Bill Again wrote:

"Paul Heslop" wrote in message
...
Bill Again wrote:

There has been some ongoing discussion about noise in digital pics and
the
general assumption is that it is a "bad thing". Camera manufacturers work
hard to eliminate it, as discussed in the recent posts over the FZ30.
However, I came across a blog today which cites an academic paper
suggesting
that noise can also be your friend. I have pasted the blog below,
followed
by a link to the paper.

The comment about the possibility that Canon "build in about the right
amount of noise" is something that Panasonic might take on board.

Bill

But noise can also be ugly, jagged, nasty blotchy and totally unlike
film grain.


--
Paul (This sky, too, is folding under you)

Exactly true. But this paper is suggesting that in other circumstances it
can actually add something to the picture. It is important in this respect
that we do not perceive it as "noise" but that, psychologically seen, we
subconsciously perceive it as enhancing the picture in some way. *That* is
what I found interesting, not the blotches.

Bill

I've had a couple that looked okay with the 'noise' level and I agree
about the grain thing, but noise can be awful and sometimes adjusting,
say, a darkening sky in an image can show immediately just how bad
that noise is. This is I would say with film grain it doesn't affect
the detail, where noise can degrade the image around the edges of
lines etc.


--
Paul (This sky, too, is folding under you)
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