A question of noise

[Hazel Grant]

Catching this finch at the suet, I liked the pose, but had to deal with fringe and noise. I think I got the fringe problem worked out but am wondering about your opinion and help re noise.Nikon D40X , Tamron 70-300 lens with 2x teleconverter. Hand held but resting on ledge. f5.6,1/200, iso 800, in shade on cloudy day.

[Dan Brown]

Hi Hazel, If you have Capture NX2, you can open your .nef there and apply some NR -intensity 12, sharpness 6 or so, (experiment with these settings for the best compromise between NR and SH), select
"better quality' not "faster" on the method and check "edge noise reduction". Then, open straight into ACR/PS (you will have to set this up in the preferences, I believe). This converts the raw file and creates a .Tiff for you to work on. I have been doing this for a while and I seem to get a smoother file to start with in PS. Also, if you have any in-camera sharpening, be sure to cancel it, either in NX2 or ACR. Hope this works for you.

[Kerry Perkins]

Hazel, are you sure this is a finch? It looks like a young mockingbird to me. Dan?

[Hazel Grant]

Thanks. I realized after posting that I'd written finch, but then it was posted and honestly I didn't know what it was. I've sent photos to a couple of birding friends to ask but haven't gotten back an answer. We've been working on our backyard--build it and they will come --and this year we finally got a good variety. And I am still learning what they are. Thanks for the correction and for the identity.

[Hazel Grant]

Dan, I don't hve Capture NX-2 but have just checked it out a bit online. Looks like a very good thing. I did also find online a Capture NX . I assume it is an older version, but am wondering if the changes are enough to warrant the extrat $80 to move to the 2?

[Dan Brown]

Hazel, I think NX2 is worth it. And Kerry is right, this is a Mockingbird.