Rebel T5: Grainy pictures

[thunguyen]

Hello,

I am a food photographer and I just bought this Canon Rebel T5. I wondered why my photos are still grainy although I tried a lower ISO. For an example, I will show both original and after edit photos. If you zoom in you can see the grains in both photos. Is that because of my camera or anything else I can do to remove it? I also edit remove noise in Lightroom.

Thank you for your support.

[Waddizzle]

The first question is what are your camera and exposure settings?  Noise is usually a sign of high ISO.

I would use a tripod, set the camera to Av shooting mode, dial in ISO 100.  I would even use mirror lockup and the 2 second shutter delay timer.  Use both of them together.

[rs-eos]

Also, what type of lighting are you using?  By adding say flash/strobes, you could ensure to shoot with very low ISO values.

Or, since subjects are not moving, definitely look at working with a tripod along with slower shutter values.

[jrhoffman75]

Tripod would definitely help.

You could even try lowering SS to 1/125 and drop ISO to 400 vs 800.

[wq9nsc]

I agree with others that either strobe or tripod is the method to address this issue.

I am assuming the first image was as taken and the second was after edit. It looks like you increased effective exposure in post which to a great extent is like shooting the initial scene at higher iso, you are increasing the noise by amplifying the light value. 

With my original Canon digital (1D Mark II), low light results were improved somewhat by overexposing and then dropping back in post; this noticeably reduced the noise in shadow areas.  But this extreme really isn't needed with newer sensor technology.

ISO 100 is the native level for most sensors including your T5, best results occur (both noise and dynamic range) at that ISO.  Your two practical approaches to shooting at or near ISO 100 are a tripod and slow shutter speed or a strobe, I prefer the strobe approach because once you nail the lighting you can easily shoot slightly different angles.  But really good lighting setup entails a whole set of skills of itself and especially for the sort of subject (and quality) you have, you can't just stick a Speedlight on top of your camera and expect quality results.

Others probably have different experience, but for me mastering multiple light source setup was very frustrating at first and is still very much an ongoing learning exercise.  I have a set of Hensel studio strobes with light modifiers I bought 3 years ago and it is still the aspect of photography with which I am least comfortable. So read and watch what skilled photographers have written and don't get too frustrated when your initial results are exactly what you expect during your initial attempts.

A fast, wide aperture lens isn't generally the solution to a problem like this because the wide open aperture of a fast lens will probably result in a depth of field far too shallow for your subject matter.

Rodger

[rs-eos]

Spot on, Roger.

Regarding lighting with strobes/speedlites... yes, that can be daunting with product shots.  And esp when adding multiple light sources.  In product shots as the one above with shiny surfaces, you often want to create really nice gradients.  So beyond lights, you often have to add flags, diffusors, etc.

As a starting point, I'd recommend working with a single large diffuse light source.  Then move to more complex setups later as needed.

[ebiggs1]

"I'd recommend working with a single large diffuse light source."

So do I but two is even better. For beginners and folks not really into this type photography a continuous softbox lighting lit is the easiest way to go.  It lets you see what you are doing.  Strobes can do this too but you need to add a modeling light and that just adds to the complexity. 

BTW, I recommend big, very large, softboxes four feet or even bigger. You can get these kits which are not too expensive and come with everything you need.  Goes to say a good tripod and Photshop, not Lightroom. 

Now I need to make mention to your gear.  You say you have a T5, Okay, but what lens do you have?  The lens is critical in this type work if you want the best results. If you just bought the T5 and kit lens you may want to upgrade that lens, too. You really don't need a zoom. A prime lens is perfect for this job. Perhaps something like the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM Lens.  It is a super sharp lens perfect for this job.