Low-light Image Problems

[Gary Dean]

Hi,

I'm using a D3100 with an AF-NIKKOR 55-300mm lens. The settings for the attached photo examples were f/6.3, 1/1000 sec, ISO Hi2, White Balance Auto, no flash. (I very rarely use the "Hi" settings. These effects also appear in lower ISO settings, but are more pronounced in the higher settings.) The attachment shows the JPEG version (left) and NEF version (right) of the same shot. I enhanced the images in order to highlight the problems. As you can see, the JPEG image fades toward dark on the right side. The NEF image actually has a discernable rectangle, on the right side of the image, containing an extreme amount of noise. These problems are evident when I'm shooting in low-light / fast shutter speed conditions. Has anyone experienced this? Is my camera's image sensor malfunctioning? Is this something that can be corrected, or do I just need to scrap the camera?

Thanks,
Gary Dean

 

[cwgrizz]

Welcome to the forum Gary. A few questions. Do you have any filters ie CPL on your lens? Are you shooting through glass or plexiglass?

 

[Gary Dean]

Thanks, Walt! No, I didn't use any filter, and I wasn't shooting through glass, or plexiglass.

 

[Zeke_M]

I have a D3100 and the 55-300 lens.
I would drop the shutter speed to 1/500. That would allow a drop in ISO. I never used my D3100 above 6400 ISO.
Auto WB doesn't always work in badly lit gyms with florescent lighting. You need a WB card to figure proper white balance or fiddle with the WB settings until you find one you like.
A high powered flash would help immensely if's allowed. The shadows are a direct result of the bad lighting in the gym.

Now for the hard part. It ain't the camera. The 55-300mm and it's variable aperture isn't a indoor sports lens.
It's a slow focusing outdoor lens better at subjects that don't move much.
You need to look at shooting with one of the f1.8 prime lenses or at the minimum a f4 zoom lens.

Oh! Welcome!

 

[mikew_RIP]

Welcome,my first thought is hi2 if i remember correctly is about ISO 12800 if thats the case as good as your camera is its expecting a bit much from it,i know you could say why put it in the camera if i cant use it but thats the way it is.

 

[Gary Dean]

Thanks, Zeke_M!

If it ain't the camera, then it's not really "the hard part" for me... it's actually good news! I was afraid that the camera was going bad. If I understand you correctly, I'm pushing the equipment beyond what it's capable of handling under these low-light conditions. The lighting was very bad, and I can't use a flash. The 55-300 is the only zoom lens that I have. So... I do what I have to do to capture an image in the circumstance that I find myself. Even when I'm shooting with 1600 ISO, I frequently get the fading to dark on the right side. Under these light conditions, for identical shots, I get inconsistent results with the settings that I need to use. I'll take your word for it, that it's not faulty equipment, but my faulty expectations. Thanks, again for telling it like it is. That's exactly what I hoped for.

Gary Dean

 

[Gary Dean]

Thanks, mikew! You basically confirmed Zeke_M's diagnosis, and I appreciate it.

Gary Dean

 

[Moab Man]

Is every shot, no matter what direction your pointed, have this same effect? I ask because when shooting under football stadium lights the frequency of the lights will cause a cast of color to go in and out.

 

[Don Kuykendall_RIP]

You are just pushing the camera way past what it is capable to shooting.

 

[Gary Dean]

Moab Man, thanks for the great question! I have grandsons that play basketball in poorly lighted gyms. As I'm shooting around the gym, from the same position, but aiming at different locations in the gym, I get very inconsistent results. Occasionally, I get a good shot, but most often not. As you said, a cast of color / darkness often results. Your reference to the frequency of the lights is very interesting, and may be the actual cause. I don't expect to get great results using such a high ISO, but I've been troubled by the inconsistency... suspecting a faulty image sensor. To the naked eye, the lighting in each gym seems fairly uniform, although poor... but, different shooting angles may be producing the very different results, due to the camera's different orientation to the light source, which my eyes do not detect. Do I understand your point? If so, it very much helps to explain the problem I'm experiencing.

 

[Gary Dean]

Thank you, Don Kuykendall... your confirmation provides me with great relief that my camera's not faulty, just it's user! I'm grateful for the quick responses from Nikonite members, and very much look forward to learning a great deal, here.

Gary Dean

 

[Marcel]

What you are seeing is called flickering. Your shutter speed is faster than the refresh rate of the fluorescent lights in the gym. There might be somewhere in the camera's menu to deal with this. I know I saw something with the D810 recently but not certain where. Check in your user manual.

Experience might also show you the gym's darker areas that you could try to avoid. I know it's hard to avoid certain areas where that's where the action happens, but...

The other solution is B&W.

 

[Gary Dean]

Thanks, Marcel
I think you, and Moab Man, have zeroed-in on the cause of the problem. If the shutter happens to open at the right instant, it captures the image in better light. If not, it captures the image during the "dark" period of the light refresh cycle. Correct? This explains a lot!

 

[Moab Man]

Some cameras have a setting in them to try and adjust for the flicker, auto - 50 hz - 60 hz, as it's called in the camera settings. The frequency of the lights cause a wave of color cast that we don't see with our eyes as it's just too fast, but the camera catches it. Football stadiums I shoot in go from all is good to a red/maroon cast that will pass through in a wave and the camera catches it quite well.

 

[Danno_RIP]

Sounds like everyone has given you the information you needed Gary. I just want to welcome you to the forum. Hope you enjoy it here. I came on board almost 2 years ago and I have learned a lot from these guys.

 

[Gary Dean]

Moab Man, I checked the Flicker Reduction setting. It's set to 60 hz, which is the AC standard in the US. I'll assume that it's the right setting, unless you correct me. As you can see in my attached examples, the maroon wave is EXACTLY what I'm getting. I'm not sure why this shows up as a well-defined rectangular box in the NEF versions, but they also contain a ton of noise (white speckles).

 

[Gary Dean]

Danno, thanks for the welcome! (I like your Tozer quote.)

 

[Marcel]

You also need a wider aperture lens. If you could get your hands on a pre-owned 85 1.8 you'd be a lot better. The lens you are using now is forcing you to go up a bit high with iso so it's less and less forgiving. You can also try to ease down the shutter speed. It then boils down to knowing exactly when to press the shutter button. Every sport has it's frozen moment. For basketball, I suspect it's right when the player gets to the summit of his jump just before the ball leaves his hands. I'm sure that with practice you'll eventually get the results you are after.

But beware, if you are trying to get "Sports Illustrated" kind of images, you'll have to spend a bit of money on lenses and practice a lot more. A lot of pros use remote flash system to get the results you see in sports magazines. But the only way to find out how hard it is to work in some situations is when you try it for yourself.

Practice makes perfect.

 

[Gary Dean]

Thanks for the advice, Marcel. I appreciate that you made a specific lens recommendation. "Sports Illustrated" images are WAY beyond my dreams (experience / equipment level). I'd settle for a few "Spuds Illustrated" quality pics. (Idaho potato growers quarterly mag.) I did some quick research, and am wondering about the Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G. What do you think about it? Any recommendation on where I might pursue finding a good used one? I can't afford a new one, right now. But, I could definitely keep my eye out for a used one, if you think it's a good option.

Here's an example of what I'm getting with my current lens (55-300), which doesn't seem too bad, as long as the light is VERY good. Another grandson passing. (I don't use the auto-focus for freeze action... too slow.)

 

[Moab Man]

I like purchasing used equipment from Adorama. They have a rating system that has been dead on with how they rate it and what I get.

The Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 with stabilization is a great lens and you could probably find for a pretty good price.