If you have a Canon 5D Mark II, you will notice the ISO range is impressive – from 100 ISO – 6400 ISO. This ISO range can be further expanded in your Custom Settings to an effective 50 ISO to a whopping 25600 ISO.
You may be thinking who on earth wants to shoot at 25600 ISO; it will produce so much grain! Well, yes, there will be grain, but I have shot at this setting and it wasn’t too bad – for travel and holiday shots and when you don’t have a speedlite handy. I’d never shoot any commercial work on an ISO setting higher than 400 ISO.
How to expand your ISO:
1. Go to the Custom Functions Setting
2. Select C.Fn I: Exposure
3. Scroll through the Exposure options to Option 3: ISO Expansion, and select 1:On
As explained above – shooting on extremely high ISO setting WILL produce grain. But when I’m travelling, most of the images I shoot are “memory shots” and I’d rather have them grainy than ruined by camera shake.
View of Hong Kong from The Peak, shot on an excessively high ISO!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Really handy tutorial. I like this content :)
Yup, I have to agree. ISO expansion is super handy in emergency situations where I want a shot badly, but there simply isn’t enough light and long exposure isn’t an option. Like when I stupidly forget my tripod at home.
ISO 50 is also quite handy for when I want to open up my lens just that extra bit in bright light and I don’t have an ND filter with me.
Absolutely, and ISO 50 is so silky smooth, no grain whatsoever!
I know this is an old post but thank you!! Found it through searching, so helpful
Thanks for your feed back Emmy, much appreciated!
thanks rikki
Just bought a 5D to work along side my 7D, wow! The iso 50 and the Zeiss 21mm f2.8 Distagon are a dream made in heaven. Thanks for reminding me of the iso expansion.
Hi Ian, hope you are enjoying the 5D!
Thank you for info about ISO expansion!!