canon 7d iso 1250 usable??

A

andrewjwickett

New member
Do people think iso 1250 is usable on the 7D.

Shot some weddings recently and had to use 1250 extensively. fair bit of noise in the shadows but iso 1250 had to be used to get correct exposure.

Just asking what other people think and are using??

cheers
 
i don't go over 600 iso when shootin video. add more lights if you have to shoot in a low light environment.
 
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...that's not really possible if you're shooting a wedding, unless the bride + groom and wedding planners are really cool.
 
I also shoot weddings with a ML T2i. I never use lights. My fastest lens is f2 and on some occasions I go as high as 1600 iso. I try to stay at 1250 or below. Most, if not all, wedding clients prefer exposure over grain. Of course when I am in controlled settings I use lights and stay between 100-400 iso. Weddings however are rarely controlled.

I chose from the beginning to not use lights, especially on camera. It is a personal preference as I do not like the invasiveness and most non-talent video subjects dislike the bright spotlight shining in their face.
 
1250 iso can actually be used and still looks great. The highest I have ever gone was 3200 iso and 30 shutter speed. Since it was on a dark night a lot of the noise was hidden, indoors though with walls you probably want to stay under 800iso ( I personally stay in the 640 range)

Finally if it's a matter of getting the shot then you raise your iso, I'd rather have a grainy shot then No shot.
 
thanks guys.
you pretty much summed up what i thought.

i use f2.8 zooms as time is always an issue. However i now see it may be worth taking the time to put a 1.4 for some low light shots.

i shoot everything very natural. i hate wedding videos with staged shots. weddings vids should capture the real moments, not stage its own for the purpose of the video. thats kind of why i dont use lights. im always looking for the natural feel so i can capture their day as they lived it.

thats how i felt abut my own wedding video anyway.

cheers again guys.
 
I'd say use what you've got to use given the conditions, if you can light the shot appropriately then get as much light in there as you can and stay in the camera's sweet-spot. I can say however that I've used the 7D at ISO 5000 when I've absolutely had to do so and got great results. Granted I was shooting in B&W and chroma noise could be an issue at that high ISO otherwise. It's certainly grainier and softer at an ISO like that but if that's what you've gotta do, you've gotta do it, and if your content is good and the exposure is right, people are not likely to be too concerned with the graininess/softness of a shot now and then. That said, it absolutely depends on the project and who it is for. I would not shoot a corporate video at ISO 5000, but for a creative project I think you can allow yourself a little more breathing room from time to time. I wanted the look of Kodak TRI-X 400 pushed to 3200, and that's what I got. YMMV.

As for a wedding video, the most important thing is that you capture the evening well -- if that means shooting at ISO 3200, then do it if you must, the shot that you don't get at all is ALWAYS worse than the shot that you got at ISO 3200.

If you are doing weddings as you've stated, you'd be well advised to pick up a fast wide to give yourself some more options, the Sigma 20 or 24mm f/1.8s or the Canon 24mm f/1.4 L would be good choices...maybe the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 or Canon 35mm f/1.4 L but I'd go wider if possible if you can afford it.

Fast longer lenses are going to have very narrow DOF and shooting with DSLRs in that setting is hard enough as it is. Blown focus is worse than graininess.

If all the above are too pricey, at least pick up a Canon 50mm f/1.8 or an older Nikon 50mm f/1.4 + adapter so that you'll have *something* fast, but they will be a pain.
 
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Get a fast lens just incase. 1.8 or 1.4. Use it only when needed at that wide open. (not everyone likes shallow DOF)

you can use 1250 but don't push it up in post. Pretty much realize at that the digital noise will occur if you post process. So basically if you shoot at that ISO make sure you exposure is dead on.

If you were at ISO 160 you could push it up in post because the grain would be so little.
 
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