1. A device for enhancing a contrast of an image, comprising: a noise estimation unit for estimating a noise level in the image; an object illumination unit comprising a first filter for deriving a first signal from a pixel of the image based upon the noise floor, wherein the first signal represents a brightness of the image pixel; a local-illumination unit comprising a second filter for deriving a second signal from the image pixel, wherein the second signal represents an illumination intensity of the image pixel; and an amplification unit for amplifying a difference between the first and second signals.