Photolady2014 Loc: Southwest Colorado

So, I have been using this for some time now and really do like the camera. I had expected it to do better in low light/high ISO however. Anyone else have one and how high of an ISO do you feel you can go before the noise is too bad? I have attached a few bird photos I took the other day with the new Canon 100-400 mm lens.
I'm going to Africa this fall and I'm afraid I will be disappointed in the evening low light photos due to not being able to use a higher ISO. I'm afraid to do much of anything over 10,000 if even that.
Any thoughts or suggestions on this camera etc. are quite welcome. If I had things to do over when I started I would have gone Nikon. Seems the Nikon D850 does quite well in low light, but I have way too much Canon stuff and lenses!

ISO 3200 340 mm F 7.1 1/500 sec hand held

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ISO 10,000 400mm F 7.1 1/5000 sec hand held

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Brokenland

Question: Are you allowing the camera to select the ISO or adjusting this yourself?. either way, you'll have to adjust alternatively. Currently I've found that the Canon M6 (automatic mode) is excellent in low light. So you'll have to describe in more detail what it is you doing with the system setting etc. Also, IMO multiple zoom range lenses aren't suited for these types of shots as the camera tends to zoom in and out way too often and if one is holding the camera, it's twice as hard to get these multi zoom range lenses to cooperate. Find your range and try a fixed lenses for the same shots as I feel the outcome would be more to your liking.

Photolady2014 Loc: Southwest Colorado

Yes, I had the ISO on auto in AV mode. But regardless, the amount of noise at 10,000 ISO is what surprises me.

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

OK, I would kill to have that little noise at 10,000 ISO. After some pixel peeping and reading your comments, I would guess that no camera out there would satisfy you. I can only get acceptable results with my 50D using 800 ISO and if absolutely needed 1,600 ISO. Your 10,000 is just under 7 stops and many lenses don't even have that in their entire aperture range.

How big are you planning on printing these? I wouldn't hesitate to print one at 24x36.

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

Not according to the exif data.
EXIF IFD0

Camera Make {0x010F} = Canon
Camera Model {0x0110} = Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
X-Resolution {0x011A} = 360/1 ===> 360
Y-Resolution {0x011B} = 360/1 ===> 360
X/Y-Resolution Unit {0x0128} = inch (2)
Software / Firmware Version {0x0131} = Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.13 (Macintosh)
Last Modified Date/Time {0x0132} = 2019:01:22 17:45:48
Artist {0x013B} = BETH Tollefsen

EXIF Sub IFD

Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) {0x829A} = 1/5000 second ===> 0.0002 second
Lens F-Number / F-Stop {0x829D} = 71/10 ===> ƒ/7.1
Exposure Program {0x8822} = manual control (1)
ISO Speed Ratings {0x8827} = 10000
Sensitivity Type {0x8830} = recommended exposure index (REI) (2)
Recommended Exposure Index {0x8832} = 10000
EXIF Version {0x9000} = 0230
Original Date/Time {0x9003} = 2019:01:03 08:39:42
Digitization Date/Time {0x9004} = 2019:01:03 08:39:42
Shutter Speed Value (APEX) {0x9201} = 12287712/1000000
Shutter Speed (Exposure Time) = 1/5000 second
Aperture Value (APEX) {0x9202} = 5655638/1000000
Aperture = ƒ/7.1
Exposure Bias (EV) {0x9204} = -1/3 ===> -0.33
Max Aperture Value (APEX) {0x9205} = 5/1 ===> 5
Max Aperture = ƒ/5.66
Metering Mode {0x9207} = center weighted average (2)
Flash {0x9209} = n/a (16)
Focal Length {0x920A} = 400/1 mm ===> 400 mm
Original Subsecond Time {0x9291} = 00
Digitized Subsecond Time {0x9292} = 00
Colour Space {0xA001} = sRGB (1)
Focal Plane X-Resolution {0xA20E} = 61166933/32768 ===> 1866.67
Focal Plane Y-Resolution {0xA20F} = 61166933/32768 ===> 1866.67
Focal Plane X/Y-Resolution Unit {0xA210} = centimeter (3)
Custom Rendered {0xA401} = normal process (0)
Exposure Mode {0xA402} = manual exposure (1)
White Balance {0xA403} = auto (0)
Scene Capture Type {0xA406} = standard (0)
Body Serial Number {0xA431} = 141055000293
Lens Specification {0xA432} = 100-400mm FNaN-NaN
Lens Model {0xA434} = EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
Lens Serial Number {0xA435} = 5410001381

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

This is a very confusing post. Why would you be concerned about ISO-10000 when shooting in bright sunlight? Your choice of shutterspeed is driving the high ISO values. Here's a screen capture of just one of the example images along with observations:

1) Why at 1/5000 rather than something more appropriate like 1/500 for a live, stationary, but unpredictable subject?

2) Why not trust the series II IS capabilities of this lens? Shooting at 1/100 at 340mm is perfectly reasonable for IS-enabled support and a sharp image with no camera / lens movement (but maybe subject movement).

3) A shutter of 1/250 would work for any of these examples, serving to freeze a relatively static bird on a branch using something like ISO-500 with the same aperture.

Given your low-light plans, it would be more effective to test your handholding / IS-support abilities in lowlight situations and confirming the resulting ISO noise at shutterspeeds around 1/80 - 1/200 with this lens at 400mm and camera body using a low-light ISO in the 1/5000 to 1/8000 range.

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JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

One of the first things I do when I get a new camera is do ISO tests at various speeds to see for myself how much noise I can expect at a specific ISO. Asking others to tell you how much noise you will get is not helpful as their tolerance for noise might not be the same as yours.

Brokenland

Just a wild guess, could the noise be contributed to any post processing enhancement. Sort of like adjusting the contrast to much.

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

1/5000th second shutter speed is way faster than needed.

Mike

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

And they are cropped to between 20% - 50% of frame. So some people can see the pixels.

Your camera is doing great.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Additionally, given the lens and the camera body the images were far less sharp than I would have expected. Even the shot at ISO 3200 looks soft. I wonder which focus mode she was using and whether they were taken in AI Servo or one shot. Clearly there is an issue, but I don't think its due to noise.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Duplicate

fergmark Loc: norwalk connecticut

Shooting at 1/5000th is like driving with your foot on the brakes.

Linda S.

Hi, I am an amateur. What does your above comment mean given 1/5000th is quite fast? Thank you in advance. Linda

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I'm not sure that is an apt comparison, but the problem with using a speed that fast is that it is faster than is necessary for most applications, and it forces you to use an ISO that is higher than necessary, which increases noise.