Mallard + ISO help

Hi Everybody,

Went out yesterday in the hope of getting something half decent in the terrible light we're having at the moment and found this mallard bathing.
I was wondering if anyone could give me their opinion on how high they are willing to put the ISO setting of their camera to get reasonable shutter speeds, bearing in mind that I supply interent stock libraries with material.

The techs were:
1/90th sec at F6.7,iso 800, 200-400 at 400, 1.7x tc, nikon D2X,

C & C welcome

Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks and regards
Chris.
www.c-m-l.com

Hi I have used ISO 1600 but you do have to be careful with your white balance setting to get reasonably noise free results with the d2x the image is of a grey squirrel shot at ISO 1600 to show you the kind of results you can get all that has been done is selectively sharpened the grey squirrel and used the blur brush to soften the shadows under the branch it prints quite nicely at A3 the only real drawback with the D2x is if you need to use it under artificial light at high ISO which it doesn't really excel at.

Phillip.

I never venture about ISO 400 if i can help it

Hi Chis,

I guess it depends on the camera, the subject and the opportunity. If you're watching something unfolding which is rare or special then its better to have a sharper image with noise, than a blurry image without. If the sequence is long, or the subject is hanging around, quickly switch the ISO to cover your bases.

I never used to go above ISO200. But on the 1DSmkii the noise is so minimal I can happily shoot at ISO400 and even 800 and the agents are happy to take it. Just got back from India and shot everything (apart from landscapes) on ISO 400 and, as a result, I have a great deal more images to choose from.

Hi Chris

Generally I find ISO800 on my Canon 20D produces excellent images, especially when combined with noise reduction software. I use NeatImage but NoiseNinja and NoiseWare are equally as good.

I have produced A3+ sized prints from ISO 800 images and the noise is hardly visible.

It does depend a bit on the image though, something with lots of shadows and dark areas can be difficult, but otherwise ISO 400 or ISO 800 is very useable. On my 5D I have used upto ISO1250 and been happy with the results when combined with NeatImage.

cheers

Sean

I can go quite happily to ISO800 with the right processing. Noise is acceptable and all that's needed is a bit more saturation and contrast as this tails off at higher ISO.

Rob

I wouldn't hesitate to use iso 400 or iso 800 when needed,in fact I do all the time,unless the conditions allow a lower setting.
I've also reguarly used iso 1250,1600 and have even used iso 3200 on a Canon 5D with acceptable results.

Hi Everybody,

Thanks for the info and tips. That gives me a better idea of how high I can go in the dreary conditions.

Cheers
Regards Chris
www.c-m-l.com