60D Video-High ISO

[David Aronson]

Is there any way to get the 60D to shoot at a higher ISO than 6400 when shooting video? I can't figure it out.

[Nick Gordon]

There's an ISO expansion menu setting that gives you 12800

[Gianni Paolella]

The ISO 12800 work only for photo not for video.The Max for video is 6400.

[Bob Willis]

Even at 6400 the image really starts to fall apart. Try a faster lens.

[Gianni Paolella]

Hi,
Agree with you I never record video over 1250 Iso, if the room is too dark I use fast lens or a led lamp.

[David Aronson]

Okay, so I don't own a faster lens of a usable focal length and a lot of times, I'm in situations where I can't put a light anywhere since it's ENG work. Also, lights cost money and if I just spent $900 on a camera, I want it to have certain features.

[Nicholas de Kock]

Unfortunatly David $900 is nothing really it might be a lot of money to you but it's not going to buy you light even a $50 000 camera needs light. Like Gianni I personally never shoot over 1250 ISO for professional work, that's even pushing it. Full HD @ 6400 ISO on a 60D is pretty much unusable. High ISO is the enemy, for ENG work you need a good portable light source, cameras & light go hand in hand you can't separate the two. If you really can't use any lights a camera that shoots infra-red is what you need for that you don't need light although technically speaking infra-red is also a light source.

[James Donnelly]

Originally Posted by David Aronson

Is there any way to get the 60D to shoot at a higher ISO than 6400 when shooting video? I can't figure it out.

Is the image quality acceptable to you at ISO 6400? You want to go higher? You must not care about the picture quality at all, which brings us back to your comment about spending $900. Why pay that much for a camera and then shoot crappy video at 6400 ISO?

If you really must have a brighter image, and you can't afford a faster lens or lighting, you can always boost the brightness in post. It will look roughly the same as it would if you had ISO 12800 - crap.

[Robert Turchick]

Until you can afford to buy, rent your lenses. Then you can properly shoot low light video. Also check for used.

It seems that you have not properly budgeted for your camera purchase. At a minimum, a 50mm 1.8 should be in your arsenal. There's other fast primes in various focal lengths you should have. I own the 1.4 version of the 50 and a 28mm 1.8. These were both around $400 which is cheap. No need to go "L" glass unless you need zooms which require a constant aperture to operate properly. Those are more than your camera...some are double the cost of your camera!

Bottom line is you need the proper tools. High iso is not the solution. Like the others here, I try to never shoot above 1200. 800 is my comfy zone and that gets treated in post with Magic Bullet denoiser to look good.

[David Aronson]

I own a 50mm 1.8 but it is to long to use for ENG shooting. It is also shaky when used hand held. Also, I'm not sure if you realize this, but noisy video that you can see things in is a lot better than having video that isn't noisy, but is completely black. I asked a simple question. I don't see why people are giving me every answer except the one I need.

[Robert Turchick]

Seriously, we are trying to help. I'm curious what you're shooting that is so dark. My 50 wide open at 1.4 can create an image in pitch black at 6400. I was curious when I first got the camera and went into my garage with all the lights off at night and got an image. Noisy as hell but where my eyes couldn't see anything, the camera did.
I've shot tons of night club and band gigs where I'm at 1600 with f1.4 and it works great. I've also shot outside with just moonlight and had to go to iso 2000.
Help us out here and we will help you.

Also, on the shaky images, are you using a shoulder mount or eyepiece? Those are crucial to getting stable images with a non iS lens. I've shot 6 episodes for a nationally airing TV show with my 70-200 non IS at 200mm on a shoulder mount. The 50 can be done easily by jamming your face in an eyepiece to give a second point of contact. I've done tons of that shooting as well.

One cheap suggestion would be to get the Bescor LED on camera light. It's bright enough to hit talent at a few feet away but not real bright beyond that. I think it's $75 and uses AA batteries.

The reason nobody is giving you the answer you want should be a clue. Personally I've been using the dslrs for several years now for and feel I am an expert at their use. Im sure that several other guys who have chimed in are experts too. We are really here to save you a lot of headache. :)

[Matt Cikovic]

Originally Posted by David Aronson

I asked a simple question. I don't see why people are giving me every answer except the one I need.

They gave you the simple answer. By itself, the 60D cannot expand it's ISO past 6400, and the only methods of resolving a brighter image is in post, with lights, or with a faster lens.

[John Wiley]

David, I'm also curious to know what it is you are shooting that requires ISO over 6400? I've shot weddings receptions in candle-lit halls where my 50mm f/1.8 looks like daytime and my 10-20mm f/3.5 doesn't require me to push ISO over 1600.

Also, what lenses are you using apart from the 50mm f/1.8?

As others have said, raising the brightness in post will have a similar effect on the image as a higher ISO will. Just like using a higher ISO, there are limitations to how far you can push the image.

Here's a couple of possible very low cost solutions. None of these are ideal but you say getting the shot is more important than image quality so these tips will help:

1) A cheap monopod (~$30) - this will let you use your 50mm at f/1.8 without getting shaky footage. Steady footage also means you can use a slower shutterspeed than 1/60th in a pinch.
2) A cheap on camera light (~$80) - Adding light is the best solution and it does not have to be expensive. You can get LED panels that give just enough light for an ENG style interview.
3) Use available light better (free!) - You say you are shooting ENG style footage, so I'm guessing that there is always going to be some kind of light - whether it's emergency service sirens, streetlight, light from a house-fire, flashlights, etc. Think about these available lights more as you are shooting. Can you move so that you get frontlight falling on your subject? Can you shoot against the lights to get a silhouette? Can you ask in interview subject to move a few metres closer to a police siren? Can you leave your car headlights on? Or ask someone else to do the same? Basically if there is anything newsworthy happening there should at least be some kind of light that you can make use of. If there are no lights at all, then it probably isn't an event worth shooting!

You say that we are giving you all the wrong answers but we are honestly just trying to help. Since you already got the answer to your original question (no) everybody was just trying to move forward with other possible solutions.

[James Donnelly]

Originally Posted by David Aronson

Is there any way to get the 60D to shoot at a higher ISO than 6400 when shooting video? I can't figure it out.

No.

Please ignore the sentence you are now reading. Apparently I have to submit at least 10 characters.

[Bob Willis]

Originally Posted by David Aronson

I asked a simple question. I don't see why people are giving me every answer except the one I need.

Several people have given you a simple answer to your question. But, they may not have been able to give you what you need.