Tips for avoiding "noisy" images in low-light

Hi all,
I noticed that there are a lot of users here who are complaining of noisy images especially in low-light. I'm not a professional photographer or anything but I have been playing a lot with the camera of my Xperia Z1 and I did have noisy images also at first.
Here is my tip: Use these settings:
Go to Manual Mode.
Shoot in either 8MP 4:3 or 16:9 (don't worry about not making use of the 20MP, because its still doing oversampling to improve the quality of the 8MP image by making use of the whole 20MP sensor).
Set Stabilizer to off
ISO to Auto (if you prefer more detailed images, set ISO to a lower value but take note of the exposure of the image and that there is a chance of motion blur due to the longer shutter speed necessary to capture low light at low ISO)
WB Auto (or your preference).
With the setting I use above, I've seen improvements on low-light capability (indoors, artificial lighting, or night outdoor scene for example) and quality of my camera pictures. Note though that this will not be applicable for extreme low-light. Its very normal to capture really noisy images when shooting in extreme low-light (even my dedicated compact camera has troubles too).
Here is my theory why its taking noisy images by default. In Superior Auto, I analyzed the EXIF data of the pictures I've shot. It seems that Superior Auto is really excessive in bumping up the ISO (thus resulting in more noisy images) to compensate for having a faster shutter speed (reduced motion blur). Thus what you get is a noisy image that is bright and freezes the motion. For example, test it out that in Superior Auto, even minute movements of the phone will trigger the Sports Mode (running man icon near the button) prioritizing a faster shutter speed at the cost of a higher ISO.
Another reason I have for turning off the Stabilizer in Manual Mode is the same. In contrast to Steady Shot used in recording movies (sensor based shift to compensate for handshake movements), I think the Stabilizer option basically just bumps up the ISO also to compensate for handshake movements. I"m not entirely 100% sure but so far, I've been satisfied with taking images with the Stabilizer Off.
Please feel free to test it out and report the results if there have been improvements. I'm still testing it out too! One of the things I wish for Sony to put in the Camera App are just these 3 things:
1.) Holding Shutter Key will open the Camera app with the LAST CONFIGURED SETTINGS
2.) Maximum ISO can be set in Manual Mode
3.) Scene AUTO mode for Manual Mode (I know it might be redundant but it would be nice to have Auto mode for 4:3 orientation images).
Again, hope to hear from others what are their settings or if they notice any improvements in images captured.
Thanks!

Hi, there is a FAQ related to this topic.
http://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/FAQ/Capture-better-photos-in-low-light-conditions/m-p/395397#U395397
Don't forget to mark correct answer as Accepted Solution.
If you find the post helpful, press Kudos.

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