Grainy Skyline... Help Please!

[Tom Grove]

And remember, there are 2 types of night shooting. There are cityscapes and the like, such as these, where you want to put things on a tripod, drop your ISO down, and just capture the image in all its clarity. Unless a lot of movement is visible (planes, trains and automobiles) then slow shutter speeds are your friend - and even when movement is visible, it can be used to your advantage if you use really slow speeds. Then there are star and night sky shots. Here, you want to use higher ISO to allow for more light to get it, but not so much ISO that you introduce noise. Don't confuse the two.

In both types, use a tripod, turn off your VR, use a remote (2 stage, mirror up + shutter activation with a wait in between) or the self timer (5 second delay to allow for the camera to still before the shutter activates).

That's exactly what I did... We were talking about stars and eventually city lights, and I definitely mixed them up... I also did not raise the mirror nor did I use self-timer... will add that to my notes as well!

 

[Tom Grove]

I do it all the time as well. I think I'm going to paste a sticky note on my lenses. "Turn VR off "!!

lol Might do that myself!

 

[Roy1961]

i usually remember to turn the vr off after i take the shot

 

[Eyelight]

VR should know when to turn itself off. Why can't a smart camera be smart?

 

[Tom Grove]

Here you go - a quick How To on using ACR's Noise Reduction section, and the better option of using the Nik Collection's Dfine 2.0 tool, once you have it (and you will get it)...

(first sentence is cut off - I'm just telling you what I'm doing)

One thing I should have added, with the ACR noise reduction, you'll hit a point with both the Luminance and Color sliders where you really don't reduce any more noise, but all you do is lose more and more details, so look for that spot and don't go past it. And don't be afraid to retain a small amount of ISO noise if it's necessary to preserve crisp details. Sharpness is more important than noise removal.

Outstanding tutorial!!! Thank you so much Hippie!!!

 

[Tom Grove]

BackdoorHippie... I was able to follow your instructions without a hitch!!! The pics I tailored look much better... Thanks!

 

[PapaST]

That was a nice tutorial. Jake, you sound a little like Dave Letterman.

 

[BackdoorArts]

That was a nice tutorial. Jake, you sound a little like Dave Letterman.

I used to call him up when I worked for the phone company. He was the best at handling prank phone calls.

But damn, now I'm worried that I sound like I'm a relocated Hoosier living in Connecticut!! LOL


... (edit) ...

So, you made me listen to it again. So glad it's a cadence thing and not the accent. Never noticed it before. Mom always said I shoulda been a comedian.

 

[Lawrence]

Mom always said I shoulda been a comedian.

I thought you were one ...

 

[Tom Grove]

I still haven't been back to San Diego (yet) to redo that skyline, but I found a decent hill locally and got some fair shots using all the advice I acquired here... Nothing to write home about, just something to keep practicing the technique.

Bah... I mistakenly placed that that thumbnail attachment on there and I can't get it off... It's the last pic.