High ISO or Flash for casual portraits.

To me low light photography isn't about street, bar, sport and events, but family pictures at home with f5.6-f8.
After my 5Dc started to show its age and support was ended by Canon I switched to 5D MKII and never liked high ISO from it. Not even 1600, which was most used on 5Dc. Looked at 6D high ISO examples.... Don't know how to put it, but high ISO of modern cameras is missing something to have it crispy on portraits and more casual pictures of people.
Sold 5D MKII with no intention to upgrade, but later on received as gift the outdated CCD camera which isn't worth of mentioning on P.O.T.N. . I have it set on ISO200 and 1/30-1/60, with old cheap lens from fifties set on f5.6 and on-camera flash. It gives sharp and crisp indoor portraits. Not like re-sized to 1K pixels for the internet, but 100% cropped ones on the screen.
I might pool out from the cabinet used to be famous GF lightsphere to smooth shadows

Indoors, with white or neutral-toned walls and relatively low ceiling, where flash is not going to bother other people (like it would at a bar or live performance) ..yeah, there's no reason not to use a flash equipped with the ol' Fong Dong.

If you use a slow shutter speed, make sure your subjects are sitting still, and make sure you're able to keep the camera steady through the whole shutter duration, with steady hands and/or image stabilization.

When I shoot this type of stuff, whether indoor or in lower light outdoor shooting, my "standard" setup is my 5DC with the 580 EX flash. I swerve the flash to point up indoors to bounce (or possibly tilted forward) and I have the flash/fill card on the 580 EX pulled out to provide some fill.

When I first get started, I'll typically do some shots/chimps. This is so I can control the flash output for the subjects and, if needed, for the surroundings. But I tend to favor an exposure/flash combination that will "let in" a fair degree of ambient light, if it's available, so I adjust the exposure as well as Flash Compensation to achieve a good balance.

I did find something interesting, and that is that my camera actually adopted good settings for this, at least using the P mode. I think one setup has been ss 1/60, aperture f/5.6, ISO maybe 400, which is quite good for scenes with some ambient light, although I tend to shoot Manual. And like I said, doing some shooting and chimping and readjusting accordingly helps!

Flash.

You can get an A7SII and command the dark, but flash on an ancient camera will still look better, cleaner, sharper.

I've been in this position, fast print, high ISO, etc, and flash wins every time. Well placed, well bounced, well blended or full exposure flash is just superior. Even with ambient light mixed, as fill flash, is still better.

Very best,

tonylong wrote in post #18163409
When I shoot this type of stuff, whether indoor or in lower light outdoor shooting, my "standard" setup is my 5DC with the 580 EX flash. I swerve the flash to point up indoors to bounce (or possibly tilted forward) and I have the flash/fill card on the 580 EX pulled out to provide some fill.

Here's an alternative using a cheap Vivitar 283 flash when bouncing off the ceiling just isn't good enough: https://photography-on-the.net …hp?p=7673927&po​stcount=15

PhotosGuy wrote in post #18163442
Here's an alternative using a cheap Vivitar 283 flash when bouncing off the ceiling just isn't good enough: https://photography-on-the.net …hp?p=7673927&po​stcount=15

Yeah, a "Do It Yourself" fill/bounce card is worth putting together and using!

In some cases I say both. You can gel the strobe to color balance the strobe for the ambient light in the room and expose for the ambient and use a softened, gelled strobe as fill to keep the eye sockets from getting to dark if the light in the room not of a quality that lends itself to good casual portraits. I would set exposure for the ambient and adjust the strobe as true fill and set that a stop to a stop and a half down from the ambient and the exposure.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #18163788
In some cases I say both. You can gel the strobe to color balance the strobe for the ambient light in the room and expose for the ambient and use a softened, gelled strobe as fill to keep the eye sockets from getting to dark if the light in the room not of a quality that lends itself to good casual portraits. I would set exposure for the ambient and ajust the strobe as true fill and set that a stop to a stop and a half down from the ambient and the exposure.

This

I wouldn't say that a CCD sensor is outdated. Some actually prefer the color to a CMOS.

I always thought CCD sensors were better than CMOS at lower ISO. The advantage of CMOS is you can really push the ISO to crazy levels and get decent results.

Bassat wrote in post #18164074
I always thought CCD sensors were better than CMOS at lower ISO. The advantage of CMOS is you can really push the ISO to crazy levels and get decent results.

My Leica M-E (CCD)has wonderful color up to about 1600 ISO but really shines at 160 ISO (base)
My original MM (CCD) is crazy good in low light.
My M 262 is much better in low light than the M-E (about like a 5DII) not as good as the MM but in bright light at low ISO I prefer the color from the M-E.

For less than $20 you can improve your on-camera flash results significantly by using something like a Sto-Fen diffuser and a cheap reflector such as the Pagnshi. Even cheaper if you make a bounce card out of heavy white cardboard (such as scrap mat board) and attach it to your flash with a rubber band, a hair tie "ponytailer", or even gaffer's tape. Tilt the flash head up at 60 degrees and fire away!


https://www.amazon.com …refix=sto-fen%2Caps%2C187

https://www.amazon.com …age_o00_s01?ie=​UTF8&psc=1

http://www.scunci.com/​no-damage-reflective

I disagree on the Sto-Fen

Note that my suggestion to use the tilted 580 EX and a bounce/fill card was for on-the-fly scenarios, not ones where you prepare with new gear and a "studio" setup or accessories. I get into those situations with no preparation, although the camera and flash are part of my "gear" whenever the light will be a question! And that gear has served me well!

windpig wrote in post #18164159
I disagree on the Sto-Fen

Most people who've ever used one agree with you.