[jon404]

What's the highest ISO you'd allow for snapshots? For pictures shown on the web, or printed maybe up to 8x10 or 8x12, but not larger than that. The idea being that if you can get by with a higher ISO than normal, you can have a faster shutter speed... or more DOF... or both. How high would you go? ISO 400? 800? 1600?

[Adam G]

Crank it up to 12800, lower the brightness a touch, nudge the contrast and print in monochrome!

Yeah yeah, clichéd, but for low-light snaps, it works.

[Mareket]

If it's a really strong moment it can be fine even up to 51200, but it's going to have to be an image entirely based upon the subject because, aesthetically, it's going to look pretty mushy. I think it's difficult shooting without trying to base the photo upon some sort of aesthetic choice (which will be ruined by high iso unless that's what you're after), but if the need calls for it why not at least try?

Going monochrome does help yeah. I find it interesting seeing how I work at 51200 in B&W JPEGs. Try it, takes you out of the low ISO RAW comfort zone quite handily.

[jawsy]

Not sure what camera you have, but on a K20D I've found 800 to be the limit to the criteria you've nominated. I only go higher if the extra ISO noise fits the atmospherics of the image.

[Na Horuk]

Depends on camera. With my K-r I try to keep it under 800, with K-01 under 2000. But sometimes you have to go above. With K-01 I took photos at ISO 5000 and.. not great, but you know whats on the photo. Better a noisy image than no image at all. You can try shooting raw and overexposing, then darkening in pp. That can reduce some noise. There is also anti noise software out there, like Topaz denoise.

[Allison]

I find it really depends on the camera. I rarely wanted to crank it over 1600 with the k20 and I only went that high in situations like you are talking about. With the k5, 1600 is not big deal and I have cranked it higher on occasion. I go to 1600 frequently on the k5.

Post processing can also make a difference. Lightroom has some good noise removal, but there are even stronger ones out there from topaz, nik, onone, etc. Find one you like and it should help you get more out of a low light image.

[Lowell Goudge]

I have pushed every body I own, except the K5 to max ISO. Much more frequent with the*istD and K10D than the K7 or K5, but I say go for it. Heck, I routinely used 400ISO film pushed to 3200 in the day. There are many instances when any shot is better than no shot

[Digitalis]

There are many instances when any shot is better than no shot

I couldn't agree more, I have used 12800 - with slower lenses, with my 50mm f/1.2 need for High ISO is offset by the sheer speed of the lens.

[wildman]

What's the highest ISO you'd allow for snapshots?

If by "snapshot" you mean shooting in jpg, little or no PP, no special attention to getting a perfect low light exposure than 6400 max on the K5
or
shooting in RAW, extensive PP, shooting ETTR etc. than perhaps as high as 25600.

1 ISO 4000
2 ISO 25600

[tclausen]

Hard to say. With the *istD, I'd never use anything but the lowest ISO. Idem for the K10D, where anything above 200 ISO was (mostly) useless: noise, grain, ....

I sat out all the versions until the K-01, and have been /very/ impressed with the improvements. I'll gladly use 3200 ISO in a pinch. Still, my K-01 is set on ISO 100 as "default" (should add that I take RAW only).

[chromo]

If by "snapshot" you mean shooting in jpg, little or no PP, no special attention to getting a perfect low light exposure than 6400 max on the K5
or
shooting in RAW, extensive PP, shooting ETTR etc. than perhaps as high as 25600.

1 ISO 4000
2 ISO 25600

Have you used noise repair software on these ?
If so which one ?

[Sandy Hancock]

This was taken at 25600 ISO in almost total darkness, with my K-01 last year. I may have just bought Lightroom by then, so it was probably shot in RAW and a little noise reduction would have applied.


Mark Lanegan Band

Take a risk if you have to in order to get the shot. If all else fails, B&W conversion covers a multitude of sins

[JimJohnson]

As high as I have to and the camera will let me. Conversely, I go as low as I can with aperture and shutter speed I need to get the shot. As Wildman's tagline says - "There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept." If the shot is something worth keeping ISO be damned. And I can make that decision after the fact.

[VisualDarkness]

I've used every single ISO setting on my K-5 so tough to say a limit. I think the limit is what you need to get the shot you want in just that situation, not some made up rule on the beforehand.

[atupdate]

Taken this week with my K-r @ ISO 6400, 1/125, f4-f5.6, Noise reduction via Paint Shop Pro from Raw. I under-exposed everything by atleast a stop to preserve the highlights.




I'm having this one printed at 5x7 to see what the grain looks like enlarged.


Tim