by David Zeman/photos by the author
A few months back, I wrote about my experience using an AI-powered “denoise” program (my results were mixed). This month, Chicago-area photographer Dave Zeman shares how he’s using these new tools. I think you’ll be impressed. Now excuse me while I fire up my own computer to see what I can do with them in the camera bag… —J.A.F.
One could argue there has never been a better time to be a photographer than the present. Incredible mirrorless cameras with unprecedented low-light sensitivity produce clearer and more vibrant images than ever before. Plus, new lens technology has delivered the sharpest images ever seen at all focal lengths and apertures. But when it comes to nighttime photography, there is one new tool in the last two years I find revolutionary and transformative — Adobe Lightroom’s AI-powered “Denoise” tool.
As a longtime Speedlight user for photography after sunset, this new post-processing feature has completely transformed my approach. When there’s enough existing light and several other key factors are in my favor, I can shoot moving trains at night without needing to set up a bunch of flashes around the scene.
ABOVE: WAMX SD40-2 4173 leads a westbound Wisconsin & Southern manifest train through Rondout, Ill. Locomotive 4173 is the only PTC-equipped SD40-2 on Wisconsin & Southern’s roster, making the locomotive a special treat for Chicago-area railfans when the locomotive leads a train to or from Belt Railway of Chicago’s Clearing Yard.
Denoise is the third item in a trifecta of the most important pieces of my camera gear. For two years, I have been shooting with my Nikon Z 6ii, a 24.5mp, full-frame, mirrorless camera. My two go-to lenses for almost all of my low-light night photography are my Nikkor Z 50mm ƒ/1.8 S prime lens, and my Tamron 28–75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III VXD G2. The 50mm offers incredible exposure speed, along with a very shallow depth of field when set to ƒ/1.8, making it perfect for capturing a moving subject with an inherent artsy or dramatic effect. The 28–75mm is the quintessential walk-around zoom lens for any low-light situation and works well for certain situations where trains are moving slowly through well-lit areas.
In many cases, I find my typical settings for capturing moving trains at well-lit Chicago Metra stations to be around 1/320th second shutter speed, ƒ/1.8 aperture, and ISO 8,000. Some situations have required increasing the ISO even further, sometimes up to 10,000 or 20,000 in rare cases of very dark scenes or faster-moving subjects. While my Z 6ii generally has enough power to capture most of the detail at these ultra-high ISO levels, there is usually a significant amount of noise (the digital equivalent of grain in film) visible throughout the RAW images from the camera. This is when I turn to Denoise during editing…
