View Full Version : 5D Mk II, first test results. Move over Bert Hardy!
Took some test shots this afternoon of the area underneath the Christmas Tree (trying to be seasonal). The lighting in the front room is not great and is a ring light fluorescent tube about 9ft above the floor and about 11ft from the area under the tree. I wanted to see how the camera performed at high ISO. I used a custom white balance taken from an image of my grey card and also set the exposure manually based on the grey card reading.
I am very impressed and I am sure Bert Hardy would have been equally impressed with the High ISO performance. Okay I realise that there is some visible noise at ISO 25600 and a lack of contrast, but bleddy hell, this sort of speed a few years ago would have been unthinkable let alone have an image good enough to identify the subject matter. From 6400 down they are very usable!
For those of you that have never heard of Bert Hardy, Google him and/or Picture Post.
I am looking forward until tomorrow when I can venture out and take some images in daylight. So far well pleased.
ISO800
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/ISO800.jpg
ISO1600
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/ISO1600.jpg
ISO3200
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/ISO3200.jpg
ISO6400
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/ISO6400.jpg
ISO25600 (H2)
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/H2ISO25600.jpg
great colours, and image overall, gets nasty at highest iso, dont you agree.
Okay I realise that there is some visible noise at ISO 25600
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/H2ISO25600.jpg
LOL!
great colours, and image overall, gets nasty at highest iso, dont you agree.
I agree completely, but a visible usable image at these sort of speeds would have been unthinkable with film. Imagine if you were in a situation such as Bert Hardy was during the war when he was taking images in Air Raid shelters and had to leave his film soaking in developer overnight to get a usable image.
Try it tripod mounted and with in-camera noise reduction turned on at the highest iso, see what difference it makes.
englandshottest2
24-12-2008, 18:49
curious to see a mono image at ISO 25,600.... :D
cannockwolf
24-12-2008, 18:52
for a good iso tests you really need 100% crops
cannockwolf
24-12-2008, 19:00
hmmmm noisy... D700 at H2
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/-0727.jpg
for a good iso tests you really need 100% crops
How do we do that then?
cannockwolf
24-12-2008, 19:19
crop the image so its about 800px wide instead of resizing it :) then it will be 1:1 on the monitor
curious to see a mono image at ISO 25,600.... :D
Here you go!
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/BertMono.jpg
englandshottest2
24-12-2008, 19:29
lol that's cheating! i meant taken as a mono, not converted! :D
englandshottest2
24-12-2008, 19:31
although from that, oddly enough i do think that some shots would still look nice & passable at the 25.6K ISO...very reminiscent of film around 1600 or so. Maybe with the right contrasts and a hint of noise reduction, could look nice...i'm a fan of grain in mono's.
crop the image so its about 800px wide instead of resizing it :) then it will be 1:1 on the monitor
First attempt at 100%
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/100.jpg
Very Sarah Moon GAF 500 :lol:
It's as if we're seeing through the eyes of...
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/johnny5isalive.jpg
Johnny 5!
lol that's cheating! i meant taken as a mono, not converted! :D
You mean on mono film? A mono digital image will always have been colour at some point. Mono film on a 5D mk2 is kind of difficult....:lol:
Mono jpg from camera @ ISO 25600, just resized.
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/monocamera.jpg
Ed, on the Raw processing PS thing that webby has locked, have you tried the Canon's DPP v3.5 that came with the camera? It's supposed to be as good as the best (I've got no personal comparisons to make on that) and check out the unique image correction section. It has instant/automatic corrections of CA, distortion and vignetting for just about every Canon lens ever made. And it works :)
As an aside, I think this is a very significant new software development that third parties like Adobe (let alone Sigma etc) will find hard to follow.
Richard.
englandshottest2
25-12-2008, 21:02
very useful! thanks
I didn't realise that there was no noise reduction when I originally converted the raw files so I have had another play today with ISO 25600.
Noisy yes, but better than no image!
Full image:
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/Full25600.jpg
100%
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/1002copy.jpg
puddleduck
26-12-2008, 18:03
I'm not keen on these sort of tests.
Setting aside the fact for a minute as to why you'd want to use a £3k camera to take a picture of a Christmas tree ( ;)) really the whole point of high ISO is to get shots that you otherwise couldn't due to low shutter speed.
You've used a tripod here, so on that basis, you could have shot ISO100, just as easily as ISO6400.
A better test of high ISO IMHO is in low light situations with moving subjects, where image noise is much more preferable that an image ruined by subject motion.
I'm not keen on these sort of tests.
Setting aside the fact for a minute as to why you'd want to use a £3k camera to take a picture of a Christmas tree ( ;)) really the whole point of high ISO is to get shots that you otherwise couldn't due to low shutter speed.
You've used a tripod here, so on that basis, you could have shot ISO100, just as easily as ISO6400.
A better test of high ISO IMHO is in low light situations with moving subjects, where image noise is much more preferable that an image ruined by subject motion.
Shame it's not a real tree, or we could wait for the needles to start falling off (in the dark) and try and snatch a shot of one :D.
Ed, I'm really not "having a go" here, honestly. Just wanted to join in the festive merry-making ;). Actually, I think it's very helpful and public spirited of you to post these pics and let those of us who haven't be fortunate to try out a camera like the 5D mkII, some of what it can do.
Keep up the good work :)!
I know this is all about photography, but I have to ask - Have you played around with the video function, what are your impressions if so?
Ed, I'm really not "having a go" here, honestly. Just wanted to join in the festive merry-making ;). Actually, I think it's very helpful and public spirited of you to post these pics and let those of us who haven't be fortunate to try out a camera like the 5D mkII, some of what it can do.
Keep up the good work :)!
:lol: Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, and if you think this thread is bad, try my other thread where I post images taken at ISO 204800 and higher (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=101340) :p
I know this is all about photography, but I have to ask - Have you played around with the video function, what are your impressions if so?
I've had a little play, but not too impressed so far, not really my thing i'm afraid.
vBulletin® v3.8.4, Copyright ©2000-2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.