H5D-40 Concern for Noise at ISO 400 Suggestions Please

[rollsman]

  I would like to stay with CCD sensor BUT I have reading too many pros and cons about the CCD sensor using ISO 400.
   My main way of shooting is with Strobes for portraits  I shoot from 5.6-F8
  Can anyone let me know their experiences with this camera and Back for my Purpose.
  I am trying NOT to spend over my budget amount.   Thanks and I appreciate the feedback when you can

[Dicky]

Hi Dennis
May I kindly enquire, what you do mean by "Strobes"?

Are you talking monoblock and/or studio flash-sourced lighting?
Perhaps the need to shoot and expose at ISO 400 (at, say for example 1/125 sec) @ F5.6 to F8? Would suggest that "you aint got enough light efficiency and/or out-put"

Our humble-studio shoots, our tethered-digital medium format portraiture, with our beloved vintage V system, often exposing at 1/125 sec @ F16-F22 ISO50
And using our studio-lighting system flash-generator output at 1/16 power, which is only 50ws (fifty watts).

Light-shaping and lighting-efficiency are absolute "key-essential-factors" for yielding superb studio results!
Best wishes 

[JCM-Photos]

In pure studio configuration you never have to be over 100 ISO even with modest flash units of around 200 Ws.
If you have several peoples in full body length you need effectively often more power, but even then
a 1000 Ws monobloc in a big modifier should be way sufficient

It's different when you mix ambient and flash in natural lit interiors. Here, to avoid gost images with ambiant light, you have often to be at 800 or 1600 ISO or higher and that's a no go for a CCD sensor.

[Dicky]

Hi JCM
Superb advice!

The most light-efficient piece of kit our humble-studio has ever encountered and owns to date ...
Is one of these https://www.brieselichttechnik.de/products/flashlight/focus2-115

Briese lighting-efficiency in Briese Ws are approx x3 efficiency of that of "other-brands" Ws! ... due to the Briese flash-tube design being approx x3 longer when compared to that of "other-brands"!
Having "an-absolute-whopper-of-a-flash-tube" makes a World of difference, as does having TWO reflector curves (made from both soft and hard reflectivity materials) in the same 22 division parabolic reflector!

Recall having to shoot mixed-light location portraits from one time in my past freelance days, when based out in the Gulf ...
Of the subject seated in a very-posh hotel-lobby, chilling, of a very famous, undisclosed British Fashion designer for a very posh-Arabian Magazine!
Recall my "private-panic-phone-call" to the magazine editor, went something like this ...

"Hi its Richard, am calling you from the location set, Ive just shot a few instant-test shots and would suggest that the subject is allowed more space surrounding her in the frame, in each shot!!
As cannot recommend shooting too-close, because, most evidently, her very recently done "face-lift" was still looking really "Turtle", Bless her!

Thankfully, with a Hasselblad Softar II filter, thrown-in front of the lens for good measure, it all faired very well results-wise, all were delighted with her look, apparently!

Recall for this location shoot, mixing lighting with ambient-tungsten, ambient-daylight (natural window-light) with a dash-of monoblock (Visatec Solo 600w/s) flash-fill, when shooting analogue on our beloved 501c body + Carl Zeiss Planar C80mm lens + A12 film-back, loaded with Ektachrome E100S transparency film ISO100, thats had to be exposed and bracketed with 1/3 stop accuracy). Absolutely, do confess to getting through shooting "quite-a-few-instants" perfecting it, but managed to pull it off, with a graduated warm-tone to the image background behind the subject. Did use a tripod, did come down on the shutter to drag-it-slightly and it all looked absolute class with using the flash-fill-freeze! ...

Best wishes

[rollsman]

thank you

[Dicky]

Pleasure Dennis

Just a thought, have also, used The Broncolor made (fan-cooled) Visatec Solo and Visatec Logos BC monoblocks for decades! They are really well made, so very easy to use and always perform so very well! With lovely results too!
Can now pick up a kit online (in mint condition) for a couple of hundred bucks!, its a good way "to get into" and/or "get going" with some more "fire-power" with a huge range of light-shaping options, as these monoblock flash-units
also accept the full range of Broncolor + Visatec range of light-shapers!

Best wishes

[rollsman]

  Thank you.

[rollsman]

  I agree that ISO 100 Max 200 is the most I would need under strong Strobes....which I have
  So, now can you recommend a H body that has a Good Rear LCD screen so I can see how the Image quality is when I review the images.  TY  I appreciate it 

[Hassilistic]

Hi Rollsman,

Since you are shooting in studio, use your firewire to connect to an LED monitor via an adapter, anything from 24 to 40inchs is dirt cheap. Other wise directly to your Laptop, preferably apple because of retina screens.

For the record, I shoot to 800 ISO with no issues, as the H5D-40 one must not underexpose on a CCD, you will never be able to pull the shadows, however, you should always overexpose just a stop at least, as you'll find it is very easy to pull back the highlights.

In the event there is noise, it is extremely easy to fix in Phocus, prior to exporting the TIFF file.

The contrast straight out from CCD sensor, can not be matched from a CMOS.

Oh, make sure you use a light meter like a Gossen Digisky that can both measure, set and trigger you strobes/flash heads.

Good luck
   

[rollsman]

  Thank you That was very helpful.