M9/ME lower ISO + pushing exposure in Lightroom vs high ISO

[Nprokop]

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Hello all,

 

Many people suggest lowering ISO and intentionally under exposing in camera so that one can increase exposure in Lightroom and avoid ISO noise. This would obviously be the an alternative to simply increasing ISO in camera.

 

In late afternoon/post sunset pics with deep dark rich blue skies I have used this method and it appears that grain is apparent yet my ISO is low.

 

What do you do in these situations?

[pgk]

This is how I work (I can't remember adjusting ISO), but deep dark rich blue skies are where noise will be most apparent. I live with it. There are good technical reasons for its existence, but there is not a lot that you can do to reduce this noise in areas of 'underexposed' blues I'm afraid.

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[AceVentura1986]

I will raise my ISO in-camera up to 640, thereafter, I'll push in Lightroom up to 2 stops, i.e., 2500 effective. That's worked really well for me. FWIW, w my M9M, I'll shoot natively till 1600 and then push in Lightroom up to three stops, i.e., 12,800. 

[Rus]

I will raise my ISO in-camera up to 640, thereafter, I'll push in Lightroom up to 2 stops, i.e., 2500 effective. That's worked really well for me. FWIW, w my M9M, I'll shoot natively till 1600 and then push in Lightroom up to three stops, i.e., 12,800. 

 

I have been using the same technique with my M9, limiting the ISO to 640 while shooting. My experience seems to be that this results in less chance of banding appearing in the pushed images. And I was initially persuaded by an article somewhere online showing that the signal to noise ratio of the M9's sensor starting to drop after ISO640. 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Rus

[AceVentura1986]

Yes, I've read the same as well. 

[sblutter]

Yep - shoot @ 640 then push in a raw editor - when needed for low light.  Amazing how much info is on the capture.

 

You will not be able to see the image on the camera's screen, will be too dark - until processing

[rj1031]

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Hello. I'm a new M9 owner. After reading M9 owners share about the sweet spot of ISO 640 and what you guys have shared above, it made my shooting experience more comfortable with an F/2 lens. I also find myself sacrifice a little bit of under exposed image in able to maintain a solid workable shutter speed and just push the exposure to my liking. Works well for me!

[250swb]

In late afternoon/post sunset pics with deep dark rich blue skies I have used this method and it appears that grain is apparent yet my ISO is low.

 

 

So, it's sort of landscape photography, in which case the answer is so simple it will amaze you, use a tripod. That way you can avoid under exposing and you can even bracket exposures for tricky skies and blend two or more images together (it doesn't have to be horrible HDR).

 

 

Steve

Edited January 27, 2016 by 250swb

[jaapv]

Sunset? Expose for the sky next to the sun. Normally one can stay at base ISO handheld. If you want detail in the shadows usea tripod but you will blow out the sky. Use, like Steve said, blending techniques.

Having an amplifier in your camera and computer is not an excuse for getting insufficient light onto your sensor.