Glorious Grain?
Our friend Mitch Alland has instigated a thread on photo.net concerning the aesthetic quality of high-ISO noise as "grain" with the Ricoh GR-D. Don't miss the links to Kei Nakamatsu's cool stuff.
Posted by: MIKE JOHNSTON
Posted by: MIKE JOHNSTON
Please visit our NEW site at www.theonlinephotographer.com! | Unique contents © by the above-named poster 2007 | 8:47 AM
5 Comments:
I've just started to use the GR-D and am trying to figure out whether, for B&W, I should shoot in JPG or RAW format. When shooting in RAW format, the GR-D produces two file, a DNG and a JPG. What I'm finding using just about any RAW processor -- I like RAW Developer -- I'm having a hard time to make the RAW file look as good as as the JPG the GR-D engine produces. In any case, converting to to B&W using ConvertToBW Pro the results from are similar.
My objective is eventually to make huge prints (100x150cm, or 40x60 inches), and I assume that the DNG files are going to be better than this; but is this really try is the JPG files don't have to be manipulated (dodging and burning) that much? Unfortunately, I'm traveling and cannot make prints until the week after next.
As I indicated in the photo.net thread, initially I was interested in using the GR-D at ISO800-1600, but because I'm in the Congo right now, where the light is very bright, I've been shooting at ISO64, and I also find the "noise" very much like fine-grain film. Has anyone else come to the same conclusion?
--Mitch/Lubumbashi
Kei's work is fine, but if you want a very good Moriyama style photographers, check Yamasaki Ko-ji work:
http://uwaa.org/
Regards,
I came to the conclusion that jpeg is fine on the GR-D. I just posted some test results at ISO 800 on my blog:
http://alt-digital.blogspot.com/2006/07/controlling-grain-on-ricoh-gr-digital.html
I come to similar conclusions to Mitch that it is hard to better the GR-D jpeg in RAW conversion at least for monochrome images, but that the RAW grain has a slightly different character than jpeg grain which is sometimes nice.
The GR-D produces the most 'film like' noise I have seen out of a digital camera.
looking at Kei's stuff i had that "can't believe it's not butter" reaction..(translated: can't believe it's not film). Major wow.
Another thing that adds to the "fun factor" of using this camera is its capability to shoot very nice infra-red images with a Hoya R72 (or equivalent) filter.
I enjoy using this camera more and more, but then I was a big fan of the GR1 film cameras. I hope the next generation improves RAW writing times and adds image stabilization.
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