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NEX iso step:

M

meilicke

Guest
Setting ISO (or gain) on the camera is best, as the gain-up is done in hardware, prior to the raw file being written. No amount of RAW manipulation of an iso400 file can get you to iso6400 like the hardware can.
 

douglasf13

New member
Setting ISO (or gain) on the camera is best, as the gain-up is done in hardware, prior to the raw file being written. No amount of RAW manipulation of an iso400 file can get you to iso6400 like the hardware can.
That is the common misconception, but it is not always the case. It depends on the camera, the ISO, and the RAW converter being used.

Incidentally, the new D7000 and K5 are really pushing the limits of the need for ISO in-camera at all.
 

mazor

New member
That is the common misconception, but it is not always the case. It depends on the camera, the ISO, and the RAW converter being used.

Incidentally, the new D7000 and K5 are really pushing the limits of the need for ISO in-camera at all.
really, so are you saying that at the dynamic range in the shadow region of the D7000 and K5 are massive compared to other cameras, since as you said you don't really need ISO settings.

A good test would be to set camera to full manual raw image capture, set ISO to 100, fix an aperture, and shutter speed to a fixed value, say 1/100, and go around taking images, even though on LCD review, they appear pitch black due to not enough light. Then after wards boost exposure using a "good" raw converter by say 5 stops to get an image that was meant to be taken at around ISO 3200. Are you certain then this image will have the same amount of detail in the shadow regions as an image taken at the proper ISO3200 and shutter 1/100 at the same aperture???

MAz
 

douglasf13

New member
Yeah, Guillermo has already been running some tests. We're getting very close to that point. I'm not sure what Raw converter Guillermo used for the test on the second page of that thread.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=49200.0

Still, on some cameras, there is a cut off point. For example, I believe that Andrey ("hardloaf" in these forums,) the author of Raw Photo Processor, was the one who recommended not shooting the A900 past around ISO 400-800, and boosting past that in RPP with compressed exposure control. I tried it in the past, and it worked well and preserved DR.
 
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Jerry_R

New member
I also was making similar tests. I compared underexposed picture on 800 & 1600 against correctly exposed on 3200. First one gave me sometimes better results, RAWs processed in LR 3. It was on u43 body.

But it make work differently on different cameras.

Producers also apply noise removal on higher ISOs, so you may believe camera does it better, but is delusion...

Coming back to NEX - I use Auto ISO without hesitations or 200 - when I need maximum IQ (plus tripod if needed).
 
M

meilicke

Guest
Guillermo's post is really interesting. An extreme version of expose for the highlights, develop for the shadows. :) I will have to check some of my underexposed NEX shots when I get home. If the NEX shows a similar behavior, that will really change how I expose shots in some situations. Thanks Douglas.
 

douglasf13

New member
I haven't done much testing of this with the NEX-5, because it is a lot harder to focus the NEX with a dark screen, so this alternative way of shooting is less interesting for me with EVF/LCD cameras. With the A900, though, I frequently never shot past ISO 800 and let the raw converter do the rest. I don't imagine that the NEX-5 will compete with the newest generation of 16mp Sony sensors, as far as only using base ISO is concerned.
 
M

meilicke

Guest
I would be happy with, say, two or three stops of easy recovery. To be honest, since getting the NEX about a month ago or so I have not dug very deeply into my raw files. In the cases I am thinking about several items in the scene are easy to focus on, but most of the scene is dark. For example, shooting outside at night with a few lights here and there.
 
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