DSLR overcasy night test needed

In a discussion in this newsgroup titled "ISO 20000?" is
a discussion of intensified CCDs. One question that has
come up is performance in very low light conditions, specifically
taking a picture of a night scene with no lights and away
from cities when it is overcast (i.e. VERY DARK, but
still natural lighting). Further, do this with a fast
exposure time, 1/50 second. Can you see any detail?

So is there someone with a fast lens, like 50 mm f/1.4 and
a canon 20D, 20Da, 1D mark II, 5D who could take such an
image?

I suggest the following:
1) use a tripod, mirror lockup.
2) ISO 3200, raw.
3) f/1.4, do ten 1/50th second exposures.
4) 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds.

Post the raw files to a web site to download.

I'll process them in ImagesPlus (64-bit processing) and post
the results.

I have a 1D Mark II and 50 mm f/1.8 lens and will try
the test when I get cloudy skies with weather that allows me
to drive a long way from Denver, but between the weather, and
my schedule, it might be a while before the two mesh.

Roger

Roger N. Clark (change username to rnclark) wrote:
In a discussion in this newsgroup titled "ISO 20000?" is
a discussion of intensified CCDs. One question that has
come up is performance in very low light conditions, specifically
taking a picture of a night scene with no lights and away
from cities when it is overcast (i.e. VERY DARK, but
still natural lighting). Further, do this with a fast
exposure time, 1/50 second. Can you see any detail?

So is there someone with a fast lens, like 50 mm f/1.4 and
a canon 20D, 20Da, 1D mark II, 5D who could take such an
image?

I suggest the following:
1) use a tripod, mirror lockup.
2) ISO 3200, raw.
3) f/1.4, do ten 1/50th second exposures.
4) 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds.

Post the raw files to a web site to download.

I'll process them in ImagesPlus (64-bit processing) and post
the results.

I have a 1D Mark II and 50 mm f/1.8 lens and will try
the test when I get cloudy skies with weather that allows me
to drive a long way from Denver, but between the weather, and
my schedule, it might be a while before the two mesh.

Roger

I see you're still stuck in "shadow detail mode..."


I'll see if I can snap a few, though I'm using a 10D...not one of your
mentioned bodies...
-Mark