<p>With low light levels your brightest signal will be close to the noise floor, so you only really have three options:</p>

<ul>
<li>a camera with better low light performance (although this can only take you so far)</li>
</ul>

<p>More expensive sensors can give a lower noise floor, allowing you to resolve more detail</p>

<ul>
<li>a faster lens</li>
</ul>

<p>As Jason commented:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>If the widest aperture on your kit lens is 4.0, then you could double the amount of light your camera sees by purchasing an f2.8. Every additional "stop" doubles the light, so if you could find an f1.0, you'd be getting 16 times the light that f4.0 allows.</p>
</blockquote>

<ul>
<li>more light</li>
</ul>

<p>Your easiest option may be just to increase the illumination and then reduce brightness in post. Remember that if you do this, you also need to watch for shadows that look too sharp.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-12T16:11:46.423Z
Since this is such a good answer already, I'll just mention one possible addendum.  Buy a faster lens.  If the widest aperture on your kit lens is 4.0, then you could double the amount of light your camera sees by purchasing an f2.8.  Every additional "stop" doubles the light, so if you could find an f1.0, you'd be getting 16 times the light that f4.0 allows.
Jason Conrad
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-12T18:19:44.287Z
+1 for shoot with more light and darken in post.
Scott James Walter
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-13T11:32:06.977Z
@Jason - I have incorporated your comment. Thanks
Dr Mayhem
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-01T10:10:11.637Z
Or more light and turn down the exposure in the camera?  Or is it better to let the camera use a high iso setting, so you have more dynamic range for flexible post-processing?  (banding could be a concern, since you have less than the usual bit-depth if you're working with 0-63 instead of 0-255 because nothing is brighter than 1/4 of white, right?)  So probably better to have the camera amplify before feeding it to its lossy hardware h.264 encoder, if we're talking about video.
Peter Cordes
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-23T16:33:51.113Z
I recommend the last option, if anyone is interested in finding out more, the technique is commonly known as ['Day for night'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_for_night)
Ambo100
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-12T06:43:26.620Z
2014-09-13T11:31:54.160Z
2014-09-13T11:31:54.160Z
Dr Mayhem
<p>I am using Nikon D3200, I am trying to shoot a dark scene. The scene is so dark and there is minimal amount of light. I am shooting in manual mode and these are my settings. ISO 200, f/5.2, Shutter Speed 1/50.</p>

<p>With all these settings i am getting so much noise in the scene. Kindly tell me how to avoid noise in the Dark Scene.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Taha<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/yGvJo.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<video><video-quality><dslr><video-recording><noise-reduction>
How to Record a Dark scene without any Noise?
Taha Kirmani
# How to Record a Dark scene without any Noise?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-09-12)

I am using Nikon D3200, I am trying to shoot a dark scene. The scene is so dark and there is minimal amount of light. I am shooting in manual mode and these are my settings. ISO 200, f/5.2, Shutter Speed 1/50.

With all these settings i am getting so much noise in the scene. Kindly tell me how to avoid noise in the Dark Scene.

Thanks

Taha![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/yGvJo.jpg)

**Tags:** video, video-quality, dslr, video-recording, noise-reduction


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-09-12. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

With low light levels your brightest signal will be close to the noise floor, so you only really have three options:

* a camera with better low light performance (although this can only take you so far)

More expensive sensors can give a lower noise floor, allowing you to resolve more detail

* a faster lens

As Jason commented:

> If the widest aperture on your kit lens is 4.0, then you could double the amount of light your camera sees by purchasing an f2.8. Every additional "stop" doubles the light, so if you could find an f1.0, you'd be getting 16 times the light that f4.0 allows.

* more light

Your easiest option may be just to increase the illumination and then reduce brightness in post. Remember that if you do this, you also need to watch for shadows that look too sharp.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Since this is such a good answer already, I'll just mention one possible addendum.  Buy a faster lens.  If the widest aperture on your kit lens is 4.0, then you could double the amount of light your camera sees by purchasing an f2.8.  Every additional "stop" doubles the light, so if you could find an f1.0, you'd be getting 16 times the light that f4.0 allows.  
> **username_3**: +1 for shoot with more light and darken in post.  
> **username_1**: @Jason - I have incorporated your comment. Thanks  
> **username_4**: Or more light and turn down the exposure in the camera?  Or is it better to let the camera use a high iso setting, so you have more dynamic range for flexible post-processing?  (banding could be a concern, since you have less than the usual bit-depth if you're working with 0-63 instead of 0-255 because nothing is brighter than 1/4 of white, right?)  So probably better to have the camera amplify before feeding it to its lossy hardware h.264 encoder, if we're talking about video.  
> **username_5**: I recommend the last option, if anyone is interested in finding out more, the technique is commonly known as ['Day for night'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_for_night)  

---

