High Iso, how often...

How often do you venture into the use of high ISO?

I'm amazed at how crazy the usable ISO has crept up on cameras lately, I don't use high ISO's very often, but I thought It would fun to have a little play in the very dimly lit living room. You can see by the size of the Mouse's (that's the cats name) iris how dark it was.

It's just a snap shot, but gave me an idea of the cameras ability in low light.

PP'd through Lightroom with some noise reduction and colour corrected for a very yellow tungsten light. Settings were: Iso 12800, 1/80, 140mm @f2.8.

Sorry not that experienced yet, so can't really answer you. I read somewhere that high ISO with b&w can look good, have you tried that? (i think the point was that it added character through looking grainer)

Lovely cats btw.

Mines goes up to 6400. I admit 80% of the time mines on auto. I have a lot to learn on where it should be with the f number and shutter speed.

I must admit that I would have expected it to have loads more noise at that setting Ken. I don't think I have ever gone above 800 and only use that very rarely.

Food for thought, thanks.


( goes off into the darkened cellar clutching camera)

I love high ISO capability for indoor shots, you can get some really natural looking shots in low light.

Check out this thread btw:

Why I love the D3 and D700 - I fear no darkness

My cameras (40D and 1D2) are a few years old now and I tend to use up to ISO800.

'High' ISO is funny subject. Often people will show a shot they've taken at ISO a million and proclaim how amazing it is but in good light all that will happen is the shutter speed will be faster.

I said in another thread that upping the ISO works wonders for getting ultra fast shutter speeds in good light but the 'quality' of high ISO should be measured in low light against shutter speed.

I'm confident that I could do so much more if I went and bought a more recent body..

I think ISO is often the aftethought once shutter speed and aperture have been decided.

Thanks to this thread i will make sure i don't take it for granted and recognise it's contribution.

I am very reluctant to go higher than ISO 400 though I have used 800 on rare occasions.

I think it is the remnants of my film days when ISO400 was a fast film and 800, although available, was very grainy.

Ingrained (pun not intended) prejudices I s'pose

Steve

I was always told that good shots were taken at an ISO of 100 or 200. :/

Daisy I agree. I will try every other method ie tripod, slow shutter speed, wide open aperture, wedging camera against fence post/wall in fact almost anything before raising the ISO.

I have just had a quick look in LR and filtered all images by ISO setting and without getting a calculator out it appears that about 90% or more are taken at ISO200 or lower.

Steve