rthompson10

All,

Going to experiment with this as I shoot high school football under bad lighting but wanted to see if any experience beforehand:

Do I go to a higher ISO if shot requires it or keep a lower ISO and bump up exposure comp- which gives better quality file before processing. I know higher ISO has more pixrllation- does +exposure comp do the same thing?

Shooting w canon 7DMKII and Canon 70-200 v2

Thx

RT

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

With a Canon, the last thing you want to do is underexpose and bring up in post - it will result in unnecessary additional noise. Raise the ISO as required and expose as far to the right as possible without blowing out your highlights. BTW. My testing has shown a noticeable improvement in noise at high ISOs by shooting raw and doing the initial conversion in DPP (Canon’s free Digital Photo Professional SW) vs doing it in Adobe’s ACR (Adobe Camera Raw). You can then export directly into photoshop for pixel level editing or save as a TIFF and import into the PP ap of your choice. It appears to be worth at least 1/2 stop in terms of noise, which is not a trivial matter when you’re trying to squeeze out every bit of low noise performance you can with high ISO shots.

Shooting high school football at night is one of the greatest challenges in terms of equipment performance.

PaulR01 Loc: West Texas

I bump up the exposure to keep the lower ISO as the sun is going down. Once the lighting is consistent I raise up the ISO to maintain a shutter speed of at least 800. My 7D2 I don't like shooting over 8000 but I have fields that require 12,800. I have been known to use an external flash when they get near the endzone running the ball as they cross the goal line.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Assuming the ISO is fixed, exposure compensation adjusts either the shutter speed or the aperture, depending on the shooting mode. As other's have said, expose as far to the right as possible without blowing highlights and use the lowest ISO as possible to achieve action with the minimum of blur (subject movement) and depth of field. Even in AUTO ISO, the Canon models will seek the lowest ISO until the aperture is max (I'm assuming f/2.8 from your vague lens reference).

Example: you've set the camera to 1/500 in shutter priority with AUTO ISO and exposure compensation +1. Depending on the currently lighting, the camera will start at base ISO-100. Then, it will open or close the aperture for the brighter exposure specified by the exposure compensation value. If the max aperture of f/2.8 isn't bright enough, then the ISO will increase automatically. The camera is biased toward the lowest ISO and widest aperture without the operator taking more control. If you set a limit on the upper (or lower) ISO, the camera will tell you when it can't get the exposure because it can't adjust a value beyond the limit.

Assuming light will diminish over the course of the evening, you'll start with one set of parameters and finish with another set. Between plays and / or changes of possession, check your histogram, highlight blinkers, zoom into the images and confirm focus and make adjustments, when needed.

rthompson10

thanks all

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

5DmarkIV is ISO invariant....the 7Dmkii is not..not are any of the others in this class. So your comment about in-camera noise being preferable to raising exposure in PP is spot on ...

If you were using the 5Dmkiv...it may not matter as much...or at all....most of the Nikon bodies in the mid to upper range are ISO invariant but within certain ISO ranges.

Net: expose for the scene and fix the noise later vs underexpose the scene and bump the exposure in post and then....well, good luck cleaning it up ! (Nikon bodies appear to be more forgiving but I have not heard of a body giving WORSE noise in-camera at properly exposure using ISO settings vs exposure correction in post.(happy to be corrected here as I am not an expert)

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

Assuming a fixed shutter speed and aperture, the ISO is what will change if you manipulate the exposure comp. Since ISO and exposure comp both rely on amplification of the sensor signal, they are one and the same. At least changing the ISO, you know what is changing and what is staying the same. In auto mode you don't know whether the camera is going to change your aperture, your shutter speed or your ISO, when you tell it to + or - compensate.

Mortsid

I use hi iso very often, and deal with the noise in post processing. My camera is a Canon D60 and I shoot as high 6400 and clean it up 95% in Topaz DeNoise. Remember, your job is to get the images. Don't worry about the quality of the files, they can always be dealt with in PP. By the way, exp comp changes the shutter speed. Blurry images are a real problem.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

I think, in the digital age, we are too concerned about excessive ISO creating excessive noise. What is worse? Getting a blurred shot with low ISO or having to use De noising software in post?

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

or just coping with noise. In the days of film, higher ISO film was more grainy. Period.

Today we expect perfection, everywhere.