5D2 and ISO

jamiewexler wrote in post #13321811
This one is at 12,800 and f1.4...yeah it was that dark!

I'm happy to shoot at 3200 all day long, and 6400 when needed in dark churches. But I tend to intentionally err on the side of slight overexposure...

Beautiful!!!

Im very comfortable to use 3200, but if the situation needs it, I wont be afraid to bump up to 6400

umphotography wrote in post #13320589
5D2 @ 3200 does a great job. I always expose +1 to let in as much light as i can and try to get a shutter above 1/125......not always possible however.

If you're shooting 3200 and adding +1, aren't you really just shooting 1600?

Whenever I do go to 3200 (especially on 5Dc) I usually add 1/3...

SMP_Homer wrote in post #13324173
If you're shooting 3200 and adding +1, aren't you really just shooting 1600?

Whenever I do go to 3200 (especially on 5Dc) I usually add 1/3...

ooops my bad. I ment to say +1/3. I shoot at 3200 all day long with the 5d2. Its no problem. Nice shots Nick.

Like others, I have no worries about 3200 - I'd prefer to shoot where there's enough light to permit lower ISO's obviously, but that's just the way it is sometimes. You can compensate for high noise in PP, the same can't be said for blur caused by a too-slow shutter speed. Okay, maybe with that new Adobe thing, but AFAIK, that's not been "released" yet.

Thanks for all the responses and the photos. I enjoyed viewing all of them. There are some very talented people here and I can onIy hope to get close to some of that work.

I actually do have some 6400 shots. I shot a band performing last spring. I had not looked at the files for a wile so I looked at them again today. I thought they were 3200 but I surprised many were at 6400. I had some ugly skin tones which I attribute to incorrect exposure. Tough with all those lights continually changing. The higher ISO turned me off so I guess I decided to drop to 1600 to feel safe. Too many other things to learn so I just forgot about it. I'm definitely going to raise the bar when I using my 5D2.

6400 DPP NR Lum = 2 Chrome = 10

nice shots nick! People really need to stop worrying about noise.

I even shoot my 40D at ISO3200 (see below). For general candid snapshots, it does a more than stellar job. Know how to expose and it's all good.

I know this isn't an interesting pic in any sense, but it's just to illustrate that even an old cheap camera will do fine at high ISO. Which is why it makes me laugh when people start comparing 100% crops at ISO6400 and say "this camera is one stop better" blah blah blah. It doesn't even matter! All modern cameras are good enough to deliver professional results.

When you underexpose at high ISO the skin looks awful when you try to recover so that is where my fear is. Lower ISO I find is more forgiving. I don't have the experience at run and gun shooting especially when using flash so at times I need a second or third crack at it and sometimes you don't get a second chance.

Not that afraid of it These were at 12,800 with my 7D.

picturecrazy wrote in post #13324712
nice shots nick! People really need to stop worrying about noise.

I even shoot my 40D at ISO3200 (see below). For general candid snapshots, it does a more than stellar job. Know how to expose and it's all good.

I know this isn't an interesting pic in any sense, but it's just to illustrate that even an old cheap camera will do fine at high ISO. Which is why it makes me laugh when people start comparing 100% crops at ISO6400 and say "this camera is one stop better" blah blah blah. It doesn't even matter! All modern cameras are good enough to deliver professional results.

Pretty impressive for ISO 3200 on a 40D.
Hey, I used to be that guy! But not any more.
Yeah, I hardly ever worry about ISO noise at 100% because that's definitely not what the finish product would look like.

Here are a few more. I was underexposing on purpose b/c I didn't want to go beyond ISO4000, but I guess now I know that won't really be an issue!

ISO4000 pushed about 2 stops = ISO16000 equivalent.

How are you doing that and still getting such a good exposure?

Well I'm never comfortable showing my images amounts such talented company but here it goes. I dugout another shot from that band which was just a volunteer charity thing. ISO 6400. Not the greatest but I guess I'm too conservative when it comes to the few the more important events I shoot. Particularly if the lighting is better.

bnlearle wrote in post #13323443
Beautiful!!!

Thanks!

digital paradise wrote in post #13325179
How are you doing that and still getting such a good exposure?

Are you talking about me?
Let me see if I can put together a before and after.