Strange Banding in image?

[DGMPhotography]

Hey folks,

So here's a recent shot with my friend Utkala. I like how it turned out for the most part, but I'm perplexed by the strange banding noise in the background. The image was a little underexposed, so I brought it up, but I've never seen this before.

Shot with my Nikon D750, and Tamron 70-200 G2 lens.



Thanks!

 

[FITBMX]

I really like the photo, but you are right about the banding. I have no idea why it would do that.

 

[DGMPhotography]

Only thing I can think of is some sort of distortion combined with noise.

 

[jcdeboever]

is it in the original raw? is it present in just a quick snap shot?

 

[smoke665]

Could this be the issue? What Is Color Banding and How to Fix It - Photography Life

 

[480sparky]

Shooting with a filter? Maybe some version of Newtonion Rings.

 

[DGMPhotography]

is it in the original raw? is it present in just a quick snap shot?

Yes, it was slightly visible in the raw file.

Could this be the issue? What Is Color Banding and How to Fix It - Photography Life

Yeah, that sounds about right. I didn't get the shot properly exposed in-camera, so I guess I pushed too far, and the banding was the result. I've just never seen it before, even when I've brought up pictures. I've dealt with banding with gradients before when I create my own backdrops, and I use noise to fix it in 16-bit mode, but I did not realize this is something that could happen to a taken photo.

Shooting with a filter? Maybe some version of Newtonion Rings.

I don't typically use filters, and I didn't for this one.

 

[Derrel]

I have a thought. It could be that this is electromagnetic interference, since you see it on the original raw camera file. In areas where there is a lot of electromagnetic interference, such banding is common. A few years back photos taken from the top of the Empire State building were typically plagued with this exact issue. Other buildings and locations in large urban areas were also similarly affected.

 

[480sparky]

OK, I must be seeing something different that everyone else.

What I see is a grid pattern that's distorted, much like pincushion distortion only much worse.

 

[DGMPhotography]

I have a thought. It could be that this is electromagnetic interference, since you see it on the original raw camera file. In areas where there is a lot of electromagnetic interference, such banding is common. A few years back photos taken from the top of the Empire State building were typically plagued with this exact issue. Other buildings and locations in large urban areas were also similarly affected.

Hmmm, that's very interesting. Can you link to any photos like that? I'm curious.

OK, I must be seeing something different that everyone else.

What I see is a grid pattern that's distorted, much like pincushion distortion only much worse.

Why do you think you're seeing something different than everyone? That's exactly what I see, too.

 

[480sparky]

I have a thought. It could be that this is electromagnetic interference, since you see it on the original raw camera file. In areas where there is a lot of electromagnetic interference, such banding is common. A few years back photos taken from the top of the Empire State building were typically plagued with this exact issue. Other buildings and locations in large urban areas were also similarly affected.

Hmmm, that's very interesting. Can you link to any photos like that? I'm curious.

OK, I must be seeing something different that everyone else.

What I see is a grid pattern that's distorted, much like pincushion distortion only much worse.

Why do you think you're seeing something different than everyone? That's exactly what I see, too.

Because that's not what I would call banding.

 

[Derrel]

digital SLR + electromagnetic interference - Google Search

 

[Derrel]

Sony lens causing problems due to electromagnetic interference? https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4249320?page=2#forum-post-60703005

excerpt... "
Keep in mind that the "brick wall issues" that people are having might be due to the experimental AF mechanism rather than QC issues.

This particular lens has an electromagnetic focusing mechanism with linear rails, rather than the usual heli-coil screw-drive AF.

This mechanism might not lend itself well for brick wall test shots, or might even be distorted by electromagnetic interference. Until this is tested in more detail, nobody really knows. It might, however, explain why some people get 5 "bad" copies in a row: they might just be shooting the same brick wall next to the same interfering lamp, for example."

"Periodic Noise" Periodic+Noise+Typically+arises+due+to+electrical+or+electromagnetic+interference.+Gives+rise+to+regular+noise+patterns+in+an+image..jpg

I've searched on Google for sample images, with no luck. But rest assured, on dPreview about a decade ago, there were MANY people whose images shot near radio transmission or microwave towers suffered similar issues. perhaps that's not what's happening here, but it is a theory. Perhaps the issue arose due to a personal phone, or a GPS device, or even to microwave or radio waves... It is a weird image defect, and it looks to be mostly on the background, and not on the woman in the foreground. Are other images affected? Is this on a RAW file, or did it arise after the conversion of the RAW to .JPEG?

 

[Overread]

I wonder if it might still be on the foreground areas as well, but rather like dust-spots, the detail of the foreground masks it whilst the blurry background shows it.

It is certainly a very strange effect; might even be worth contacting the manufacturer to see if they know and giving them the RAW.

 

[unpopular]

This is DEFINITELY not 'banding' in the sense of quantization error. This feels optical to me. Perhaps the high frequency detail in the trees are interacting in such a way to cause a random moire pattern?