photo tent vs. daylight...help!

[Glenn McCullough]

See the photos below. first is in daylight and the second is in the photo tent. both with the same settings, I use a cannon powershot sd1100is.
I am happy with the photo in daylight, just sometimes I cant take a photo then, I need my tent. I dont understand why it is so grainy....this is a recent problem I havent had before. Are my settings wrong? if so, why are they ok in the daylight?

 

[G1Pens]

What settings are your camera on? Check to see if the ISO is on AUTO. If so that would be the problem. Daylight is brighter and the camera is picking a slower ISO resulting in less grain. The light tent does not have near the level of light that you are getting with daylight and the camera is selecting a faster ISO which means more grain. You should be able to set the ISO manually. You want it on 50 or 100 ( or whatever the lowest setting is on your camera)

 

[ctubbs]

Gary has the answer most likely. In the tent, be sure to use the tripod, remote trigger, if available, and maintain a small (larger number) f stop for depth of field. You might look into getting stronger lights or using less filtration between the lights and the subject.
Charles

 

[terryf]

you need to give us more information -

were you using a tripod?
did you use a flash?
what lights are you using for your tent?
what strength are they?
how many lights?
are u shooting in RAW or jpg?
have you done any post processing?

heres the exif for the second photo:
Make - Canon
Model - Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS
Orientation - Top left
ResolutionUnit - Inch
Software - Microsoft Windows Photo Gallery 6.0.6001.18000
DateTime - 2011:02:10 23:46:25
YCbCrPositioning - Centered
ExifOffset - 2496
CustomRendered - Normal process
ExposureMode - Auto
White Balance - Auto
DigitalZoomRatio - 1.00 x
SceneCaptureType - Standard
ExposureTime - 1/160 seconds
FNumber - 4.50
ISOSpeedRatings - 800
ExifVersion - 0220
DateTimeOriginal - 2011:02:11 00:30:16
DateTimeDigitized - 2011:02:11 00:30:16
ComponentsConfiguration - YCbCr
CompressedBitsPerPixel - 5 (bits/pixel)
ShutterSpeedValue - 1/159 seconds
ApertureValue - F 4.51
ExposureBiasValue - 0.00
MaxApertureValue - F 4.51
MeteringMode - Multi-segment
Flash - Flash not fired, auto mode
FocalLength - 14.30 mm
UserComment -
FlashPixVersion - 0100
ExifImageWidth - 2074
ExifImageHeight - 1237
FocalPlaneXResolution - 11520.00
FocalPlaneYResolution - 11502.96
FocalPlaneResolutionUnit - Inch
SensingMethod - One-chip color area sensor
FileSource - Other

Maker Note (Vendor): -
Macro mode - Off
Self timer - Off
Quality - Normal
Flash mode - Not fired
Sequence mode - Single or Timer
Focus mode - One-Shot
Image size - Large
Easy shooting mode - Full Auto
Digital zoom - None
Contrast - Normal
Saturation - Normal
Sharpness - Normal
ISO Value - 800
Metering mode - Center weighted averaging
Focus type - Manual
AF point selected -
Exposure mode - Easy shooting
Focal length - 0 - 0 mm (0 mm)
Flash activity - Not fired
Flash details -
Focus mode 2 - Single
White Balance - Auto
Sequence number - 0
Flash bias - 0 EV
Subject Distance - 0
Image Type -
Firmware Version -
Image Number - 1022625
Owner Name -
Sharpness (0D) - 0

Thumbnail: -
ResolutionUnit - Inch
JpegIFOffset - 5476
JpegIFByteCount - 1275

This means you shot at f4.5@1/160s at ISO800 which will explain the grain. You also had everything set to auto.

Start shooting in manual "M" and adjust the settings till you find the one that works. Underexposing is a common problem that will give you background noise when you post process.

 

[Buzzzz4]

Wish I could help on the camera, but I have the same problem. What are the components you have in the out door photo? It's beautiful pen!

 

[turbowagon]

It's definitely an ISO issue.

First photo was shot at ISO-80
Second at ISO-800

 

[razor524]

You need to figure out how to set your ISO setting lower and then adjust your shutter speed or aperture to get the correct exposure. With all due respect, tripod, light strength, # of lights do not answer what is obviously an ISO related noise issue.

 

[76winger]

What settings are your camera on? Check to see if the ISO is on AUTO. If so that would be the problem. Daylight is brighter and the camera is picking a slower ISO resulting in less grain. The light tent does not have near the level of light that you are getting with daylight and the camera is selecting a faster ISO which means more grain. You should be able to set the ISO manually. You want it on 50 or 100 ( or whatever the lowest setting is on your camera)

+1

The photo tent version is molt likely grainy due to using auto settings for everything and it's kicking up the ISO setting due to the lower amount light.

I'm not familiar with your camera model, but assume it has some level of manual controls which is what you need to use for photo tent work. Several others have already posted some suggestions so I won't repeat what's already been said.

 

[terryf]

ISO is not the only reason for noise therefore it is not obviously an ISO issue and whilst it is most likely to be the culprit in this case, a thorough analysis of the setup may explain the problem further.

Canon cameras generally only move between ISO 100 and 400 when used in auto mode.

 

[G1Pens]

Different Canon cameras will use different ISO ranges depending on the model and lighting. Newer cameras have a much wider ISO range and have the programming to use it.

The SD1100 IS is an 8MP camera. Fstop range is F2.8-4.9 and the ISO range is 80-1600. It appears from my limited research that it will use the entire range of the ISO range whn ISO is set to AUTO

 

[toddlajoie]

I would concur with the noise being caused by the high ISO. I'm not all that familiar with the camera model, but you need a fairly good sensor to pull off a good shot at ISO 800. Most will be, well, exactly what you got, a decent shot ruined by noise (mistaken for "grain" from the high ISO film days, and it can look very similar...)

Get yourself a tripod, or a bunch of hot lights to stick around your tent, and get your camera off of the auto-ISO mode. If you have a tripod, set it manually to the lowest ISO it has, and see if it has a self-timer, to eliminate the camera movement when you press the button from blurring the photo.

If you don't have a tripod, a couple of 500watt halogen floodlights will get you enough light on your tent to get a good shot hand-held.