60D ISO Setting

The ISO maximum setting for the 60D is 6400 but Canon website info states "expandable up to 12800 with Custom functions". I would like to expand that setting to that 12800 but am unable to find those "custom functions" to do so. Reading my manual doesn't indicate how, unless I'm missing it.

Can someone provide info about these custom functions to expand the ISO?

Thank you

Custom Function I-3 Set option 1.

Bring up your settings screen on LCD, or your small screen window on top right of camera and set ISO to H setting. That will be your 12800 ISO setting. That is my understanding as to how to get it. Hope this helps.....

Excellent.

Thank you both

Be aware that once beyond a certain setting you don't get any quality advantages by increasing ISO, you just lose highlights. Assuming you shoot raw, you'd be better off shooting at ISO 12800 shutter speeds (at a lower ISO setting) and pushing the image in post. You will wind up with dark images on the LCD though.

On a 60D I'd be surprised if you got any quality benefit by going beyond ISO 3200.

You can shoot 6400 on a 60d. I've done it a million times. 12800, no.

Frodge wrote in post #17915588
You can shoot 6400 on a 60d. I've done it a million times. 12800, no.

Yeah, basically. 6400 on the 60D is quite manageable. 12,800 works, BUT everything has to be perfect. On the 60D, it is best avoided. Works for small web-shots, if you need 'em though.

Frodge wrote in post #17915588
You can shoot 6400 on a 60d. I've done it a million times. 12800, no.

You can do it, but try an ISO 3200 shot (at the ISO 6400 shutter speed) and push the raw one stop in post. There's a good chance you'll find no quality difference, but you'll have an extra stop of highlight headroom.

sploo wrote in post #17916043
You can do it, but try an ISO 3200 shot (at the ISO 6400 shutter speed) and push the raw one stop in post. There's a good chance you'll find no quality difference, but you'll have an extra stop of highlight headroom.

This is a recipe for noise. The 60D is natively good at 3200. A little ETTR and high-ISO processing will yield very good results. Underexposing, especially at these ISO levels is asking for trouble.

Bassat wrote in post #17916071
This is a recipe for noise. The 60D is natively good at 3200. A little ETTR and high-ISO processing will yield very good results. Underexposing, especially at these ISO levels is asking for trouble.

Actually not (in that scenario). The ISO amplifier is there to overcome analog read out noise from the sensor. However, beyond a certain level you don't actually get any analog gains (vs noise) and instead just end up clipping highlights. The "party trick" of the low read out noise on Sony sensors means there's little difference between an analog ISO gain increase and pushing digitally in post. With a "perfect" sensor there'd be no difference at all.

Different bodies have different levels (where there's no point in increasing ISO gain). Often though it's somewhere between ISO 1600 and 6400, but you need to experiment to find what works for your system.

It depends what your shooting. If I give up a stop on the shutter speed I could have a lot of blur.

Frodge wrote in post #17916135
It depends what your shooting. If I give up a stop on the shutter speed I could have a lot of blur.

You don't give up the shutter speed: e.g. shoot at your ISO 6400 settings (shutter speed etc) but at ISO 3200. The image on the LCD will be dark (by one stop), but when pushed one stop in post you'll get the right exposure, one stop more highlight headroom, and likely no worse noise.

FWIW I think highlight tone priority does that, but gives you a good JPEG thumbnail too.

Meanie wrote in post #17914927
The ISO maximum setting for the 60D is 6400 but Canon website info states "expandable up to 12800 with Custom functions". I would like to expand that setting to that 12800 but am unable to find those "custom functions" to do so. Reading my manual doesn't indicate how, unless I'm missing it.

Can someone provide info about these custom functions to expand the ISO?

Thank you

The ISO at 6400 is already very noisy, which varies depending on the light you're shooting in and the subject, but it can be cleaned up somewhat in PP. Its as high as I would go with this camera. I find 12800 completely useless unless you must have the shot and don't care about noise or image quality.

Frodge wrote in post #17915588
You can shoot 6400 on a 60d. I've done it a million times. 12800, no.

There is an extended setting for 12800, but I wouldn't use it..

Yeah. It's splotchy.