Digital Moonlit Landscapes

[Jonathan Wienke]

[font color=\'#000000\']You will always get less noise by increasing the ISO to get proper exposure than you will by underexposing and pushing in post. Read Digital Exposure And Metering Strategies; by understanding and applying the concepts presented there, you will always know how to expose to capture the greatest possible dynamic range with the least possible noise. It's like abstinence as a method of birth control; it works 100% of the time it's tried. It's basically a refinement of Michael's "expose to the right" dictum, with test procedures for determining the exceptions to the rule.

Instead of raising ISO, try using a faster lens, or learning how to use bulb mode.[/font]

[Jonathan Wienke]

[font color=\'#000000\']Try http://69.224.22.169/Photography/exposure_..._strategies.htm My web host is being strange.[/font]

[sc21]

[font color=\'#000000\']I'll be going out photographing some coastal landscapes by the full moon on Monday night, and I was wondering what settings you use for digital night photography.

I have a 10D and some wide angle lenses, and I'd prefer to use ISO 400 over 800, due to the noise, but for a 30" exposure at f/2.8 I find I need 800 to bring the histogram up past a third of the way across.

So is it possible to increase a RAW ISO 400 image by a stop to get the equivalent of an 800 image in brightness, but without the noise?  And can you get two stops out of it (to shorten the exposure time and so cut down on stair trails), without much degradation?

I'll be testing this myself (I'm stuck with Canon's converter for the moment), but I wanted to see what your experience with this is so I'll have a good idea on where to start when I'm out there.

Also, since this plays into it, being night photography, do you really want to bring out a full histogram curve, meaning having brilliant whites, or should you keep the sky and landscape a little muted if there's no white rocks or such in the image?

Thanks.[/font]

[sc21]

[font color=\'#000000\']Thanks, Jonathan.  That's just what I found tonight, shooting the same exposure at ISO 200, 400, and 800, in both RAW and JPEG.  Was surprised to see the 800 coming out on tops in noise, but I'm not complaining at all.  I bet a little Noise Ninja would help as well.

Tried to find that article you posted, and was told it couldn't be shown.  Searched for it, and was told the same.  Still curious, if you can connect me to it.

Thanks.[/font]

[Jonathan Wienke]

[font color=\'#000000\']I think I finally solved the problem, and both links should be working now.[/font]