Hamish Gill
Tech Support (and Marketing)
I went out last night to push the new Nightcap Pro app to it's limits and see just how well it does compare to using the standard iPhone app.
One of the most interesting features of the new NightCap Pro is the ability to shoot cleaner photos in some of the most dimly lit scenarios. The app does have a built in noise reduction system, but what I have found slightly more effective for controlling noise is to use one of the long exposure modes. There are two long exposure modes, one represented by a solid stretched star and another by a start the fades out. The solid one is a lot of fun and can be used for star trails... and in fact making trails out of anything that moves. The fading start works a little more like a traditional long exposure mode.
One of the less obvious benefits of the fading star mode is that it is actually a fairly effective way of controlling noise in the image. Or at least the results look less noise reduced shooting this way than they do if you use traditional noise reduction methods.
In simple terms, if the ISO is fairly low, just like when applying normal noise reduction the output can be very clean. eg. this photo was taken at 320 iso, with the faded star shutter mode being left running for maybe 5 seconds.
Minolta Hi-Matic E by Hamish_Gill, on Flickr
I find the above very useful, it can give me very clean shots of stationary subjects in reasonably low light. There is though a little more than this that can be achieved with this new app.
The first place I visited last night was diglis basin near my house. It's fairly dark here, though I had dark places in mind for my test, I thought I'd start here and work toward darker as the evening went on.
All the following images can be opened in flickr and viewed much larger if you want to pixel peep.
Standard app
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on Flickr
NightCap Pro
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on Flickr
As you can see, the nightcap long exposure mode has drastically reduced the noise in the image. Its quite interesting to watch actually. As soon as you click the button you can see the noise just dissolve away in front of your eyes!
Another ...
Standard app
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on Flickr
Nightcap Pro
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on Flickr
Here we are starting to see the apps ability to "boost" the light a bit.
Time for something a little more difficult.
Standard app
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on Flickr
NightCap Pro
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on Flickr
Quite the difference! In the basically completely dark standard camera shot you can also see noise. The NightCap Pro version you can see a slight softening of the image due I suppose to the noise reducing effect of the long exposure mode... but the level of smearing is a lot less than you would get from noise reducing the original photo... by a good margin, and that is even if you could draw the detail out of the darkness. But bare in mind the settings on the camera were reporting 2500 iso, it's pretty clean!
For the sake of showing you just how much difference this app does make ... If you were to try and recover something from the standard camera app, this is what you would be dealing with after boosting the exposure in lightroom.
Not good!
Just one more example ... I didn't hold out much hope of getting a shot of the Cathedral ...
Standard app
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on Flickr
NightCap Pro
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on Flickr
So ok, these shots aren't "perfect" ... they don't quite match what I might get out of one of my "proper" digital cameras. And, the ability of the camera is limited to the max aperture (f2.2 I think), 2500 iso and 1/2 sec so you can't take "real" ultra long exposures in complete darkness... But what we are dealing with here is an iPhone and an app that costs £1.49 (though it is on offer and cheaper than that at the mo). The long exposure mode, though not technically working like a true long exposure mode (I don't think), does give a very effective way of controlling noise in the output file. In combination with the apps ability to boost available it light gives a much more impressive way of capturing low lit scenes with an iphone without the normal concerns of horrendous noise than any app I have ever come across! Very impressive, I can't recommend it any more highly!
(I should add that, there is a mode on the camera that I didn't use here too... should you wish to "boost" the light even further, the app has an adjustable light boosting mode. I didn't think to use it as I like the more natural exposure of the above ... Your milage may vary, and it's there if want it!)
http://www.nightcapcamera.com/nightcap-pro/
One of the most interesting features of the new NightCap Pro is the ability to shoot cleaner photos in some of the most dimly lit scenarios. The app does have a built in noise reduction system, but what I have found slightly more effective for controlling noise is to use one of the long exposure modes. There are two long exposure modes, one represented by a solid stretched star and another by a start the fades out. The solid one is a lot of fun and can be used for star trails... and in fact making trails out of anything that moves. The fading start works a little more like a traditional long exposure mode.
One of the less obvious benefits of the fading star mode is that it is actually a fairly effective way of controlling noise in the image. Or at least the results look less noise reduced shooting this way than they do if you use traditional noise reduction methods.
In simple terms, if the ISO is fairly low, just like when applying normal noise reduction the output can be very clean. eg. this photo was taken at 320 iso, with the faded star shutter mode being left running for maybe 5 seconds.
Minolta Hi-Matic E by Hamish_Gill, on FlickrI find the above very useful, it can give me very clean shots of stationary subjects in reasonably low light. There is though a little more than this that can be achieved with this new app.
The first place I visited last night was diglis basin near my house. It's fairly dark here, though I had dark places in mind for my test, I thought I'd start here and work toward darker as the evening went on.
All the following images can be opened in flickr and viewed much larger if you want to pixel peep.
Standard app
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on FlickrNightCap Pro
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on FlickrAs you can see, the nightcap long exposure mode has drastically reduced the noise in the image. Its quite interesting to watch actually. As soon as you click the button you can see the noise just dissolve away in front of your eyes!
Another ...
Standard app
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on FlickrNightcap Pro
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on FlickrHere we are starting to see the apps ability to "boost" the light a bit.
Time for something a little more difficult.
Standard app
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on FlickrNightCap Pro
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on FlickrQuite the difference! In the basically completely dark standard camera shot you can also see noise. The NightCap Pro version you can see a slight softening of the image due I suppose to the noise reducing effect of the long exposure mode... but the level of smearing is a lot less than you would get from noise reducing the original photo... by a good margin, and that is even if you could draw the detail out of the darkness. But bare in mind the settings on the camera were reporting 2500 iso, it's pretty clean!
For the sake of showing you just how much difference this app does make ... If you were to try and recover something from the standard camera app, this is what you would be dealing with after boosting the exposure in lightroom.
Not good!
Just one more example ... I didn't hold out much hope of getting a shot of the Cathedral ...
Standard app
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on FlickrNightCap Pro
NightCap vs. standard iPhone camera by Hamish_Gill, on FlickrSo ok, these shots aren't "perfect" ... they don't quite match what I might get out of one of my "proper" digital cameras. And, the ability of the camera is limited to the max aperture (f2.2 I think), 2500 iso and 1/2 sec so you can't take "real" ultra long exposures in complete darkness... But what we are dealing with here is an iPhone and an app that costs £1.49 (though it is on offer and cheaper than that at the mo). The long exposure mode, though not technically working like a true long exposure mode (I don't think), does give a very effective way of controlling noise in the output file. In combination with the apps ability to boost available it light gives a much more impressive way of capturing low lit scenes with an iphone without the normal concerns of horrendous noise than any app I have ever come across! Very impressive, I can't recommend it any more highly!
(I should add that, there is a mode on the camera that I didn't use here too... should you wish to "boost" the light even further, the app has an adjustable light boosting mode. I didn't think to use it as I like the more natural exposure of the above ... Your milage may vary, and it's there if want it!)
http://www.nightcapcamera.com/nightcap-pro/
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