Highest iso to use with D90?

Tbini87 · Jan 6, 2011

orb9220 said:
Any complaints of noisy at 800 or 1600 can usually be attributed to underexposure.
I was very surprised at my first 3200 shot with the tamron 17-50 in an underground tunnel.

Picture is SOCC and no post NR. Tho Lightroom 3 does a good job at NR when needed.
And always use it on D90 images even if only a tad bit. As always shooting right at the limit of lower light handheld realm.

Heading Home by orb9220, on Flickr

But nailing exposure is critical. And even this shot I think I was a tad under.
And yep agree for paying customers have the right to have a well lit scene using lights & flash if necessary. And they have a right to demand that pro have the best equipment for the job. The D90 is a great camera but wouldn't want to use it for weddings. As that is what the D700 or even now the D7000? can achieve. And of course that primo glass to capture the scene.
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This shot looks great given the conditions! You recommend always using LR3s noise reduction with D90 images? Even if you shoot at iso 200 or 400? I thought that using NR generally makes the image softer. And why D90 images, or did you mean all images in general? Thanks for the input and help.

MrLogic · Jan 6, 2011

*If* fine detail is important ISO 640 is already pushing things, IMO. Yes, I'm talking about perfectly exposed shots.

orb9220 · Jan 6, 2011

As MrLogic points out about details I seem to see a tad bit of noise beginning at 800 and higher. As you can see on the example I posted at 3200. Some would accept it at that level. Others would want it cleaner.

So yep many of my images get NR in lightroom. As when using slower variable kit type lenses in optimal light then I am usually pushing the lens and camera in lower light situations.

Yes many at 200 are just fine with out it. But I don't always nail the exposure 100% of the time. And as iso climbs so does the degree of NR. I don't consider myself a pro and am still learning. So sometimes my noise in an image has nothing to do with the camera and more with the fault of the shooter Me!
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RichinTX · Jan 6, 2011

Like others I've found that for shots where I know I'll want to apply some sharpening (disclosure: I shoot NEF and use CaptureNX2 rather than let the camera make a permanent record on the jpg) I don't go above 400 as I've found that the grain/noise becomes objectionable to me; however, as has been noted, when it comes to cases 'film is cheap' and getting the shot vs not getting the shot means I'll crank it up if I must.

I'm also the freak on the trails in RMNP with a full back pack and a heavy tripod. <g>

flea77 · Jan 6, 2011

Tbini87 said:
Yeah, I guess that is my main question for wedding or portrait photogs... what is the highest iso you would use on a D90? I mean we would bump the iso as high as needed to get the shot of course... but I want to know where we should draw the line before calling it a day in low light situations. If we are shooting at 1600 and now have to go to 3200, should we keep shooting or will the images be so noisy that we are wasting our time?

What noise reduction are you using? Have you had any experience with LR3 NR?

ISO 3200 on the D90 is perfectly acceptable in situations where you either shoot or go home without the shot. If the exposure is nailed and you get really lucky with the noise reduction software (I use Topaz Denoise 5), you can pull out a pretty good one. I would never shoot at ISO 3200 on the D90 (except sports where most of the time it is much less critical) doing portraits or weddings if I had any choice at all.

Now the D7000, that is a whole different ball game, 3200 is not a problem.

Allan

Tbini87 · Jan 6, 2011

flea77 said:
Tbini87 said:

Yeah, I guess that is my main question for wedding or portrait photogs... what is the highest iso you would use on a D90? I mean we would bump the iso as high as needed to get the shot of course... but I want to know where we should draw the line before calling it a day in low light situations. If we are shooting at 1600 and now have to go to 3200, should we keep shooting or will the images be so noisy that we are wasting our time?

What noise reduction are you using? Have you had any experience with LR3 NR?

Click to expand...

ISO 3200 on the D90 is perfectly acceptable in situations where you either shoot or go home without the shot. If the exposure is nailed and you get really lucky with the noise reduction software (I use Topaz Denoise 5), you can pull out a pretty good one. I would never shoot at ISO 3200 on the D90 (except sports where most of the time it is much less critical) doing portraits or weddings if I had any choice at all.

Now the D7000, that is a whole different ball game, 3200 is not a problem.

Allan

Hearing that the D7000 can handle 3200 with no problem, and that it has better AF system and body build makes me really want to get my hands on one. We have been shooting a ton indoors the last few days (visiting our 2 week old niece) and have been shooting at 1600 with decent results. I think 3200 is probably a little too high with the D90 for portraits. We have also been getting lots of practice with flash!