What is your low light strategy high iso or underexpose and correct in post?

[stalker]

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Hi,

 

In a low light situation what is the best strategy?

1- Use higher ISO values as appropriate for correct exposure ( or expose to the right )

2- Use the base ISO ( 200 for M240 ) and underexpose if you need to and adjust to desired exposure in post processing?

 

What are the pros and cons?

 

Thank you for your comments.

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Stalker,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

 

I sometimes use a third strategy: A small solid table tripod with a large ball head & a cable release. Against my chest it gives me +2 stops of stability in terms of shutter speed.

 

Against a rock, a tree, inside or on the underside of the top of a doorway, against a wall, on a car with the engine off, as well as on a table, etc: It gives me as many stops of stability as are necessary.

 

After all: A photo taken @ F1.4 @ 1/30th of a second can be somewhat different than the same scene photographed @ F8 @ 1 second.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Edited January 19, 2016 by Michael Geschlecht

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[Manolo Laguillo]

Hi,

 

In a low light situation what is the best strategy?

1- Use higher ISO values as appropriate for correct exposure ( or expose to the right )

2- Use the base ISO ( 200 for M240 ) and underexpose if you need to and adjust to desired exposure in post processing?

 

What are the pros and cons?

 

Thank you for your comments.

 

Neither 1 nor 2, but

 

3: I use an ISO max 2 stops more sensitive than the base ISO (with the Leica M240 that's 200, therefore 2 stops is 800), and shoot at the lowest exposure time -taking into account what focal length I am using-, and close the diaphragm enough.

Normally the picture will be underexposed by 1 stop, at least. In PP I compensate for that.

This is better than shoot at 1600 ISO and not having to compensate in PP.

 

Try it, it's easy, you will see by yourself.

 

It does make sense to make controlled series of test exposures in order to know how the material behaves. With film that belonged to the learning of the craft. The zone system was one of the various ways of doing this.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Manolo Laguillo

[sanyasi]

For jazz clubs, I use 3200 as my maximum ISO, although with the Sony R7ii i have gone higher and gotten good results in the 6000 ISO range.  If it is the soloist and he or she is well lit, I drop the ISO down to 2500 or 1800.  I always take the ISO down first.

 

It probably is useful to know my other parameters:  My 70 to 200 "club" lens is usually set at 2.8.  As for shutter speed, I will go down to 1/160 or thereabouts.  For drummers, I try and keep it above 1/200th.  All of that assumes I don't want motion blur.  Sometimes I don't care or I am using an image stabilized lens.  In those cases, I may use a longer shutter speed.

 

For these photographs, I want the background to be black, so I choose settings based on the light directly on the soloist. There is usually enough that I can recover some details where I want them through post.

[stalker]

Thank you for your replies. I will give a try to ISO 800 and underexposure if I must.

[tobey bilek]

I could never see a difference in camera boosted or computer booster ISO with Leica.  

 

Dim light solution is Nikon D750 & ISO 6400.   

[CheshireCat]

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