ISO800 is why I love my 40D

Pacific Black Duck.

Hand held shot 400mm f/5.6L @5.6. Sharp, good colour and very acceptable noise with no loss of detail. Shot RAW converted in DPP with just the sharpness adjusted to 4. The tiff version looks even better.

And the very reason I am frustrated with mine....

I keep seeing people posting pictures like this, very clear, sharp, vivid, and I cannot coax the same type of images out of my 40D, especially at iso 800.

What picture style did you use?
What sharpness setting?
NR on or off?
WB?

Thanks for sharing...

Perhaps the best way to determine the trouble would be to post a sample image and ask what people see that keeps it from being good. The OP said he used RAW which allows changing all the things you mentioned after the fact (and is a big part of why many of us shoot RAW). However, most 'bad' images I've seen would have been bad whether JPG or RAW. A sample might help narrow down the issues.
--
Doug Smith
http://www.pbase.com/dougsmit

I wouldn't consider testing high ISO while good day lights.

Besides I understand that ducks are everywhere but could people shot something else? It is getting extremely funny watching cats faces & ducks every single shot.

Scott Strotman said:

And the very reason I am frustrated with mine....

I keep seeing people posting pictures like this, very clear, sharp,
vivid, and I cannot coax the same type of images out of my 40D,
especially at iso 800.

What picture style did you use?

Click to expand...

Standard set to 4 sharpen. Keep in mind that if you don't use Canon's converter software, the picture styles do not apply in RAW.

Scott Strotman said:

What sharpness setting?

Click to expand...

4

Scott Strotman said:

NR on or off?

Click to expand...

Off

Scott Strotman said:

WB?

Click to expand...

AWB

Scott Strotman said:

Thanks for sharing...

Click to expand...

Good luck

Doug:

I already did. I have learned that I probably expected too much out of the surf picture, and I have been told that it is under exposed resulting in more noise.

But the lighthouse - the noise in the sky and on the shadow side of the lighthouse bugs me. But, I was told it was under-exposed too. So I posted one that I thought was over-exposed (further down the thead), and the response was better. But it sure looks washed out to me.

I'm still learning.....

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=25188259

Jovo said:

Jovo said:

What picture style did you use?

Click to expand...

Standard set to 4 sharpen. Keep in mind that if you don't use Canon's
converter software, the picture styles do not apply in RAW.

Click to expand...

OK - what does this mean??? This is the first time I have heard anyone mention this. What is converter software - do you mean DPP?

Why are the picture styles available when shooting RAW, if they don't apply?

Maybe you are on to something here, and there is a critical step/process that I am not aware of.

Thanks.....

salosd said:

I wouldn't consider testing high ISO while good day lights.

Click to expand...

Really, so you don't use long lenses hand held and need that higher shutter speed?

salosd said:

Besides I understand that ducks are everywhere but could people
shot something else? It is getting extremely funny watching cats
faces & ducks every single shot.

Click to expand...

Instead of telling others what to shoot, how about posting something more appropriate yourself? Perhaps a link to the photos you have posted in the past would also be useful as I couldn't find any attributed to you.

The reason I posted a duck is that they have great feather detail.

Jovo said:

Really, so you don't use long lenses hand held and need that higher
shutter speed?

Click to expand...

And why exactly would you need 1/2000 to shot this duck in water object? He was fast moving? I really didn't get point of your excitement that is why I said so.

Jovo said:

Instead of telling others what to shoot

Click to expand...

First others and other not the same, second at certain point I will post something but not duck/cat face for sure, just funny

You have been a forum member for a whole 3 weeks and commented on just about every post made without making an actual contribution.

Wow, I am very impressed!

Thanks for analyzing my posts, personally don't see any contribution of duck faces made in day lights with high ISO.
Anyway do you have something in response to what I said about 1/2000?

salosd, you're posts are mean-spirited and obtuse. Of course he would shoot at 1/2000 - it's a wildlife shot! You use the highest shutterspeed you can (just so you're happy with the aperture and corresponding DOF) or unless you intentionally want motion blur (very rare). That duck could start flapping its wings or dip for a fish at any moment and a high shutterspeed allows you to freeze that action.

Flippant remarks, like telling the OP to shoot a different subject just for your own idiosyncratic tastes is distracting and rude. This is the OP's post, not yours. Stay on subject and show some class. If you don't like the thread, start your own. Mike
--
http://www.stirringimages.com

An interesting range of comments, some bordering on rudeness. The OP was merely showing an image taken with a 40D at ISO 800 expressing his happiness with the results and wanting to share it with others.

Comments about not liking the subject matter or why would you shoot at ISO 800 in broad day light add nothing to the OP's intention to share his happiness with his 40D.

I am also a bird photographer and generally shoot at a minimum ISO of 400 here in the bright Florida sunshine. I am more interested in gaining shutter speed than in losing noise.

At ISO 1600 noise is not a factor in daylight images when viewing prints from the normal viewing distance. However, if you are a pixel peeper the noise factor seems to be more important than the image.

PS I think my 40D represents by far the biggest improvement in the xxD Canon camera line. I've owned the D30, 10D, 20D, 30D and I think the 40D is in a different league than the previous models in xxD lineup..

mjam said:

You use the highest shutterspeed you can (just so you're happy with the aperture and corresponding DOF)

Click to expand...

That is false information, no need to jump ISO so high during high day light shoting slowly moving duck in lake or river.

I understeand you are friends, however nothing rude been said by me it is just funny to see duck's or cats faces in every post. Are they special models?

Rude is to say rude to somebody as well, think about ...

Michael Eckstein said:

I am also a bird photographer and generally shoot at a minimum ISO of 400 here in the bright Florida sunshine.

Click to expand...

Correct, same with me.

Hi Scott,You need to understand RAW a bit more.

The RAW file has the data off the sensor before the in-camera settings are applied. Those are things like White Balance, Sharpening, Contrast, Color etc. A picture style is a combination of these settings therefore in RAW they are not actually applied. The setting is however saved within the RAW file and if you use software that can read and understand that data, you can have those setting applied to the RAW data automatically. The only programs that I know of that can currently read the picture styles are DPP and the one in Zoombrowser. Even then, the RAW has the benefit that the file can still be changed as if that picture style was never originally chosen.

A good example of this is if you shoot B&W. If you save a JPG, the color data is gone and you can not get it back. If that same shot is done and saved as a RAW image, you still have all the color info. The B&W is just a setting (a picture style) that is applied after you read the RAW data. That is great since if you take a B&W and later say that would look great with selective color of full color, the RAW has the full information. The great thing is that you can take a RAW file and then apply each picture style one at a time and then save the jpg (or whatever format) with that style applied and then still go back to the RAW and change or tweak it as you see fit.

I call the RAW my Digital Negative. As long as I have the RAW file, I can at anytime go back to my oriiginal shot and change the 'developement' settings as I seem fit. This is of course added to the other benefits of RAW which is a greater Dynamic Range. You do though have to post process the image to get the best out of the RAW file which does mean more time, more work, more space needed but IMO it is well worth while and have basically shot 100% RAW since I bought my 10D back when.

I hope this helps you. BTW I went back to the link you put showing your photo but the link I guess is dead as the photos did not come up on the page so I could not get any more insight into your problem.

Scott Strotman said:

Jovo said:

Scott Strotman said:

What picture style did you use?

Click to expand...

Standard set to 4 sharpen. Keep in mind that if you don't use Canon's
converter software, the picture styles do not apply in RAW.

Click to expand...

OK - what does this mean??? This is the first time I have heard
anyone mention this. What is converter software - do you mean DPP?

Why are the picture styles available when shooting RAW, if they don't
apply?

Maybe you are on to something here, and there is a critical
step/process that I am not aware of.

Thanks.....

Click to expand...

--
Michael Kaplan
http://www.pbase.com/mkaplan
See my profile for equipment list

I only have DPP. I only shoot RAW. I open and view my pics in DPP. Is the pic style I selected in the camera automatically applied when I open it in DPP, or do I have to do something to have DPP apply it?

When I right-click and click on Info to view the camera settings – it shows what pic style I used, so I assume it is automatically applied.

I understand about RAW being the negative.

Thanks….

Michael Kaplan said:

The RAW file has the data off the sensor before the in-camera
settings are applied. Those are things like White Balance,
Sharpening, Contrast, Color etc. A picture style is a combination of
these settings therefore in RAW they are not actually applied. The
setting is however saved within the RAW file and if you use software
that can read and understand that data, you can have those setting
applied to the RAW data automatically. The only programs that I know
of that can currently read the picture styles are DPP and the one in
Zoombrowser. Even then, the RAW has the benefit that the file can
still be changed as if that picture style was never originally chosen.

A good example of this is if you shoot B&W. If you save a JPG, the
color data is gone and you can not get it back. If that same shot is
done and saved as a RAW image, you still have all the color info. The
B&W is just a setting (a picture style) that is applied after you
read the RAW data. That is great since if you take a B&W and later
say that would look great with selective color of full color, the RAW
has the full information. The great thing is that you can take a RAW
file and then apply each picture style one at a time and then save
the jpg (or whatever format) with that style applied and then still
go back to the RAW and change or tweak it as you see fit.

I call the RAW my Digital Negative. As long as I have the RAW file, I
can at anytime go back to my oriiginal shot and change the
'developement' settings as I seem fit. This is of course added to the
other benefits of RAW which is a greater Dynamic Range. You do though
have to post process the image to get the best out of the RAW file
which does mean more time, more work, more space needed but IMO it is
well worth while and have basically shot 100% RAW since I bought my
10D back when.

I hope this helps you. BTW I went back to the link you put showing
your photo but the link I guess is dead as the photos did not come up
on the page so I could not get any more insight into your problem.

Scott Strotman said:

Jovo said:

Michael Kaplan said:

What picture style did you use?

Click to expand...

Standard set to 4 sharpen. Keep in mind that if you don't use Canon's
converter software, the picture styles do not apply in RAW.

Click to expand...

OK - what does this mean??? This is the first time I have heard
anyone mention this. What is converter software - do you mean DPP?

Why are the picture styles available when shooting RAW, if they don't
apply?

Maybe you are on to something here, and there is a critical
step/process that I am not aware of.

Thanks.....

Click to expand...

--
Michael Kaplan
http://www.pbase.com/mkaplan
See my profile for equipment list

Click to expand...

Scott Strotman said:

I only have DPP. I only shoot RAW. I open and view my pics in DPP.
Is the pic style I selected in the camera automatically applied when
I open it in DPP, or do I have to do something to have DPP apply it?

Click to expand...

I haven't used DPP in a few years as I use ACR & PS but I would think iour selected in camera choice would be the default, yes. Of course you can change it to any other you want to as well.

Scott Strotman said:

When I right-click and click on Info to view the camera settings – it
shows what pic style I used, so I assume it is automatically applied.

Click to expand...

Yes

Scott Strotman said:

I understand about RAW being the negative.

Thanks….

Click to expand...

My pleasure
--
Michael Kaplan
http://www.pbase.com/mkaplan
See my profile for equipment list

The OP said he was shooting with a 500mm lens at f/5.6. This means he needs a shutter speed of around 1/750 sec. on a crop sensor to not have camera shake. An object in the shade on a sunny day will need ISO 800 to expose correctly without camera shake. In the sun, ISO 200 or 400 will give you enough speed but it is nice to have the option of shooting at ISO 800 for the shade.

I don't understand the attitude that using ISO 800 outside is so strange. Sometimes it is a requirement.

-weld

I like your shot.

Regards,

Joe Kurkjian, Pbase Supporter

http://www.pbase.com/jkurkjia/original



SEARCHING FOR A BETTER SELF PORTRAIT