[barondla]

Just wondering how high people are comfortable with before feeling there is a performance hit that makes you think twice?
Thanks,
barondla

[MatKus]

On K50 I was usually using 400, rarely went up to 800, above this there was too much noise for me.
Now I have k5 and I haven't tested its limits so far, I'm still staying with 400 max 800.

[ecostigny]

I'm pretty happy with 800 on my K-5, and 1600 is still more than acceptable. I'm trying to figure out how to make higher ISOs work for me.

[mhoule418]

For me :

• ISO 200 on K10D
• ISO 1600 on K-5ii and K-01 (same sensor)
• limit not tested yet on my (new to me) K-3 so far

Above that, it’s more complicated...

Well, it’s my personal view!

Don’t get me wrong, I still use ISO above those.
It might not be the best picture.

[c.a.m]

Although I think this thread is directed towards K-1 users, I thought I'd mention my experience as well, because I think the post-processing stage is critical

I shoot with a K-3 II and post-process my images in RawTherapee, which features several robust noise-reduction approaches. Depending on whether I plan to print an image, I'm comfortable going as high as ISO 3200, maybe ISO 6400 in a pinch. For 'large' prints such as 20x30 inches, I would limit it to ISO 800. From what I understand of the K-1, if I owned it I think I'd be comfortable going a stop higher, say ISO 6400.


More discussion on this topic may be found in a recent thread: Iso .. how high is too high for you? - PentaxForums.com

- Craig

[Bertrand3000]

On my K-S2, 1600 ISO is the maximum without noticeable noise, but 3200 ISO is usable. I never understood why this camera could go up to 51 200, since it literally trashes the image.

[kiwi_jono]

With the K-1, it really depends what I'm shooting (some dynamic scenes will need more PP and show up noise sooner).

Most of the time I'm shooting ISO 100 but I have had great results indoors at ISO 3200 and sometimes even ISO 6400. Beyond 3200 noise is starting to become a problem - especially if you want to do a reasonable amount of PP.

Experimenting I have tried outdoor images of a static scene at ISO 512000 through to 2048000 and it is possible to get usable very small images but I can't think of scenario where I would to use these settings in field use. I think the highest ISO image in the field that I was happy with was shot at ISO 12800.

[Apet-Sure]

ISO 200 on K10DISO 1600 on K-5ii

I would go up to ISO 400 on my K10D, and have had very acceptable results at ISO 1600 on my K-5 IIs. I have gone a little higher; it depends on the scene and lighting. I keep its in-camera noise reduction set to 'auto', and it seems to do a good job.

[ismaelg]

I shoot ballet recitals. I've sold prints up to ISO 8000. With careful PP I can push up to 3200 with great results. But I'm not afraid to push it beyond reasonable if it is the only way to get the shot.

Here are some samples:
K5II vs fast action in low light - PentaxForums.com

By the way I shoot with K5-II, RAW exclusively

Thanks,

[gump]

I have shot at 1600 with my K-70 and the result was acceptable for a general snapshot. It may be a holdover from my film days but 400 does not worry me, yes i know ASA/ISO apples and oranges. As other have said, it depends..

[aaacb]

In black and white, I use 12800 on the k3ii and GR III, this is usually for zone focusing at night or concerts in dark venues, where I have to handhold the camera and need a faster shutter. For color up to 3200 and 6400 for each camera respectively. On the k3ii usually shoot at lower iso and push from raw, on the GR I tend to expose normally because often enough I just keep the jpegs, they're fine for snapshots that don't require local editing.

[TwoUptons]

It also depends on what I want to do with the final result. Downsampled to a 10x15cm print? 25,000, easy on the K1ii, maybe higher depending on the subject and how I handle it.

It continues to impress me with how well it handles low light.

But normally no higher than 10k or so.

But I gained at least two stops of usability with the K1-K1ii upgrade and my workflow.

-Eric

[FozzFoster]

I use my K-S2 up to ISO 800 for normal shots. Definitely want to keep it as close to 100 though...
For astrophotography I'll go up to 3200 or even 6400.
It's all about your noise to signal ratio..
Shots with flash can comfortably do ISO 320 that look pretty much the same as ISO 100..

[Urs]

Yes on amy K1 depends a bit on the subject, but anyway always as low as possible but I try not to get over 3200 and there or over probably need to denoise in software.

[veato]

I can't remember what my auto ISO range is set at on the K3-II. Needless to say 'as low as possible' would be my ideal ISO, as I suspect it would be for everyone. Back in GX10/GX20 days I wouldn't like going to 400. When I upgraded to a K5 I was happy to go higher though.