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D300 ISO Poll Questions & Discussion...

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Dave Santora

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1. Are you using/planning to use low ISOs - below 200?

2. Are you using/planning to use high ISOs - above 3200?

3. What ISO value/range do you primarily shoot in and why?

4. What do you think is the highest acceptable ISO for your shooting style and why?

5. Are you using/planning to use in camera NR, software NR, or both?

6. What has surprised you most about the performance of the D300 as pertains to ISO value/range - good and bad?

Please quote this post as you reply to help others see your answers to the questions directly. My answers follow in reply...
--
http://www.arizonadigitalphotography.com - finally up, give a look

http://www.davidlakephotos.com - wedding site in the works...
 
1. Are you using/planning to use low ISOs - below 200?
no

2. Are you using/planning to use high ISOs - above 3200?
maybe

3. What ISO value/range do you primarily shoot in and why?

normally 400 (more or less as good as 200 and better for picking up some ambient light indoors)

i may start using 1600, 3200 if they turn out to give good results (they don't really on the D200)

4. What do you think is the highest acceptable ISO for your shooting style and why?
on the D200 I get scared above 800

5. Are you using/planning to use in camera NR, software NR, or both?
in camera

6. What has surprised you most about the performance of the D300 as pertains to ISO value/range - good and bad?
it just arrived today...

Please quote this post as you reply to help others see your answers to the questions directly. My answers follow in reply...
 
Dave Santora said:
1. Are you using/planning to use low ISOs - below 200? I have and like what I see.

2. Are you using/planning to use high ISOs - above 3200? Possibly

3. What ISO value/range do you primarily shoot in and why? 200-1000

4. What do you think is the highest acceptable ISO for your shooting
style and why? I prefer staying in the 200-600 for better quality.

5. Are you using/planning to use in camera NR, software NR, or both? Both if necessary

6. What has surprised you most about the performance of the D300 as

pertains to ISO value/range - good and bad? I do like the higher ISOs but don't use them that much.

Please quote this post as you reply to help others see your answers
to the questions directly. My answers follow in reply...
--
http://www.arizonadigitalphotography.com - finally up, give a look

http://www.davidlakephotos.com - wedding site in the works...
Click to expand...
--
Love the ocean love the beach come visit Virginia Beach (VA USA)
My galleries: http://www.pbase.com/troysup
 
Dave Santora said:
1. Are you using/planning to use low ISOs - below 200?
Click to expand...
For landscape and nature for sure, I've noticed the luma noise to be quite a bit lower at iso100 (lo -1) vs iso200. and if needed to keep under 1/8000 SS as the Arizona sun is wicked bright.
Dave Santora said:
2. Are you using/planning to use high ISOs - above 3200?
Click to expand...
Only for dire emergency. Even though I tested the iso6400 at home today with quite decent results printed at 8x10, I will likely stay away from it. Its nice to know its there though.
Dave Santora said:
3. What ISO value/range do you primarily shoot in and why?
Click to expand...
iso400-iso1600 - since I primarily shoot weddings, I need the higher ISOs to get some shadow detail and help the SB800 flash from working too hard. With my old system (Pentax K10) I stayed well under iso800 at all costs.
Dave Santora said:
4. What do you think is the highest acceptable ISO for your shooting
style and why?
Click to expand...
I could get away with iso3200 for the reception as the shots are not as critical as the portraits and formals. The skin tones really get sloppy above iso1600, but for large groups dancing I think iso3200 might be usable. And I am looking to try some natural light shooting for a few portraits, so might bump up to iso3200 for those too.
Dave Santora said:
5. Are you using/planning to use in camera NR, software NR, or both?
Click to expand...
I shoot RAW 14-bit compressed lossless with NR off. Use NoiseWare in CS3 and NR from LR exclusively. Although I might use JPEG in a pinch or for testing - so will likely try low NR in camera for high ISO shots.
Dave Santora said:
6. What has surprised you most about the performance of the D300 as
pertains to ISO value/range - good and bad?
Click to expand...
Good - approximately 2-stops better noise at high ISO than the Pentax K10 it replaced. iso100 is very very clean - though supposedly DR is reduced.

Bad - low ISO noise is very apparent, even at iso200 I can clearly see luma and chroma noise in sky shots and shadows - pretty much everywhere. Cleans up well though

--
http://www.arizonadigitalphotography.com - finally up, give a look

http://www.davidlakephotos.com - wedding site in the works...
 
Murray Bowles said:
1. Are you using/planning to use low ISOs - below 200?
no
Click to expand...
That's what I thought until I saw the clean iso100, still have to test the DR
Murray Bowles said:
2. Are you using/planning to use high ISOs - above 3200?
maybe
Click to expand...
Murray Bowles said:
3. What ISO value/range do you primarily shoot in and why?
normally 400 (more or less as good as 200 and better for picking up
some ambient light indoors)
i may start using 1600, 3200 if they turn out to give good results
(they don't really on the D200)
Click to expand...
iso3200 is completely usable, except for close up portrait, as the skin gets pretty noisy
Murray Bowles said:
4. What do you think is the highest acceptable ISO for your shooting
style and why?
on the D200 I get scared above 800
Click to expand...
Not anymore you won't, especially if you shoot JPEGs with in camera NR
Murray Bowles said:
5. Are you using/planning to use in camera NR, software NR, or both?
in camera
Click to expand...
Almost no PP needed for JPEGs with in camera NR
Murray Bowles said:
6. What has surprised you most about the performance of the D300 as
pertains to ISO value/range - good and bad?
it just arrived today...
Click to expand...
Enjoy, I am still blown away with every shot :)

--
http://www.arizonadigitalphotography.com - finally up, give a look

http://www.davidlakephotos.com - wedding site in the works...
 
Dave Santora said:
1. Are you using/planning to use low ISOs - below 200?
Click to expand...
maybe, if there is a benefit from using 100-200, so far I haven't seen it.
Dave Santora said:
2. Are you using/planning to use high ISOs - above 3200?
Click to expand...
if needed
Dave Santora said:
3. What ISO value/range do you primarily shoot in and why?
Click to expand...
200-3200, seems to be what Nikon intended...
Dave Santora said:
4. What do you think is the highest acceptable ISO for your shooting
style and why?
Click to expand...
With this camera, whatever allows me to get the shutter speed I need
Dave Santora said:
5. Are you using/planning to use in camera NR, software NR, or both?
Click to expand...
ISO 800 and under, no need for NR, higher than 800, third party - mainly Noiseware Pro which does a fantastic with some tweaking and lowering the luminance NR done.
Dave Santora said:
6. What has surprised you most about the performance of the D300 as
pertains to ISO value/range - good and bad?
Click to expand...
This camera has the most usable ISO range I have ever owned... Prior to this, I dreaded going over 400 ISO, now 1600, 3200 will be used w/o a thought.
--
TJ

 
Dave Santora said:
1. Are you using/planning to use low ISOs - below 200?
Click to expand...
Yes. I did a whole shoot with studio lighting and ISO 100 and was very pleased with the results.
Dave Santora said:
2. Are you using/planning to use high ISOs - above 3200?
Click to expand...
i've used it quite a bit shooting JPG and Monochrome.
Dave Santora said:
3. What ISO value/range do you primarily shoot in and why?
Click to expand...
200 for best quality when available.
Dave Santora said:
4. What do you think is the highest acceptable ISO for your shooting
style and why?
Click to expand...
It depends. If using lights/strobes will only use ISO 200 and below. Up to 800 or so with clients.
Dave Santora said:
5. Are you using/planning to use in camera NR, software NR, or both?
Click to expand...
I've left it at Low when shooting JPG, no need for higher. PP NR for NEF.
Dave Santora said:
6. What has surprised you most about the performance of the D300 as
pertains to ISO value/range - good and bad?
Click to expand...
That's it's quite useable through ISO 3200, depending on the content/subject matter/processing plans. I think the grain is great for JPG+Monochrome.

--
rodinis
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodinis/
 
Dave Santora said:
Dave Santora said:
5. Are you using/planning to use in camera NR, software NR, or both?
Click to expand...
I shoot RAW 14-bit compressed lossless with NR off. Use NoiseWare in
CS3 and NR from LR exclusively. Although I might use JPEG in a pinch
or for testing - so will likely try low NR in camera for high ISO
shots.
Dave Santora said:
6. What has surprised you most about the performance of the D300 as
pertains to ISO value/range - good and bad?
Click to expand...
Good - approximately 2-stops better noise at high ISO than the Pentax
K10 it replaced. iso100 is very very clean - though supposedly DR is
reduced.

Bad - low ISO noise is very apparent, even at iso200 I can clearly
see luma and chroma noise in sky shots and shadows - pretty much
everywhere. Cleans up well though
Click to expand...
Dave, Do you bypass NX completely? I've been considering trying to work it into my flow. Have you tried converting in NX and then porting to CS3/LR with TIFs and then doing PP and NR? I've been trying to work around this, but apparently, from what I've read around here and elsewhere, Adobe can never match the RAW conversion of NX (or any manufacturer's). I hate to bring that into my workflow, but it might be worth it.

Off Topic, but someone else mentioned sorting in LR, converting in NX (without NR), and then back to CS3/LR for PP and NR (from Noise Ninja or other plugins).

Anyway, ISO100 is quite useful for powerful studio lighting and your cases of outdoor brightness. I'm interested to see your DR findings with that ISO.

Cheers!

--
rodinis
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodinis/
 
rodinis said:
Dave, Do you bypass NX completely? I've been considering trying to
work it into my flow. Have you tried converting in NX and then
porting to CS3/LR with TIFs and then doing PP and NR? I've been
trying to work around this, but apparently, from what I've read
around here and elsewhere, Adobe can never match the RAW conversion
of NX (or any manufacturer's). I hate to bring that into my workflow,
but it might be worth it.
Click to expand...
I am only using LR & then CS3 for Noiseware NR & fixing the real tough images (masking, layers, etc.) I have had such good luck with LR and the workflow is so quick and smooth, that I am determined to stick with it. It has so many adjustments, especially the Calibration setup, that I am sure I can get equal results that NX produces. NX has no workflow comparison to LR, what does? And since I shoot weddings, I need to get through 1500+ images fast...
rodinis said:
Off Topic, but someone else mentioned sorting in LR, converting in NX
(without NR), and then back to CS3/LR for PP and NR (from Noise Ninja
or other plugins).
Click to expand...
And then into the fridge for 60 minutes until it gels properly - HA! The above suggestion makes me cringe, that's too much flip flopping to get any work done efficiently.
rodinis said:
Anyway, ISO100 is quite useful for powerful studio lighting and your
cases of outdoor brightness. I'm interested to see your DR findings
with that ISO.
Click to expand...
Will try some DR testing this weekend - have a wedding. Hopefully some nice sunset to really push that new CMOS sensor. Keep an eye on this thread I have going for details: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1039&message=25998315

--
http://www.arizonadigitalphotography.com - finally up, give a look

http://www.davidlakephotos.com - wedding site in the works...
 
thanks for the thread link, I'll keep an eye out.

But about the flip-flopping, I know it's absurd, but I'm going to test some things to see if the difference is worth it. I'm sure it's there (the difference in the hands of NX), but if it's a big difference, it might be worth it. For me anyway (since I don't have back to back gigs, as you might).

--
rodinis
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodinis/
 
I am always looking for the best possible IQ. Hence the D300 and D3 purchases. And I would suspect that Nikon's software will be better at handling Nikon's RAW files than Adobe's software. Adobe should get with these companies to optionally integrate their converters as plugins or whatever so we can get the most out of this stuff.

Hate the fact that my IQ might be limited by the software or my ability to efficiently integrate it into my workflow.
--
http://www.arizonadigitalphotography.com - finally up, give a look

http://www.davidlakephotos.com - wedding site in the works...
 
Dave Santora said:
1. Are you using/planning to use low ISOs - below 200?
Click to expand...
ABSOLUTELY - I've found that I'm happier with the low ISO noise when I'm running at ISO 160 (low .3) instead of at 200. Seems like a good middle ground - gain a bit less grit in the shadows without losing too much DR by going all the way down to ISO 100. I might try ISO 125 next shoot to see how it acts there.
Dave Santora said:
2. Are you using/planning to use high ISOs - above 3200?
Click to expand...
No - in my tests ISO 3200 is as far as I find the image usable.
Dave Santora said:
3. What ISO value/range do you primarily shoot in and why?
Click to expand...
Low ISO - 100-200. I shoot in studio or scenics, so there's no reason to go higher.
Dave Santora said:
4. What do you think is the highest acceptable ISO for your shooting
style and why?
Click to expand...
For stage and theater that I occasionally do, ISO 2000 to 2500 is about the max.
Dave Santora said:
5. Are you using/planning to use in camera NR, software NR, or both?
Click to expand...
Both
Dave Santora said:
6. What has surprised you most about the performance of the D300 as
pertains to ISO value/range - good and bad?
Click to expand...
I would have preferred better low ISO noise - I guess I was hoping it would be clearly better than the D2X, instead, the D2X to my eyes remains the king of low ISO shadow noise and defining textural details. But I'm warming up to how the D300 acts overall at low ISO - there are ways to mitigate it's few flaws and I think I'll utilize the camera, splitting time with the D2X on a scene/shot specific basis.
 
Dave Santora said:
1. Are you using/planning to use low ISOs - below 200?
Click to expand...
Nope.
Dave Santora said:
2. Are you using/planning to use high ISOs - above 3200?
Click to expand...
Not very often.
Dave Santora said:
3. What ISO value/range do you primarily shoot in and why?
Click to expand...
ISO200-800 but now, with the D30, ISO200-3200.

Because it gives me enough range for the light conditions in which I operate.

Higher ISO's also let me use less flash output, allowing me to balance with the ambient light and also save battery power, too.
Dave Santora said:
4. What do you think is the highest acceptable ISO for your shooting
style and why?
Click to expand...
ISO3200 because it produces good prints.
Dave Santora said:
5. Are you using/planning to use in camera NR, software NR, or both?
Click to expand...
Software NR, but only a very little bit. The D300 noise is very acceptable.
Dave Santora said:
6. What has surprised you most about the performance of the D300 as
pertains to ISO value/range - good and bad?
Click to expand...
RAW files at ISO1600 and 3200 are quite good and don't suffer from the NR smearing that I saw in so many sample JPEGs. I was worried that there was some CMOS level noise reduction that would result in NR artifacts in the NEF files.

larsbc
 
1. Are you using/planning to use low ISOs - below 200?

Sometimes for landscape, but I can't complain about ISO200 in general

2. Are you using/planning to use high ISOs - above 3200?

I didn't use more than ISO3200 until now, but the day will come....and I don't fear.... ;-)

3. What ISO value/range do you primarily shoot in and why?

standard situations (outdoors): 200 or 400 (I use 1 EV ISO steps);
dance/event stuff: usually ISO 1600 without any problems

4. What do you think is the highest acceptable ISO for your shooting style and why?

I am happy with ISO 1600 right now, maybe use 3200.

5. Are you using/planning to use in camera NR, software NR, or both?

I use NR norm at ISO 1600 and I am happy with it (I rise the sharpness to 7 or 8)

6. What has surprised you most about the performance of the D300 as pertains to ISO value/range - good and bad?

I mostly use in-camera JPG; I am very pleased with 95% of the results (as compared to my D80) - and the rest can be PP from JPG in my case...

I am very, very happy with the camera and the results, I have a quick workflow now to go through 300+ photos from one dance session, because the results are so good.

Of course there is nice noise - but compare to HP5 pushed to 800ASA years ago, so what do you want...? ;-)
 
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