Trying the 1D4's ISO 25,600

[Romy Ocon]

Yes, there's noise at closer viewing of the ISO 25600 full-res file, but it's very fine-grained and should print nicely. The noise likewise responds very well to NR routines. There's none or very little banding I can find at up to ISO 25.6K.

ISO 51.2K and 102.4K are a bit too noisy for my taste, and I'll probably use such extreme sensitivities only in cases when IQ is less important than getting the shot..... like an encounter with a manananggal in the dark. ;D

From the few snapshots that I took, the 1D4 has about a stop less noise than the 7D at ISO 400-800, where much of my bird photography happens.

Can't wait to torture the AF of the 1D4 at BIFs in the field!

1DM4 + 24 mm, f/5, 1/125 sec, ISO 25600, hand held, resized full frame

[Neon Rosell II]

Woohoo!! The top of the line in Ka Mastah's hands!! Congrats on your new gun! Can't wait to see your captures with this baby!!

[alainpascua]

ISO at 25,000!!!!! Whew! At the moment I'm too afraid to use ISO 1,600 since it already brings some noise so I limit myself into just using ISO 800! But with your new toy, Ka Mastah, 25,000 is just like 1,600!

Congrats with your new toy! Don't hesitate to let me use your old toys, I'm used to inheriting old toys when I was young, I did not and could not complain. I can bear with that even if I'm old now! He he he!

[Romy Ocon]

Thanks, partner and Alain!

Just spent the whole day calibrating (via MFA) my lenses and TCs with the 1D4. Unlike the 5D2 and 7D, this one autofocuses down to f/8, hence my f/5.6 lenses gets calibrated with a 1.4x TC too.

This machine produces beautiful files - it's about as good as the 5D2 at ISO 100-800, and seems to be even better at higher than ISO 800. The 7D's ISO 400 is similar to the 1D4's ISO 800. It appears to me too that the 1D4 files are more responsive to NR routines than that of the 7D - it cleans up better with less loss of detail.

The downside is the user interface - I still prefer the 7D's at both stills and video. Likewise, the mirror slap is somewhat stronger than that of the 7D, which is to be expected because of the heavy duty construction of a 10 fps mechanism.

[Ivan Sarenas]

Woohoo too! Can't wait to see the images this big baby will capture in the Mstah's hands. Paired with the 400 2.8, this will be a killer BIF rig. Btw, what is MFA calibration?

[Romy Ocon]

Jun 5, 2010 10:22:53 GMT Ivan Sarenas said:

Woohoo too! Can't wait to see the images this big baby will capture in the Mstah's hands. Paired with the 400 2.8, this will be a killer BIF rig. Btw, what is MFA calibration?

Thanks, Ivan..... MFA = micro focus adjustment.

This can be done in-camera since the 50D/1D3. Many instances of soft captures are caused by improperly autofocusing lenses, and MFA if properly done is the cure.

[Romy Ocon]

Here's a thumbnail for an ISO 800 shot:




Full-res sample straight from DPP, unedited except saved as PS jpeg quality 10 - 1DM4 + 500 f4 IS + Canon 1.4x TC, 700 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec, ISO 800, 475b/3421 support.


www.pbase.com/liquidstone/image/125241801/original


I'm very comfortable with such level of noise for bird captures at ISO 800.


Trivia:

Just to do the MFA on various lens combos, and for snapshots to check noise at various ISOs, I've shot 1100 frames since last night. ;D

[Clemn A. Macasiano Jr.]

Keep it up Mastah ! I'm listening

[William Lim]

The downside is the user interface - I still prefer the 7D's at both stills and video. Likewise, the mirror slap is somewhat stronger than that of the 7D, which is to be expected because of the heavy duty construction of a 10 fps mechanism.

Hi Romy, do you think the strong shutter slap can cause shake at low shutter speeds? Have you tried using it at very low shutter speed?

[Bobby Kintanar]

Wow, now that is a terrific partnership right there - the 1D4 in the hands of THE MASTAH! Can't imagine what photos Ka Romy can come up with using this Canon!! Wooot, wooot!

[Romy Ocon]

Thanks, Bobby!

Jun 6, 2010 0:14:04 GMT William Lim said:

The downside is the user interface - I still prefer the 7D's at both stills and video. Likewise, the mirror slap is somewhat stronger than that of the 7D, which is to be expected because of the heavy duty construction of a 10 fps mechanism.

Hi Romy, do you think the strong shutter slap can cause shake at low shutter speeds? Have you tried using it at very low shutter speed?

William, the 5D2 also has a strong mirror slap because of its full frame size (compared to the 1.6 crop factor of the 7D and xxD series) . There are long lens techniques that can be used to mitigate mirror slap at slow shutter speeds:

1. Use IS
2. Use dampening methods (bean bag over the lens, or placing your hand over the lens and pressing your face against the viewfinder).
3. Use Live View or MLU.

The 1D4 is built for speed (both fps and AF) and needs robust(and consequently heavier) mirror and shutter assemblies.

[Ely Teehankee]

Just reading what you have said made me learn a lot about the features of this machine. I could not say what you said because I do not have the technical expertise & experience that you have but I could see the big difference between the 5D Mark II and the 1D Mark IV in terms of speed and IQ. Thank you Romy. Mabuhay.