optimal ISO reveals pixelation only under magnification.

The way to set ISO is illustrated in page 21 of the Oly manual. It is likely that someone inadvertantly mis-set the ISO to 400 for all conditions.

Hope this helps,

Cheers,