Leica Leica Q - noise at high ISO

Thanks for this - other cameras out of the question but I'll be trialling the helpful suggestions.
Why would a slower memory card help??

"In General"- Fast memory cards can cause more bursts of data through the camera. This can cause power-draw and noise issues for the electronics. Some of this might show up as noise in an image at High-ISO. This is true of the M240, M Monochrom, M9, and M8: I have not seen anyone test it on the Q. I also found some banding on the Df at highest ISO was improved by using a slow memory card.

Just a thought: try shooting at ISO2500 and use -2ev underexposure, then Boost the image 2 stops using your DNG processor, would be Lightroom in the case of the M8 shots as shown. With some cameras- this improves noise. I do not know the internals of the Q, but this trick works for other cameras.

This is a discussion forum. lessons learned with other cameras may or may not be applicable. Lessons learned with regard to Banding on the M8 were applicable to the M240. Knowing what works with one camera is worth trying on another. I found the low-noise performance of the Df improved by using the slow memory cards that got rid of banding problems with the M Monochrom. Does that make it worth a try with the Q? cheap experiment.

I spent 1981-1989 chasing electronics-induced noise on lab-grade Digital imaging sensors. The M Monochrom is a work of art with regard for isolating digital noise from the sensor.
 
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an extreme of underexposing an Image while shooting, then using LR to post process.

This is the Leica M8, set to ISO 160 but using the exposure from the M Monochrom set at 10000:

As shot:

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original by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

Post-Processed:

16228492129_1ca4477d91_o.jpg
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monochrome1 by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

With the Q: as an experiment, set up the camera at ISO 10000 for a shot, then at ISO2500 EV-2. Bring up the latter 2-stops in Post, and compare the two. again- investment of time, not money.
 
"In General"- Fast memory cards can cause more bursts of data through the camera. This can cause power-draw and noise issues for the electronics. Some of this might show up as noise in an image at High-ISO. This is true of the M240, M Monochrom, M9, and M8: I have not seen anyone test it on the Q. I also found some banding on the Df at highest ISO was improved by using a slow memory card.

Just a thought: try shooting at ISO2500 and use -2ev underexposure, then Boost the image 2 stops using your DNG processor, would be Lightroom in the case of the M8 shots as shown. With some cameras- this improves noise. I do not know the internals of the Q, but this trick works for other cameras.

This is a discussion forum. lessons learned with other cameras may or may not be applicable. Lessons learned with regard to Banding on the M8 were applicable to the M240. Knowing what works with one camera is worth trying on another. I found the low-noise performance of the Df improved by using the slow memory cards that got rid of banding problems with the M Monochrom. Does that make it worth a try with the Q? cheap experiment.

I spent 1981-1989 chasing electronics-induced noise on lab-grade Digital imaging sensors. The M Monochrom is a work of art with regard for isolating digital noise from the sensor.
Many thanks - good thinking.
 
Looking at the Q manual, and V2 release notes: I would select DNG-Only and not let the camera generate a companion JPEG.

I will not turn my Cell-Phone on even when shooting low ISO, with the Q- I am not sure if the WiFi is "pinging" for servers or not. I would see if there is a WLAN Disable feature, if that makes sense.

I did not see a way to turn Liveview off and use an external finder. Sensor noise increases dramatically with temperature; Liveview is always running the sensor. They do not generate as much heat as older sensors BUT at ISO 10000 every noise-induced electron counts. IF there is a way to turn-off liveview and use an external finder, it would be worth a try. If the firmware does not allow it- i would request the feature from Leica. This of course means you have a scale-focus camera, but a 28mm lens at F4 is fairly forgiving.
 
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This might not mean anything, but my experience with several cameras, including the Monochrom, got me lots of noise if the light fell below a certain threshold, regardless of ISO. Exactly where that threshold is I don't know.
 
I used high ISO and set it to automatic shutter speed. Shooting moving subjects at night under poor light will not produce noise-free images, but I think sometimes that just doesn't matter. Or even the blurry, out of focus subjects.
These images were developed in B&W from the DNG in LR5 with the NIK collection of plugins.

Lowriders cruising Central Ave in Albuquerque, NM

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I'll be photographing at a drama theatre this afternoon. It doesn't look that dark with stage lighting but it is.
I'll let you know what settings I use and add a couple of pics.

I'm so happy to have my first ever Leica and I'm sure we will be constantly amazed with what we can do with such a fabulous camera
Here's one I took recently.
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DR1-15 copy.jpg
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DR1-3 copy.jpg
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DR1-17 copy.jpg
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So, here are some shots from the theatre, which admittedly, was not as dark as it sometimes is on stage.
1. f5.6: 1/60 sec: ISO 1250
2. f2.5: 1/800 sec: ISO 3200
3. f4.0: 1/60 sec: ISO 1000

All taken on Manual settings.
DNG only
All quite usable I think. I am very happy with the way the Q performed.
 
Well, I realize that noise is a problem. However, I think that the camera produces pretty darned good images for the conditions. This shot was handheld 1/6 second f1.7 ISO 6400. 11:20 PM in January! from the pier in Naples FL.

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