Why do my photos look like this?

[SBlanca]

Perfect Exposure

that could help you if you're a beginner, helped me, i jus used that and then started experimenting from there..will get you on the right track

 

[*Mike*]

Not entirely true Mike. Long exposures (above 1s) may cause another kind of noise referred to as "stuck pixels".

True enough... on long exposures, such as when shooting star trails, the sensor heats up and can cause issues. However, since 99% of the time it's a not a problem, I thought it best not to muddy the waters. SS is generally not a factor when it comes to noise.

I've also found that this is only an issue with exposures much longer than 1 second... although I'm sure it varies quite a bit by camera.

)

 

[Atropine]

True enough... on long exposures, such as when shooting star trails, the sensor heats up and can cause issues. However, since 99% of the time it's a not a problem, I thought it best not to muddy the waters. SS is generally not a factor when it comes to noise.

I've also found that this is only an issue with exposures much longer than 1 second... although I'm sure it varies quite a bit by camera.

)

You are probably right. I sometimes forget that this is the beginners area and the problem with stuck pixels is only a problem in really special cases. But then again, beginners may have no idea really what and why they are doing wrong and if someone tells them that a long exposure is a remedy for noisy photos they might overdo it. At least it is worth mentioning although not crucial. :thumbup:

 

[Village Idiot]

wouldn't speeding up the shutter speed only increase the noise?

myself, i would try tripod or extreme bracing, lower ISO, slower shutter speed, larger aperture... please correct me if i am wrong...

The OP did mention something about photos being blurry. Faster shutter speed will help with the camera shake and motion blur.

I think the OP really needs to learn the basics first.

 

[King Mango]

IT doesn't seem to matter what ISO I set, I get a lot of grain in my shots. I have a low-end slr-like DMC-FZ7 with ISO 80-400 and I am starting to think the sensor is not the best. :/

 

[KD5NRH]

So is it fair to say that higher ISO will produce grainier images?

It just happens that I forgot to turn down the ISO on my S2IS earlier today and got a good example - 100% crop @ ISO 400 - notice the noise despite abundant light; even after I noticed and switched down to ISO100, 1/1000@f/4 was not an issue for the in-flight shots.

Is this also true when shooting film?

Yes, to an extent; the film itself, and the developing techniques used also contribute quite a bit, though.

 

[Big Mike]

IT doesn't seem to matter what ISO I set, I get a lot of grain in my shots. I have a low-end slr-like DMC-FZ7 with ISO 80-400 and I am starting to think the sensor is not the best. :/

Even though that camera may be 'SLR-like'...it still has a tiny sensor which is much more prone to noise than the larger sensors in actual DSLR cameras.

 

[Hawaii Five-O]

I learned in my photo class that ISO 400 film is the worst film ever made, due to its natural graininess. Do you all think thats true?

 

[Mav]

The OP seriously needs off-camera flash and much better lighting. You can't expect to be able to do decent photos like this with almost no light. An off camera flash or three along with soft boxes and decent stands would make a HUGE difference.

 

[Rachelsne]

I shot this with a Canon EOS 30D at ISO 1600. . very low light.

http://i32.tinypic.com/2pyov1u.jpg
how do I get rid of the noise?? or how can i prevent it?

Also, a lot of my pictures get blurry/out of focus when they're at 100%. How can i prevent this and get a clear image all the way through?

High ISO would have caused this, I use the Canon 30d too but haven't yet needed to up the ISO that high.

your exif data says you used photoshop CS3 this should have something to reduce the noise, in my photoshop elements its under the main tool bar under filters. when using noise reduction you will loose some of the details.

Try lighting your subject a little better-even if its with a table lamp, anything yu can do to redxuce the ISO would be good, and as mentioed above change to a lower F stop number

 

[KD5NRH]

I learned in my photo class that ISO 400 film is the worst film ever made, due to its natural graininess. Do you all think thats true?

Depends on the manufacturer; some 400 is very grainy, some isn't. There are certainly faster films that are grainier than some 400s.

Of course, sometimes you want grain; most of the BWs, and some of the color stuff at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kd5nrh/ was done on 400 speed films.