No probs, just a thought. The k20d does err on the side of underexposure a little.

You will get some noise at higher iso's even if the histogram is well balanced.
I'm not familiar with Elements 6 but I'm assuming it uses ACR which has a built in noise reduction process at the conversion stage (be aware that you need to zoom to 100% to see the results when adjusting the sliders) There should also be a noise reduction option when working on the converted jpeg, a quick search in the "help" menu should find it.
There is also a whole host of noise reduction software available, popular ones include "noise ninja" & "neatimage". Personally I use Dfine 2.0 link (they have a free trial) which I find excellent as you can choose to sample just the problem areas (ie. the black coat) which helps maintain detail in the areas that are less affected by noise.

Are you underexposing at all ? "pushing" shadows to retrieve detail can result in increased noise.

I use this one

Maybe you could be the first to design a steampunk DSLR ? Including cloth hood !

The composition works better I agree & the mountains look far better, but the barn is just too flat.
Pity you didn't stay still Peter, as a composite would have been a stunner.

Mike produces some seriously sharp images with the 70mm, I've never seen a portrait from him though so this will be interesting
I understand the 77mm is the portrait lens of choice but is significantly more expensive.

this link would indicate that iso100 has most dynamic range on the k20d, although how they measured this I am unsure. But strangely on the next page where they review the D-range expansion option they have this statement.

The K20D offers a dynamic range exansion option, which appears to adapt the applied tone curve to retain highlights better (at the expense of noise in the shadows). Enabling D-Range doesn't appear to change the exposure yet is only available from ISO 200 upwards which suggests the sensor's native sensitivity may be ISO 200, hence offering slightly improved dynamic range at that setting.

I'd be interested to see that piece. Generally speaking, dynamic range reduces the further you get from "base" or "natural" iso. The piece you read may have inferred that the k20d's "base" iso is 200 rather than 100.

iso400 would give you less dynamic range.

Great little movies. Thanks for the link.