Mondo

Hi all does anyone know how high you can go with ISO before your picture starts to go grainy I am trying to shoot birds any settings would be appreciated

divergeorge

I do a lot of night/evening shooting as the photographer for our fire department, and regularly use ISO "H1". While there is some grain, it doesnt seem to be objectionable at normal viewing distance. I do not use H2 as it performs a "scan" and requires a tripod. I rarely use flash.

Experiment a bit and see what you like.

George in New York

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

Mondo, no one can answer this question for you, because they don't know what will be acceptable to you, they don't know what typical background and light is in your photos, and they don't know how capable you are in reducing noise during post processing. And they might not be using your camera and lens.

However, this is easy to determine: With the camera on a tripod and focused on a target typical of the birds you want to shoot (you don't need the bird to focus on--you can use a tree limb; the brightness of the target should also be typical) 1) set your camera to manual and auto ISO, 2) set exposure time so that ISO is 100, 3) take a series of shots reducing the exposure time by half for each successive shot (example: 1/125, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, etc.). Compare the images using Lightroom or some other post processing software, after applying noise reduction (as desired), and using a zoom level consistent with the size at which you might want to print. Pick the highest ISO at which you find the noise acceptable.

Mondo

Thank you I will try what you said

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

I would suggest you take your camera and do some test shots, then you know! Whats noisy to you, may be acceptable to someone else, or it may be the other way around. You have to find your own comfort-zone!!

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

Hate to say it, however, photography takes a bit of work. For me to try and guess what is acceptable for you is a bridge too far. Go for a walk tonight with your camera. Take photos with different ISO, aperture, and shutter settings. Process them. Look at the photos & decide what YOU prefer. Note the metadata and apply those settings to future photographic outings.

Happy shooting!