New camera with LOW CCD noise required

Hi,

I'm sorry if this is my second post on this subject, but the first one
hasn't come up in the group for several hours now.

Basically, I want to get a new camera. I love my Canon PowerShot A40 but I
would like more pixels and less noise at higher ISO settings.

I was very tempted by the Canon PowerShot S1 but in reviews it says the
noise levels are higher than average for Canon - this is certainly not what
I want!

Any recommendations for cameras that can take images at ISO 200 without
making the colours all speckly?

I went to Wimbledon on Monday and took a load of action shots at ISO 100 and
200, 1/1000s in overcast and sunny conditions, and a lot of them look very
speckly. I really have to use it at ISO 50 to get nice smooth images, but
that's useless for high speed action shots.

Thanks for any ideas.

Scott

"scott" wrote in message
news:QNFCc.349$765.12@newsfe5-win...

Any recommendations for cameras that can take images at ISO 200 without
making the colours all speckly?

I went to Wimbledon on Monday and took a load of action shots at ISO 100
and
200, 1/1000s in overcast and sunny conditions, and a lot of them look very
speckly. I really have to use it at ISO 50 to get nice smooth images, but
that's useless for high speed action shots.

Compact cameras with small sensors are all going to start to exhibit some
noise above ISO 100 -- you need a digital SLR to get clean, high-ISO
performance. BUT ... there are some very effective noise reduction software
packages you might try on your current ISO 200 images. My current favorite
is the 'Helicon' noise filter -- and there's a 'free for personal use'
version you can download he

http://helicon.com.uahttp://helicon.com.ua

If you haven't tried it before, you may be surprised with the results.

Mark

Mark Weaver wrote:
"scott" wrote in message
news:QNFCc.349$765.12@newsfe5-win...

Any recommendations for cameras that can take images at ISO 200
without making the colours all speckly?

I went to Wimbledon on Monday and took a load of action shots at
ISO 100 and 200, 1/1000s in overcast and sunny conditions, and a
lot of them look very speckly. I really have to use it at ISO 50
to get nice smooth images, but that's useless for high speed action
shots.

Compact cameras with small sensors are all going to start to exhibit
some noise above ISO 100 -- you need a digital SLR to get clean,
high-ISO performance.

Hmm, it's a real shame there isn't anything inbetween. Looking at the SLR
models they seem to go up to ISO 800 or 1600 with less noise than I get at
ISO 200 !!! The Canon EOS 300d looks pretty good for the money, but I don't
know whether I can justify spending double the amount over the PowerShot S1.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos300d/page14.asp

Seems to show the difference quite well, I think mine is even worse than the
Sony shown on the right. That 300D certainly seems a lovely piece of kit
for the price, might need to think about whether it will be worth it for me
though.

BUT ... there are some very effective noise
reduction software packages you might try on your current ISO 200
images. My current favorite is the 'Helicon' noise filter -- and
there's a 'free for personal use' version you can download he

http://helicon.com.uahttp://helicon.com.ua

If you haven't tried it before, you may be surprised with the results.

Yes, that seemed to work pretty well on my images without blurring the
details too much. The only thing missing is the option to batch process
folders, but that seems to be coming in the Pro version.

Mark Weaver wrote:


http://helicon.com.uahttp://helicon.com.ua



I get an error that the URL can't be found.

dave

Bay Area Dave wrote:
Mark Weaver wrote:


http://helicon.com.uahttp://helicon.com.ua



I get an error that the URL can't be found.

Split the link in half :-)

scott wrote:

Hi,

I'm sorry if this is my second post on this subject, but the first one
hasn't come up in the group for several hours now.

Basically, I want to get a new camera. I love my Canon PowerShot A40 but I
would like more pixels and less noise at higher ISO settings.

I was very tempted by the Canon PowerShot S1 but in reviews it says the
noise levels are higher than average for Canon - this is certainly not what
I want!

Any recommendations for cameras that can take images at ISO 200 without
making the colours all speckly?

I went to Wimbledon on Monday and took a load of action shots at ISO 100 and
200, 1/1000s in overcast and sunny conditions, and a lot of them look very
speckly. I really have to use it at ISO 50 to get nice smooth images, but
that's useless for high speed action shots.

Thanks for any ideas.



You need an EOS 300D. It does exactly what you want. DK

Actually, the EOS 1D Mark II would probably be the best camera currently available for
that application ... but it's also priced like it!

"scott" wrote in message
news:FmHCc.371$765.205@newsfe5-win...
Mark Weaver wrote:
"scott" wrote in message
news:QNFCc.349$765.12@newsfe5-win...

Any recommendations for cameras that can take images at ISO 200
without making the colours all speckly?

I went to Wimbledon on Monday and took a load of action shots at
ISO 100 and 200, 1/1000s in overcast and sunny conditions, and a
lot of them look very speckly. I really have to use it at ISO 50
to get nice smooth images, but that's useless for high speed action
shots.

Compact cameras with small sensors are all going to start to exhibit
some noise above ISO 100 -- you need a digital SLR to get clean,
high-ISO performance.

Hmm, it's a real shame there isn't anything inbetween. Looking at the SLR
models they seem to go up to ISO 800 or 1600 with less noise than I get at
ISO 200 !!! The Canon EOS 300d looks pretty good for the money, but I
don't
know whether I can justify spending double the amount over the PowerShot
S1.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos300d/page14.asp

Seems to show the difference quite well, I think mine is even worse than
the
Sony shown on the right. That 300D certainly seems a lovely piece of kit
for the price, might need to think about whether it will be worth it for
me
though.

BUT ... there are some very effective noise
reduction software packages you might try on your current ISO 200
images. My current favorite is the 'Helicon' noise filter -- and
there's a 'free for personal use' version you can download he

http://helicon.com.uahttp://helicon.com.ua

If you haven't tried it before, you may be surprised with the results.

Yes, that seemed to work pretty well on my images without blurring the
details too much. The only thing missing is the option to batch process
folders, but that seems to be coming in the Pro version.



Scott, if you want more from your camera than it is currently able to give,
I have a feeling that, in the long run, a DSLR will be worth the investment.
Not only do they offer lower noise levels, but the optics that are available
are better than nearly anything in a point and shoot. You'll find yourself
trying out compact after compact, not being completely satisfied, and then
end up buying a DSLR, anyway, I'll bet. I could be wrong, but...

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com

On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 21:06:14 +0100, scott wrote:

Hmm, it's a real shame there isn't anything inbetween. Looking at the SLR
models they seem to go up to ISO 800 or 1600 with less noise than I get at
ISO 200 !!! The Canon EOS 300d looks pretty good for the money, but I don't
know whether I can justify spending double the amount over the PowerShot S1.

There are choices between the extremes, but of course they are compromises.
As has been pointed out, Digital SLRs are the best choice for high
sensitivity and low noise. But there are some digital P&S cameras that
will do better than your A40 at less than half the price of the 300d.

Two that I have some experience with are the Olympus C4000 and the Kodak
(gasp!) DX6490. Each has its shortcomings, but either one can capture
respectable images at ISO 400. Not noise free, but often the noise is
sufficiently subtle that no processing is necessary. At other times, a
quick trip through Helicon, Noiseware, or (except for the quick part) Neat
Image will help.

I recommend the reviews at Imaging Resource:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/

Check out the sample images for various cameras, particularly the ISO
series. You might find a camera that meets your needs.

On the other, if you're sold on a DSLR, go for it!

Unfortunately .... I "tried" it.

Here is a copy of my personal notes and reactions ... YMMV

= = = = =
06/24/2004

Regarding Halicon Noise Filter:

Downloaded, installed and tried this software on this date.

The program is "not ready for prime time."

(1) It does NOT accept TIF files for input, and images must be converted to JPEG or BMP
format;

(2) **Crashed** (refused to load and then acted if it was corrupted) when trying to load a
medium sized image ... 25,559,256 bytes ... 4087 pixels by 6252 pixels ...
RWD_1930s_002.bmp/tif/png

(3) After crashing in step 2, above, the program could be restarted, but could NOT be
operated ... it stalled when trying to load any kind of JPEG or BMP file!

Sad ... because it just might offer something in addition to the capabilities of Neat
Image.

= = = = =
PS - The image used loads quite nicely in a whole list of other programs ... in any of the
file types. It was converted to JPEG and BMP using Adobe PhotoShop ... so the conversion
*should* not be a problem. Halicon kept telling me that the BMP file was corrupted
(something like "bad identifier") ... and then just plain stalled when trying the JPG
file(s).

= = = = =

Anybody know of any other image clean-up programs that really work well, besides Neat
Image?