Which is "neater"/better? High ISO v. slow shutter

[Durbs]

Just a quick question.

For wildlife shots, when using my telephoto lens at 300mm the max aperture is f/5.6 which isn't usually enough for a well exposed shot in a wooded area.

So essentially I have 2 choices - bump the ISO up to 800/1600 or slow the shutter down to somewhere between 1/100 and 1/60, far from the ideal 1/300 (No IS in my lens).

Which would produce the "better" (or at least easiest to clean up) shot?
ISO1600 at 1/300 or ISO400 at 1/80?

[vsa]

I'm not a pro in the subject but to me it seems to come down to this:
Is the subject moving and if yes, how much?

If the subject is moving you can't get away with slow shutter speed. Motion blur is borderline impossible to remove. Noise on the other hand can be removed with some work.

[Doug Pardee]

Originally Posted by Durbs

Which would produce the "better" (or at least easiest to clean up) shot?
ISO1600 at 1/300 or ISO400 at 1/80?

Go for the High ISO. Motion blur and camera shake is almost impossible to do anything about in post-processing. Noise can be reduced, albeit sometimes at a reduction in sharpness. Tools like NeatImage, Noise Ninja, and Noiseware can do a fair amount.

I was just at a seminar put on by Canon, and their pros (using full-frame cameras) almost never shoot at less than ISO 800.

Noise is not as big a problem as people think it is. If you're pixel-peeping or going to make poster-size prints, then it can be a problem. At 4x6 or 5x7, even digicams produce good pictures at ISO 800. You should be able to get clean-looking 8x10's out of just about any DSLR at ISO 1600.

Also, if you're using a polarizer, dump it. (I don't imagine that you are, but I mention it just in case.)

[kirbinster]

I guess it depends on the high ISO capability of your camera. I would not bump the ISO on my D80 as the noise gets bad but always bump it on my D300.

[inkista]

Depends on what you're most worried about: noise or motion blur.

My personal preference is high ISO. There are software tools to help you mitigate noise--motion blur is something you can't "fix" in post.


Canon XT(350D). EF 400mm f/5.6L USM. iso 1600. f/5.6. 1/1000s.

Noise doesn't bug me as much as it does your average camera reviewer. I prefer having the noise to having a blurred shot. But I also live somewhere that's usually sunny, and I try not to do the impossible by shooting in the dark.

You also have one other option--to use a monopod or some other form of external stabilization to help eliminate camera shake (or even an IS lens). BUT--this won't help you worth squat when it comes to subject motion blur.

If you're going to use iso 1600, though, be sure that you're not underexposing. Underexposure can sometimes create more noise than your iso setting.

[Durbs]

Many thanks for your thoughts.

Yeah - it's not so much camera shake I'm worried about, more motion blur from the subject moving.
I guess my question was equally "which is easier to fix; camera shake or noise?"

Looks like the ISO route makes more sense