Advice needed on my 20d is it showing banding ?

[mags]

Hi All,

Can someone please have a look at this for me its really worrying me.

This is an extract of a shot I took at the weekend at a cousins wedding using my 20d.

This is a crop/closeup from the image taken at only 66% of the original size and to me the level of noise or pixelation is totally unacceptable for 200 iso.
Let me know if you can't make the photo out as i can send the original via email for closer scrutiny.

I have seen this excessive noise the odd time but I always dismissed them as a once off or something stupid i was doing - well no this is definitly out of order i think - so I am holding it as evidence of a possible camera issue.

I am listing my settings as well just in case i am being stupid - but i did use a light meter with manual mode and i think my settings are normal enough.

Can help suggestion would be appreciated ?

Make - Canon
Model - Canon EOS 20D
Orientation - Top left
XResolution - 300.00
YResolution - 300.00
ResolutionUnit - Inch
Software - Adobe Photoshop CS2 Windows
DateTime - 2006:07:06 10:21:08
Artist - unknown
ExifOffset - 228
ExposureTime - 1/250 seconds
FNumber - 8
ExposureProgram - Manual control
ISOSpeedRatings - 200
DateTimeOriginal - 2006:06:30 16:04:55
ShutterSpeedValue - 1/250 seconds
ApertureValue - F 8.00
ExposureBiasValue - 0
MeteringMode - Multi-segment
Flash - Not fired, compulsory flash mode
FocalLength - 50 mm
ColorSpace - Uncalibrated
ExifImageWidth - 2336
ExifImageHeight - 3504

[Bindii]

Something is definitley not right there Mags...all your settings look normal to me. Do you know if the flash actually fired btw?

I have a 20D but haven't had this issue yet....

hopefully someone here will have some idea as to what is causing this...

[StagePhotography.co.uk]

hmmmmmmm

Have you updated the Firmware lately? (not ure if you can or not but worth a try)...

[BarryM]

it doesnt even look like noise, its seems very patterned have u tried a different lens with same crop to see if the same

[mags]

Cheers Bindii - no definitly didnt use flash there was light soming in from the window and i didnt need it.

The firmware is old only 1.0.2 i think I looked athat last nite and thought maybe i should upgarde it the latest is 2.0.3 but im reluctant i know its silly but i thought id get some other opionions first.

This camera is out of warranty as well ! Err Its my fault as i still use my film camera i guess i havent used this boy as much so I am only noticing this lately as i have been using it more.

Could it be lens specific as the worst are noticeable on the 50mm fixed ?

[mags]

Thats the weird thing barry its not noticeable on every shot just the odd one.

But like 3 from friday are like this - not a lot i know when you are taking say 80 shots (p.s i was a guest at this so there mostly snaps).

But these few using the 50mm are the worst. I then changed and used a wide angle for a few evening shots but i upped the iso anyway at that stage so i did expect noise in those shots so can't say.


oh i dunno its just weirdness

[BarryM]

id be suprised at the lens being an issue then, the 50mm rocks imo for sharpness and clarity

[tonymidd]

I'm not a Canon user as you know but I notice in your data colour space unclaibrated. This may have something to do with it. I always shoot using Adobe RGB 1998 and also process with PS set to this.

[mags]

Yeah I dont think it is the lens either - i have had some great shots using it although i usually use it as a close up lens by adding some attachments.

But if it was the firmware why don't i see it in every shot. :dizzy:

o.k I think i will upgrade it tonight and keep an eye on this one.

I ran the photo through neat image and its better although a bit more plasticy but it should keep my aunt happy she'll only want it printed at a 6x4 anyways.

Thanks guys for your help I'll get back to you on this let you know how the upgrade goes etc

[mags]

Tony - good man i'm changing that tonite I dunno film used to be so easy :-)

That would match my colour setting in cs but i never knew that you could do that in the camera as well.

Here is what i have in cs is the rest o.k do you think ?

Thanks
Mags

[David Worthington]

I am not at all good in the techno aspect of this sorta stuff......... would there be a forum on the canon site ???....... thats if this one doesnt sort it for you............ hope you win through ok

[Stemmy]

Is the picture you posted straight out of the camera or have you tweaked it in any other program first?

[BarryM]

whats that dot grain at 20 percent has the word grain in it just curious

[gefillmore]

lengthy thread on digital grin re banding-

http://digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=8910

[redbeard57]

you havent said if the original was jpeg or raw. however,can i suggest that it may be the fact that the original was under exposed (1/250 @f8 sounds optimistic for an interior shot??) and the noise has come in where cs2 has compensated and corrected the image to show it as the correct exposure. i have had similar on images where i have undercooked the shot in raw by 2 stops and then tried to bring it back in Bridge.

[tonymidd]

Tony - good man i'm changing that tonite I dunno film used to be so easy :-)

That would match my colour setting in cs but i never knew that you could do that in the camera as well.

Here is what i have in cs is the rest o.k do you think ?

Thanks
Mags

Sorry for the delay Mags, I missed this. My preference is to change the 'preserve embeded profiles' to 'change to working profiles' and the dot gain I set at 10%. Like all things PS thats what I do others will disagree,I'd say try it and see if it works for you..

[mags]

Redbeard you may be right - i think it was an optimistic shot at those settings.

I really havent got to grips with using flash properly as i hate the flattening effect i currently get - i know its my technique rather then the flash itself causing this. I should have upped the iso.

So I reset my camera to defaults and changed the colour profile to adobe rgb 1998 as you suggested tony and I used it all day on friday and not one photograph showing this. Although i took extreme care to ensure my exposure settings as well.

So i am putting it down as just a one off - although I will still upgrade my firmware i think just in case. But I have a few things on the go at the minute and cant afford to be without my camera so going to wait for a quite time before doing that just in case something goes wrong - what can i say im a worrier :-)

Thanks for all the advise on this guys and i will keep you posted :-)

[photo3]

The only time I've seen an image like this is if the exposure has been seriously adjusted from a raw file eg +3 compensation afterwards. Was this a raw conversion by CS2 or other software? If it is off the camera with no conversion then definitely something wrong.

Andy

[Petera]

You said you used a lightmeter as well ??

Looks to me as though it was an incorrectly taken reading with meter and the end result is no more than a badly exposed frame...... (nothing to worry about I have 1000's of em !!!)

AS has already been said 250/8 is a very unlikely reading for indoors at 200
and the poor software has just tried its best to give you an image.