Native ISO on 20D?

Anyone know the native ISO for the 20D. Is it 100 or 200?

Is there a "native"? I thought it was just a question of amplification of the currents generated in the sensor. It's not like an LCD monitor, which has a fixed number of real pixels.

Or, do you want to know "what is the optimum signal to noise ratio setting for ISO?"? And, perhaps, "does the noise threshhold change with ISO?".

Well yes, there is a "native" or baseline ISO that digital cameras use. For example, if it is 200 then shooting at 100 would mean that you are reducing the signal and shooting at 400 would be amplifying the signal so either way you'd get some noise. I'm assuming the native baseline is 100 but my friend with his 1Ds shooting at 200 so it might be 200 for his camera...?

If I'm not fully accurate in what I'm describing someone please correct me.

I would automiatically assume 100, I guess you could do some test shots, and see the noise. For me on my XT, noise is the least at 100, small amounts if any noise at 200 and so forth

Nah, that would require me going out and USING my camera, ha!

This article says that the native ISO is 100 on the 20d.

http://shutterbug.com …lrs/0205canon/i​ndex1.html

I like to shoot on 200 late afternoons to help boost shutter speed. I don't notice a difference most of the time. When I do get a lot of noise it is usually my fault due to poor exposure.

Think of ISO settings as you would gears in a car.
ISO 50 = 1st gear
ISO 100 = 2nd gear
ISO 200 = 3rd gear, etc.
It basically represents a 'speed' range for your exposure settings.
Nothing is free - higher ISO's also produce more noise (graininess in film). The idea is to get the best compromise.

Is the term 'native' a personal thing you came up with?

Jon F.

Native ISO is 100. The sensor and image processor do not do any reduction of the signal strength. It starts at 100 and the signal gets amplified as it goes up.

I agree the native ISO on the 20D is 100. It is always the lowest ISO possible. Not even the dumbest camera manufacturer would "reduce" a signal.

So The Native ISO is 50 on the 1Dmk2?

nope, it's 100 on the 1d, ISO 50 decreases the dynamic range a bit.

OK, see. I knew I wasn't an idiot. I just wasn't sure if the 20D did this too.

Yes I know it's 100 I was being sarcastic actually