Why are these so grainy?

[TheBrick3]

Now that I have a 4GB memory card, I've started shooting in RAW. I was just messing around with settings here, but they came out so grainy? I shot with a 20D and adjusted them in photoshop, I really doubt I did something to them. Could the problem be the 20D only has 8.2 megapixels? I never thought thought that could be a problem. Should I try a ISO setting of 800? The lighting on this court is better than what I usually use so I was using better shutter speed and f stop more intelligently and expectating better pictures, especially with RAW. I like them but obviously the grainyness is terrible.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45798550@N08/sets/72157623212237286/

It didn't look like this before:

[PhotosGuy]

Your problem is that you had to use f/5.6 & there wasn't enough light for that. Time to think about a faster lens. "'For a given camera, the better the exposure, the less noise you'll see." Post 8: Doing a little noise experiment, found something cool (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=798464)

I used a ref's white shirt here to set the exposure in post #1: Need an exposure crutch? (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89123)

[TheBrick3]

Thanks, so in the meantime I should use f/6.3?

[TheBrick3]

Looking at old pictures, it looks like lighting on that court is actually kind of ****ty because I had used the lower f/stops before. But it was a practice, so maybe the lights weren't on right.

[monk3y]

you should use lower aperture not higher

[TheBrick3]

Ah, okay.

[DStanic]

I find I get better quality (less noise) shooting in RAW then the camera produces in JPG. I think the LR does a better job handling the noise. But yes, you need a faster lens, perhaps a 100mm f/2 or 200 f/2.8 or a 70-200 f/2.8 zoom.

[yogestee]

There are a few things that contribute to noise..

1. High ISO.
2. Underexposure.
3. Over sharpening.

If you combine #1 and #2 you are in big trouble, then over sharpen in post processing you might as well toss the image in the recycle bin..

The trick is to choose the lowest ISO for the lighting conditions and nail the exposure.. Do all you can in camera and keep post processing down to a minimum..

[tzalman]

R.M., I have bad news for you. Photos shot under artificial light with the proper WB will tend to have more noise than outdoors shots. That is because artificial light WB requires a big boost in the blue channel which is naturally the most noisy channel and boosting it increases its noise even more. Your WB is way off and you could easily have set it properly in the RAW converter, but, as I said, that would have made the images even noisier. They are also about 2 stops underexposed. This also could have been adjusted in the RAW converter and would also have increased the noise. So it is even more important indoors to get the exposure right. But it sometimes happens when the light is poor that you are at the limits of your equipment. At the highest ISO, the widest f/stop, and the minimal speed for the subject and your hands, and you still have to underexpose and take the blow, the noise. So you either invest in gear that has wider limits or learn to appreciate the inner beauty of noise.

[HappySnapper90]

It looks like your photo is at least 1 stop under exposed. And it helps to use the WB setting for your indoor artificial light source, i.e. incandescent (tungsten), fluorescent. Check your histogram and adjust your exposure compensation accordingly. Some indoor lighting can fool your light meter causing the under exposure you got.

[asysin2leads]

Thanks, so in the meantime I should use f/6.3?

In photography, numbers are backwards. A higher iso (1600-3200+) is used for low light and a lower iso (100-400) are used for bright light. When someone says, "Open up your aperture," we mean turn make the number smaller. An f/2 will let is much more light than f/5.6 (3 stops actually). A "faster lens" is in the range of f/1.2 - f/2.8. When you see a lens that is f/3.5-5.6 (the 28-135 for instance) is a variable aperture lens. At a zoom of 28mm, the aperture (how open the lens iris is) will be an f/3.5. When you zoom in to 135mm, the aperture will be f/5.6. It's the way the lens is designed. When you get to constant aperture lens (the 70-200 f/2.8 for instance) will remain an f/2.8 through the zoom range. Then again, you will pay a bit more for these type of lenses.