High ISO Noise Comparison

I have already talked a little about the effects of high ISO noise in a previous post. And one of the reasons I wanted to upgrade from my Canon EOS 300D to my new 30D was it's alleged better performance at high ISO settings, plus the ability to choose ISO 3200 in really dark situations, whereas the old camera would only go up to ISO 1600.

So I thought it might be useful to take a closer look at some photos taken with each camera, and see if things really are any better in dim conditions.

EOS 300D - Sigma 135-400mm EF f/4.5-f/5.6 - ISO 1600

Back in December 2005, I went to see Saracens play Wasps away in High Wycombe. It was a fairly late kickoff, and being December, it wasn't long before the floodlights were on and things were getting pretty dingy on the pitch. Here's a picture of ref Ashley Rowden supervising the scrum:

[The ref's head is highlighted above]

The picture doesn't look too bad resized for viewing on the web. But looking at it at full resolution, you'll see what happens:

[The highlighted section shown at Actual Pixels (100%) size]

You can see that the skin tones show noticeable coloured noise, and the black areas are also very mottled. The whole image is fairly soft and not very saturated.

EOS 30D - Canon 100-400mm EF L f/4.5-f/5.6 - ISO 1600 / ISO 3200 (HI)

Yesterday, I was back to see Saracens play Glasgow at home in Watford. Admittedly with a different lens, but it's the camera body itself which is the biggest factor in image quality in low light. By the second half, the floodlights were on again, and this is the first shot we'll look at taken at ISO 1600:

[The Scrum Half's head is the piece to be enlarged]

Again, the photo above is good quality at web resolution, but I think there's a definite improvement at full size:

[The second highlighted section shown at Actual Pixels (100%) size]

This time, the blacks are cleaner and there is less obtrusive coloured noise in the skin tones. It looks noticeably sharper, and the colours are more vivid.

Here's another one, as it was getting even darker. In order to keep the shutter speed up, the only option was to increase the ISO setting, since I was working at the lens' maximum aperture, f/5.6. So I used the ISO setting on HI - which basically means 3200:

[The Prop's head is the bit we're interested in]

I'm impressed with the web resolution image - certainly crisp, clean and good colours. And closeup?

[The third highlighted section shown at Actual Pixels (100%) size]

Pretty impressive! I'd say 3200 with the 30D looks better than 1600 with the 300D. So I reckon it's been a worthwhile upgrade for that alone. Plus the fact the 30D is much quicker a writing images to the Compact Flash card - vital when taking a sequence of high-speed action photos. With the old camera, I would often be left frustrated after following the action up the pitch - I'd miss a try because the camera was still unloading it's buffer to the card!

Needless to say, rugby in the dark days of winter push the capabilities of a camera quite hard. The speed of action and low light are both factors which probably won't bother you too much if you just take a few holiday snaps or family pictures with your SLR.

Thinking Around The Subject

I take a lot of photos at rugby matches, but sometimes during the break or after the game can provide some really interesting subjects, not just the players on the pitch. This is particularly true when it's a big Cup Final game.

On 19th May, I saw Bath vs ASM Clermont-Auvernge play the European Challenge Cup Final at Twickenham Stoop. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and by the time the game was over, and the trophy was being presented to the victorious ASM team, there was some great side lighting which really brought things alive.

So rather than show you any of the match photos, here are a selection of fans and player shots, to show what else of interest you can see by thinking laterally. (You can see more after-match photos too.)

Fans:

One thing I love about rugby is the fans - whichever team you support, there is always respect for good play and each other. We all sit together around the ground - there is no need for segregation. Yes, you'll hear plenty of good- natured banter amongst the opposing crowd, but I've never seen any trouble of the sort which is all too common in and around football grounds.

[Left, La Dame d'Auvernge]

This lady was just on her way out of the ground after her team had won. I complimented her team on playing well (in my best French) and she rewarded me with a lovely beaming smile - which really summed up the spirit of the game and it's supporters.

Celebrations:

The winning team lined up on my side of the pitch for the press shots - fortunately, I was a few rows higher in the stands, directly behind the press corps, and got some great shots of the players celebrating their victory:

[ECC Champions - ASM Clermont-Auvergne]

Some shots you know are going to be special when you press the shutter. The picture below was pure serendipity - I had no idea the ticker tape was due, but just as I pressed the button, it exploded around the cup, lit from behind by the low sun:

[Ticker Tape Explosion]

Of course, being in the right place at the right time is also vital. Often after a game, players will mingle with the crowd, or at least get close enough for you to get some nice portraits. The ASM team were keen to show off their trophy, and gulp champagne out of it too! The shot below was taken with the 400mm end of my 100-400mm IS zoom lens - it has superb quality, and this is about half-frame cropped from the middle of the picture:

[Drinking a toast - Loic Jacquet guzzles champagne out of the trophy, while his team mates look on in the reflection]

If you find you're getting the same shots from familiar situations, why not try thinking around the subject a bit, it's surprising what you can come up with, given a little thought and a little luck!

Weekend Outings

Last weekend saw my camera get a workout on both days. I've taken it to quite a few rugby games recently, but not really done any creative photography since the middle of September - far too long. So last Saturday, I took myself out and about to the local park to photograph some of the sites of autumn. Here's one example:

[red leaf and twig]

See more pictures in the General Colour - 8 and Mono Selection - 4 galleries.

On Sunday (5th November), I was lucky enough to be at Twickenham for the England vs New Zealand game. The result was disappointing, but the fireworks afterwards were nice! Here's a shot of the pyrotechnics over the new South Stand:

[Twickenham on Fire, pity England weren't...]

You can read my review of the game, and see plenty more photos here.

Green-Eyed Monster

Envy is a terrible thing!

I've had my trusty Canon EOS300D digi-SLR since Feb 2004, and have used it for capturing countless pictures which I'm extremely pleased with. The vast majority of the images on my photographic portfolio have been taken with it, so much so that I haven't picked up my Canon EOS50E film body since going digital. In the main, I've had no complaints at all about the camera, and in the age when whatever you buy is obsolete before you get the credit card bill, it's been an excellent tool to get to grips with the peculiarities of digital, as opposed to film.

However, in the last few months, particularly at some of the rugby games I've photographed, I've noticed I'm beginning to hit the limits of its capablilities. There have been times when I've been following the action, only to find that the vital try-scoring moment has passed by because the camera's buffer was full and still writing to the card. It takes 10 shots in 30 seconds, roughly - the first 4 in quick succession and then you have to wait for subsequent frames to write to the card (it's definitely the camera, I tried a 100x CF card and it made no difference!)

Similarly, in the depths of winter, when it's cold and sometimes pretty dim by 5pm when some games wrap up, it can be pretty difficult to get enough photons onto the sensor - its just too dark, even with the floodlights on and the ISO setting cranked right up to its maximum of 1600. This can lead to some interesting "movement blur" type shots, which is all well and good from an arty perspective , but useless if you actually want to freeze the action.

Photographing games in the rain can be fun, and not just for the sight of 30 beefy blokes rolling around in the mud! I have a Cameramac for the body and Sigma 135-400mm lens which I use at the rugby - basically it's a waterproof "cloak" which slips over the hardware while still allowing access to the lens, top plate controls and LCD on the rear. I remember one match where it was pelting with rain, but even though I ended up soaked below the knees (my Goretex didn't stretch down to my ankles!), the camera and lens remained pretty dry.

Anyway, I digress. The point of this post was to comment that, having seen my dad's new Canon EOS20D this weekend, I'm seriously thinking about upgrading to a 20D or probably 30D (which now supercedes the 20D) in the near future. First catch a spare 800-odd quid. Maybe I should take my bass out and do a spot of busking on the Underground?