Get less ISO noise at higher ISO sensitivity

[Pao Dolina]

This has been verified by me with EF bodies from 2003 EOS 10D up to 2015 EOS 5Ds R.

RF bodies like the 2020 EOS R5 & 2022 EOS R7 may have this. Owners may want to verify.

To reduce whatever ISO noise Canon has a weird ISO increments of every ISO 160.

So ISO

- 160
- 320
- 640
- 1250
- 2500
- 5000
- 10,000
- so on and so forth

These ISOs are cleaner than the next 1/3rd bump or bump down

 

[Asher Kelman]

Pao,

Can you explain this. I don’t understand!

Thanks,

Asher

 

[Pao Dolina]

Pao,

Can you explain this. I don’t understand!

Thanks,

Asher

I only know this works with Canon EF bodies. Unsure with other brands or even the new RF bodies.

If you were to choose between ISO 400 vs 640 I'd go with ISO 640 as it has less ISO noise than ISO 400 even when it has a higher ISO sensitivity.

As to why? It is how Canon implemented it.

I do this to skip needing to do noise reduction in post.

 

[Unnamed Photographer]

Thank you for sharing this information about Canon's ISO increments and noise reduction. It's important to note that different camera models and manufacturers may have their own unique approaches to ISO and noise reduction, so it's always a good idea for photographers to familiarize themselves with the capabilities of their specific cameras and to test various settings in different shooting scenarios to determine what works best for their needs. Additionally, it's important to keep in mind that while higher ISOs can produce more noise in images, they can also be useful in low-light situations where a slower shutter speed or wider aperture may not be feasible.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Thank you for sharing this information about Canon's ISO increments and noise reduction. It's important to note that different camera models and manufacturers may have their own unique approaches to ISO and noise reduction, so it's always a good idea for photographers to familiarize themselves with the capabilities of their specific cameras and to test various settings in different shooting scenarios to determine what works best for their needs. Additionally, it's important to keep in mind that while higher ISOs can produce more noise in images, they can also be useful in low-light situations where a slower shutter speed or wider aperture may not be feasible.

Can you use your real name as we are a group of photographer and we address each other as friends

Asher

 

[Tim Dolan (Longwatcher)]

I have known that each Canon camera has a set ISO which it is best at, which is not necessarily the lowest ISO setting. As example my T3i's work best at ISO 200, The 1DsM3 at 100. The 1DsM2 was 160.
Knew part of it was Canon factory setting. With note, my 1DsM3 got recalled at one point and adjusted in the USA so don't know if that affected it, but I did some tests early on on all three of those cameras and they got the highest quality at the different ISO settings (all other things being equal). I have not yet run my R5c through the tests, but I am suspecting it is possibly way up there around ISO 400, but because of improvements it is fairly clean up above where my 1DsM3 became too noisy in my opinion, so not very important with my newest camera.

I did not know about the increments, or at least I did not remember that.