Digital Noise

Digital Noise

The second item in this series on Digital vs Film is about digital grain or noise. What the heck is digital noise? Aren’t we talking about a camera?

Absolutely! But noise, in this sense, is one of these technical terms used in the electronics world. In a film camera, the images are formed by exposing charged silver particles in the film, to light.

So-called fast film, the 400 ISO stuff you use indoors, can capture more light because it has more silver particles. But, the downside is you can see these flecks in your final photographs.

It’s the same with digital. If you want to shoot in low light without a flash, you can bump up your ISO. It’s something like opting for faster film. However the downside is the same: you’ll see all sorts of specks, or "noise" in your final image.

In film images, grain can be used as an artistic effect, but IMHO, noise in a digital image is exactly that - noise. Not a visually appealing characteristic at all!

So, if you are shooting in very low light, it’s best to use a flash; or here’s an insider tip: Use the lowest ISO you can, even if your image will be a little underexposed. In Photoshop, or your image editing software, after you open the underexposed image, create a duplicate layer, BUT change its blending mode to SCREEN.” And voila! A perfectly exposed image! Well, not exactly – you may have to do this a few times, but you’ll dramatically reduce the incidence of noise in your final image.

But of course, the best thing is to not have it at all - or as little as you can. With a camera like the Nikon D70, you can use setting in the camers to reduce noise at higher ISOs.

Next Article about Digital vs Film: Dynamic Range

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