Sony A6000 High ISO NR

Sony A6000 High ISO Noise Reduction

The Sony A6000 offers only three High ISO Noise Reduction settings: "Off", "Low" and "Normal" (default). The user manual doesn't say at what sensitivity High ISO Noise Reduction begins to be applied, so we've included crops from ISO 100 on up to find out.

See for yourself how the the default and lowest noise reduction settings compare to RAW files with no noise reduction or sharpening applied. Click on any of the crops below to see the corresponding full-sized image.

As you can see, the Sony A6000's High ISO Noise Reduction already has a noticeable effect at sensitivities as low as ISO 100, and the "Off" setting really isn't off (which is often the case), as the A6000 still applies obvious noise reduction. The "Off "setting leaves a lot more fine luminance noise behind (as well as chroma noise), but sharpening gives it a peppered look at higher ISOs.

You can see signs of Sony's revised area-specific noise reduction algorithm as it leaves high-frequency detail (and noise) around edges which can give them a somewhat rough, haloed look at higher ISOs, and it also tends to make flatter areas look almost painted or hammered at high ISOs.