This was a quick test of high ISO on the Canon 550D with the Tokina 50 – 135mm f2.8 Pro lens (an exceptional lens on the 550D – matching the Canon 70 – 200 f2.8 in IQ)
Whilst this test was in decent directional late afternoon light it does show how far you can push the 550D – I was pleasantly surprised and whilst I did not hesitate to use 1600 ISO on the 550D I have realised I can go further
In darker conditions the sensor would struggle more and the darker parts of the image would be more prone to noise – this however illustrates that you should net hesitate to increase the ISO if you need to shoot at a smaller aperture (for greater depth of field) – To guarantee a faster shutter speed (for freezing movement and avoiding camera shake) or in darker conditions
My model for today is Stacey
ISO 400 f2.8 Natural light – Benchmark
ISO 1600 f2.8
ISO 3200 f2.8
ISO 6400 f2.8
Impressive performance by the 550D
