A method for estimating the signal noise ratio (SNR) of digital images retrieved from volume holographic memories stored in Fe∶LiNbO 3 crystals is proposed in this paper, which is applicable to the image detection array (CCD) of entertainment quality. Based on this method the dynamic development of the image SNR during recording is measured for the first time to our knowledge. The degradation of SNR due to both intrapage and interpage cross talk noises is quantitatively studied in detail. The experimental results show the same descending trend on SNR as the result from a theoretical analysis. The degradation of the SNR is mainly caused by the optical noises in optical systems and the electrical noises in the measuring instrument. The experimental results also show that images can be retrieved with satisfactory SNR even the diffraction efficiency is very low. Therefore, an optimal compromise between the storage capacity and the retrieved image quality is possible.