Black pixels in the picture, Iso Noice ?

Skavikeng · Sep 16, 2014

Hello all !
I am new to this forum, and i would consider my self somewhere between amateur and intermediate with photography.

So, down to the question..
I just picked up a Fujifilm X-E1 and a few lenses.
The one im currently using is the XF 18 - 55mm 2.8-4F OIS.
I was keen to test it out due to great reviews, and that i wanted to test a mirrorless system.

but..

In all of my photos i see black squared pixels if i zoom in a little bit in the picture.
I first noticed this when i started working on the pictures, and it seems the pixels are showing more in low light pictures than in high light pictures. That lead me to belive that it might be iso noise.
But i also see traces of the same pixels in my low iso pictures. So is this iso noice ?
Beacouse i didnt see this kind of noise with my DSLR.

Settings:
F2.8
ISO 800
1\30
Memcard: SanDisk 16GB Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-I

Original Picture:

Pixels starting to show:

Close up:

KmH · Sep 16, 2014

That is not image noise.
It looks like an artifact from the demosaicing process done when converting Raw files.

What file type was to camera set to? Raw, JPEG, or Raw + JPEG?

Derrel · Sep 16, 2014

Looks like the raw converter is doing a weird job of translating the raw date to JPG images!!! What is the raw software processing application you used?

A second thought also occurs to me: you appear to have been photographing directly underneath some very powerful electrical transmission wires! I wonder if this could be some type of interference pattern? Weird interference issues often happen on photos shot in areas with a lot of RFI, such as say, the top of the Empire State Building.

Skavikeng · Sep 17, 2014

Hi and thanks for the replies !
I think i have solved the problem thanks to your replies

When i shoot i always shoot in Raw, but adobe doesent have an .RAF extension yet that i know of,
not for my version of Photoshop atleast, couldnt find one when searching

So i have to use Adobe DNG converter to make my Raw files into readable DNG files for Photoshop.

When i inspect te original .RAF files using windows photo wiever there is no artifacts in the pictures when i zoom in.
So this is most lightly the work of the DNG converter. Dont know if there might be som errors in the picture beacouse
of the X-Trans sensor that Fuji uses. The DNG converter is probbably optimized for Bayer sensors and since the Fuji uses a X-Trans Sensor
there might be an issue with the converting prossess due to the programming of the converter it self.

So that leaves me with two choices, uppgrade my Lightroom to the newest version that supports .RAF from X-E1
or find a better converter. Atleast my camera isnt faulty, so thats a chip of my shoulder

Thanks all for your help and pointing me in the right direction.

Ysarex · Sep 17, 2014

Suggest you seriously consider the alternative converter. Adobe doesn't play very nice with XTrans. Your camera is supported in the newest version of Lightroom but a lot of folks remain very unhappy with the output. PhotoNinja and Irrident are both highly recommended. In the meantime the beta versions of the two free converters LightZone and Raw Therapee will do a good job with XTrans.

Joe

480sparky · Sep 17, 2014

You mean you have a camera that can shoot raw and the manufacturer of it didn't bother to supply you with software that can properly handle those files?

Check the box for a CD, or the manufacturer's website, for this amazingly free software.

KmH · Sep 17, 2014

The X-trans and Bayer are filters that are in front of the image sensor.
The filters allow the Raw converter software to interpolate the colors in the scene photographed.
The image sensors in digital cameras cannot record color.

Skavikeng · Sep 17, 2014

480sparky said:
You mean you have a camera that can shoot raw and the manufacturer of it didn't bother to supply you with software that can properly handle those files?

Check the box for a CD, or the manufacturer's website, for this amazingly free software.

Fujifilm did supply me with a .RAF codec for windows wich i have installed and a program so i can view and convert the files, i might not be a proffesional but even i know that much

But my editing program is Adobe, and i preffer using the tools i know and have used for serveral years over having to learn an entirely new program and its settings

So thats why i automaticly went down the Adobe road, ofc not knowing it couldnt convert my files propperly and therefore ended me up here asking questions

But i purchased the newest lightroom version today so it should be able to accept .RAF straight from the X-E1 without any problems according to the adobe website.
Havent gotten around to play around with it yet, installing as we speak.