What Is The "BEST" ISO For A 24 Megapixel Nikon Camera?

[BruceSD]

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I own a couple of 24-megapixel (mp) Nikon mirrorless cameras (Z6, Z5ii).  When doing post-processing, I prefer to do little (if any) noise reduction because I think noise reduction reduces sharpness and detail.

For years, I've only shot my 24mp cameras at base ISO in order to keep noise low. 

Am I being too conservative with my ISO settings?  Most of you are excellent photographers who also have extremely high standards for your images and prints.  I'd love to know, what's the highest ISO you use on a 24mp Nikon mirrorless body.

Thank you

[Jürgen Pfeiffer]

I am using every ISO that does the job. Mostly, my camera is in Auto-ISO mode, so when I need 1/500 sec, the lens is at max aperture and the meter says ISO 25600, I take the picture with 25600 ISO.

[Birna Rørslett]

Just only considering ISO and other technical aspects won't ensure an excellent photo. Better to have a photo using the settings that the situation requires, than no photo at all

The high ISO limits would be somewhere between 32 and 51200 ISO. I have used the entire range on occasion. Image quality is not set by sharpness only.

Modern cameras  can do remarkably well 3200 and even 6400 ISO. Higher settings tend to sacrifice ultimate detail -- if required -- or necessitate more post-processing efforts. Run some tests before the actual shoot to determine what envelope you can work with.

[golunvolo]

I agree with Jürgen and Birna. Use whatever is necessary for the job at hand. Personally I have been dealing with dark theaters for some time now. Every generation of cameras has pushed the upper-limit of usable ISO , meaning what you tolerate... For clients I started below 1600, then 3200 and nowadays I'll happily shot at 6400, with room to edit later. If there is no client, I'll also shot at any iso.  YMMV.

   If a clean image is your goal you already know what your limitations and technical options are 

[Ann]

I totally agree with Birna: "Better to have a photo using the settings that the situation requires, than no photo at all" !!.

I use whatever ISO I need to get the shot and the camera delivers.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

.
I own a couple of 24-megapixel (mp) Nikon mirrorless cameras (Z6, Z5ii).  When doing post-processing, I prefer to do little (if any) noise reduction because I think noise reduction reduces sharpness and detail.

For years, I've only shot my 24mp cameras at base ISO in order to keep noise low. 

Am I being too conservative with my ISO settings?  Most of you are excellent photographers who also have extremely high standards for your images and prints.  I'd love to know, what's the highest ISO you use on a 24mp Nikon mirrorless body.

Thank you

What kind of subject matter do you shoot?

I do landscapes, architectural images, and close-ups typically at 64-100, studio at 100, but for the rest of my images that include documentary-style images of people (and sometimes wildlife), the ISO can vary from base ISO to about 25600, and I'm mostly starting to get concerned about it around 12800. I try not to underexpose the main subject in high ISO images (to reduce the noise).

[BruceSD]

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I primarily shoot a specific subject that is 3 to 9 feet away.  The subject can be anything (human, animal, inanimate object). My subjects ether do not move, or move slowly.

I only shoot extremely fast prime lenses wide open or stopped down one f-stop.

I generally shoot in fairly bright light, often with the subject backlit.

Given the above, I can usually shoot at lower ISOs.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

.
I primarily shoot a specific subject that is 3 to 9 feet away.  The subject can be anything (human, animal, inanimate object). My subjects ether do not move, or move slowly.

I only shoot extremely fast prime lenses wide open or stopped down one f-stop.

I generally shoot in fairly bright light, often with the subject backlit.

Given the above, I can usually shoot at lower ISOs.

If you don't need to use higher ISOs there is nothing wrong with the use of the base ISO. However, if you are compromising by using a shutter speed that can introduce some movement blur then it makes sense to increase the ISO to avoid the blur. Where the line goes is determined on a case-by-case basis. If I'm not using a flash or a tripod, I typically have the ISO set to auto either using M or A mode (in the latter case I have the slowest shutter speed either set manually or let the camera choose it most likely based on focal length and then bias it typically 1 or 2 stops faster depending on the requirements of the situation). I then end up with the aperture and shutter speed of my choice but the ISO can be anything.

In the old days when the ISO settings which gave good results were limited to 100-400 then I would use manual ISO and aperture priority for most situations. However, nowadays just about any ISO setting can be used and the image quality is as good as it can be in the circumstances, I don't worry about it. For landscape, architecture, and flash-lit photography I do still use manual ISO and typically go with a very low value unless there is something moving in the landscape in which case I might go up to 200 or even 400 to mitigate the effects of subject movement.