Bird In Flight Shutter Speeds

[Steve]

I get questions all the time about the "best" shutter speeds for bird in flight (BIF) photography, so I thought I'd talk about that a little with this post.

First, there's no perfect BIF speed (although, 1/3200 comes close). I have shots from 1/20th all the way to 1/8000th. It just depends on the bird and what I'm trying to accomplish. For this post, we'll just look at speeds for freezing the action.

The speed you pick depends on the speed of the bird. I'm going to do this by size since larger birds are generally slower than smaller birds. However, there are a couple notes...

1. If there's a heavy wind and the bird is flying into it, you can generally drop these speeds at stop (or more) if you need to. If the bird has his back to a brisk wind though, you will likely need another stop faster than what I'm recommending below (or as close as you can get). (In short, it's all about the bird's "ground speed".)

2. If a bird is flying towards you, that's another time you generally want a bit more speed than the estimates below - or at least stick to the higher speeds in the range. When you're panning with the bird, you're helping to overcome some of its speed - when it's coming at you, that goes out the window.

And of course, you need to consider where these speeds put your ISO as well. Generally, when I'm shooting in brighter conditions and all things begin equal, I tend to favor the faster speeds mentioned below. If I'm pushing higher ISOs, I try to get away with the lower shutter speeds - but - with the understanding that my keeper rate may be a touch lower.

All that in mind, here are my shutter speed recommendations for freezing BIF action:

Large Birds (Cranes, Egrets, etc.)

1/1600th ~ 1/3200th

Medium Birds (cormorants, eagles, hawks)

1/2000th ~ 1/4000th

Smaller birds (songbirds)

1/3200th ~ 1/8000th

Of course, it's possible to get sharp images at speeds slower than these (and I have quite often), but these speeds tend to be pretty "safe" if you just want a nice, sharp image.

By the way, my favorite shutter speed for most BIF action is 1/3200th. Seems to work well in most situations.

 

[Cookie Segelstein]

Thanks Steve, I think I have been shooting too slow for the smaller birds, general 1/2000th. This is helpful!

 

[Mr. Goodkat]

I'm new to photography so I'm still having fun figuring everything out.
Would you use shutter speed priority with auto ISO?

 

[bob3c]

Thanks, very helpful.

 

[Steve]

I'm new to photography so I'm still having fun figuring everything out.
Would you use shutter speed priority with auto ISO?

I actually use M + Auto ISO. That way, I can set both the shutter speed and F/stop and the camera floats the ISO for a proper brightness. Otherwise, in shutter priority, on a bright day you risk the camera dropping to F/16 or something - not very good for background separation. Here's a video I did about M + Auto ISO:

 

[Jhvuhvhuvuvuv]

I actually use M + Auto ISO. That way, I can set both the shutter speed and F/stop and the camera floats the ISO for a proper brightness. Otherwise, in shutter priority, on a bright day you risk the camera dropping to F/16 or something - not very good for background separation. Here's a video I did about M + Auto ISO:

I wish there was a setting where you could let ISO go down as low as possible and then increase aperture if needed. This happened to me once at an airshow where the planes were sometimes in the sun and sometimes under clouds. The sun pictures were overexposed or I would crank up shutter speed for sun but then the planes in the shade would be shot at too high ISO.

 

[Steve]

I wish there was a setting where you could let ISO go down as low as possible and then increase aperture if needed. This happened to me once at an airshow where the planes were sometimes in the sun and sometimes under clouds. The sun pictures were overexposed or I would crank up shutter speed for sun but then the planes in the shade would be shot at too high ISO.

Actually, in that scenario shutter priority would work well.

 

[DRwyoming]

I'm new to photography so I'm still having fun figuring everything out.
Would you use shutter speed priority with auto ISO?

A big +1 on the video Steve linked above. It completely changed the way I shoot and for the better.

Coming from the film days this was impossible, then in the early DSLR days it didn't make much sense as you really didn't want to let ISO get too high. So I pretty much ignored Auto ISO features when they started showing up on cameras and happily shot in Aperture Priority Mode adjusting ISO as needed or just shooting full Manual, fixed ISO.

But that video opened up my eyes to take advantage of what modern digital cameras can do and now I wish I could go back in time and reshoot many action photos using Manual-Auto ISO mode. I'm actually planning on revisiting some of my favorite wildlife locales like Bosque del Apache just to see what I can do in a very familiar setting with new cameras and new ways of operating those cameras like what's described in that video.

Steve's BBAF video is another game changer...

 

[Tim Karels]

I've definitely been shooting to slow then. I've tended to shoot between 1/1250 to 1/1600 for fear noise from higher ISO's. The D850 is pretty good with high ISO, but I tend to avoid anything above ISO 1600. It's just too noisy for my tastes.

 

[tmac]

I get questions all the time about the "best" shutter speeds for bird in flight (BIF) photography, so I thought I'd talk about that a little with this post.

First, there's no perfect BIF speed (although, 1/3200 comes close). I have shots from 1/20th all the way to 1/8000th. It just depends on the bird and what I'm trying to accomplish. For this post, we'll just look at speeds for freezing the action.

The speed you pick depends on the speed of the bird. I'm going to do this by size since larger birds are generally slower than smaller birds. However, there are a couple notes...

1. If there's a heavy wind and the bird is flying into it, you can generally drop these speeds at stop (or more) if you need to. If the bird has his back to a brisk wind though, you will likely need another stop faster than what I'm recommending below (or as close as you can get). (In short, it's all about the bird's "ground speed".)

2. If a bird is flying towards you, that's another time you generally want a bit more speed than the estimates below - or at least stick to the higher speeds in the range. When you're panning with the bird, you're helping to overcome some of its speed - when it's coming at you, that goes out the window.

And of course, you need to consider where these speeds put your ISO as well. Generally, when I'm shooting in brighter conditions and all things begin equal, I tend to favor the faster speeds mentioned below. If I'm pushing higher ISOs, I try to get away with the lower shutter speeds - but - with the understanding that my keeper rate may be a touch lower.

All that in mind, here are my shutter speed recommendations for freezing BIF action:

Large Birds (Cranes, Egrets, etc.)

1/1600th ~ 1/3200th

Medium Birds (cormorants, eagles, hawks)

1/2000th ~ 1/4000th

Smaller birds (songbirds)

1/3200th ~ 1/8000th

Of course, it's possible to get sharp images at speeds slower than these (and I have quite often), but these speeds tend to be pretty "safe" if you just want a nice, sharp image.

By the way, my favorite shutter speed for most BIF action is 1/3200th. Seems to work well in most situations.

Hello Steve,

great tip thanks and I enjoyed your video on Manual mode and Auto ISO. I'm sorry I didn't seee it before I missed a blue heron flying over my back garden today. A very rare occourance believe me. I'll be ready next time......

tmac

 

[gbodave]

I rarely have the chance to shoot small song birds in flight. Just how it goes I guess.

My go to shutter speeds are 1/1000-1/1600 and I've been happy with those. I've never contemplated anything over 1/2000 let alone higher shutter speeds as used by some.

The types of birds I come across that would be in flight would be ducks, cormorants, geese, herons, egrets large and small, terns oyster catchers, swans and so on. Only the ducks would be fast flappers.

As far as raptors are concerned, I find that most of the time I come across them they're soaring so even 1/1000 would be unnecessarily quick for me. When not soaring the larger raptors like buzzards, osprey, red kite, flap quite slowly so I can stick with my range of 1/1000-1/1600 quite comfortably most of the time. Peregrine falcons and sparrowhawks flap pretty quickly so I'd be at 1/1600. Kestrels can flap quite fast but, of course, they're often hovering so there's not a great deal of movement that has to be coped with.

Being able to use this range of speeds helps considerably in keeping noise down here in murky UK but I often find I'm at ISO400 or more even in what passes for summer here.

 

[gbodave]

The suggestion that a higher shutter speed is needed for subject coming straight at you. I apply the reverse and would use a much slower speed than when a subject is going L-R or R-L. If a bird or anything else is travelling at say 30mph and comes at you, it's growing in size quite slowly and there's no great impression of speed. If that bird or car or train turns through 90% and even if it stays at the same speed the speed to the camera and to the eye is phenominally higher and would require a significantly faster shutter speed from me.

 

[Steve]

The suggestion that a higher shutter speed is needed for subject coming straight at you. I apply the reverse and would use a much slower speed than when a subject is going L-R or R-L. If a bird or anything else is travelling at say 30mph and comes at you, it's growing in size quite slowly and there's no great impression of speed. If that bird or car or train turns through 90% and even if it stays at the same speed the speed to the camera and to the eye is phenominally higher and would require a significantly faster shutter speed from me.

I don't know...that's not really been my field experience. I can get sharp eyes when panning at as little as 1/20th of a second - and I certainly can't do that with a bird flying towards the camera When you're panning side to side, you're keeping some or all of the bird's movement in check since you're panning along (depending on your panning technique of course).

However, when the bird is coming straight at you, that option is gone. While I agree it isn't changing size at a rapid rate (depending on the distance), it's still moving and the size is changing a bit with each second. Different bits of the bird are over different pixels.

I'm going to try to do a little math here, but it's not my first language so correct me if I'm wrong on this

Using your 30MPH example, a bird flying right at you is covering 44 feet per second. That's 528 inches per second so at 1/500th of a second, you're getting about an inch of movement. One inch of movement coming at the camera is going to show blur. In fact, I think we can agree that even 1/4 of an inch worth of motion during exposure would probably still be visible with a target coming towards the camera (1/2000th approximately). To get down to 1/8th inch of movement - which I don't think would be noticeable on a target flying towards the camera, you'd need 1/4000th of a second or so. Much more than necessary for all but the fastest birds flying side to side.

Hope that makes sense

 

[dutchbenke]

I get questions all the time about the "best" shutter speeds for bird in flight (BIF) photography, so I thought I'd talk about that a little with this post.

First, there's no perfect BIF speed (although, 1/3200 comes close). I have shots from 1/20th all the way to 1/8000th. It just depends on the bird and what I'm trying to accomplish. For this post, we'll just look at speeds for freezing the action.

The speed you pick depends on the speed of the bird. I'm going to do this by size since larger birds are generally slower than smaller birds. However, there are a couple notes...

1. If there's a heavy wind and the bird is flying into it, you can generally drop these speeds at stop (or more) if you need to. If the bird has his back to a brisk wind though, you will likely need another stop faster than what I'm recommending below (or as close as you can get). (In short, it's all about the bird's "ground speed".)

2. If a bird is flying towards you, that's another time you generally want a bit more speed than the estimates below - or at least stick to the higher speeds in the range. When you're panning with the bird, you're helping to overcome some of its speed - when it's coming at you, that goes out the window.

And of course, you need to consider where these speeds put your ISO as well. Generally, when I'm shooting in brighter conditions and all things begin equal, I tend to favor the faster speeds mentioned below. If I'm pushing higher ISOs, I try to get away with the lower shutter speeds - but - with the understanding that my keeper rate may be a touch lower.

All that in mind, here are my shutter speed recommendations for freezing BIF action:

Large Birds (Cranes, Egrets, etc.)

1/1600th ~ 1/3200th

Medium Birds (cormorants, eagles, hawks)

1/2000th ~ 1/4000th

Smaller birds (songbirds)

1/3200th ~ 1/8000th

Of course, it's possible to get sharp images at speeds slower than these (and I have quite often), but these speeds tend to be pretty "safe" if you just want a nice, sharp image.

By the way, my favorite shutter speed for most BIF action is 1/3200th. Seems to work well in most situations.

I don't know...that's not really been my field experience. I can get sharp eyes when panning at as little as 1/20th of a second - and I certainly can't do that with a bird flying towards the camera When you're panning side to side, you're keeping some or all of the bird's movement in check since you're panning along (depending on your panning technique of course).

However, when the bird is coming straight at you, that option is gone. While I agree it isn't changing size at a rapid rate (depending on the distance), it's still moving and the size is changing a bit with each second. Different bits of the bird are over different pixels.

I'm going to try to do a little math here, but it's not my first language so correct me if I'm wrong on this

Using your 30MPH example, a bird flying right at you is covering 44 feet per second. That's 528 inches per second so at 1/500th of a second, you're getting about an inch of movement. One inch of movement coming at the camera is going to show blur. In fact, I think we can agree that even 1/4 of an inch worth of motion during exposure would probably still be visible with a target coming towards the camera (1/2000th approximately). To get down to 1/8th inch of movement - which I don't think would be noticeable on a target flying towards the camera, you'd need 1/4000th of a second or so. Much more than necessary for all but the fastest birds flying side to side.

Hope that makes sense

I get questions all the time about the "best" shutter speeds for bird in flight (BIF) photography, so I thought I'd talk about that a little with this post.

First, there's no perfect BIF speed (although, 1/3200 comes close). I have shots from 1/20th all the way to 1/8000th. It just depends on the bird and what I'm trying to accomplish. For this post, we'll just look at speeds for freezing the action.

The speed you pick depends on the speed of the bird. I'm going to do this by size since larger birds are generally slower than smaller birds. However, there are a couple notes...

1. If there's a heavy wind and the bird is flying into it, you can generally drop these speeds at stop (or more) if you need to. If the bird has his back to a brisk wind though, you will likely need another stop faster than what I'm recommending below (or as close as you can get). (In short, it's all about the bird's "ground speed".)

2. If a bird is flying towards you, that's another time you generally want a bit more speed than the estimates below - or at least stick to the higher speeds in the range. When you're panning with the bird, you're helping to overcome some of its speed - when it's coming at you, that goes out the window.

And of course, you need to consider where these speeds put your ISO as well. Generally, when I'm shooting in brighter conditions and all things begin equal, I tend to favor the faster speeds mentioned below. If I'm pushing higher ISOs, I try to get away with the lower shutter speeds - but - with the understanding that my keeper rate may be a touch lower.

All that in mind, here are my shutter speed recommendations for freezing BIF action:

Large Birds (Cranes, Egrets, etc.)

1/1600th ~ 1/3200th

Medium Birds (cormorants, eagles, hawks)

1/2000th ~ 1/4000th

Smaller birds (songbirds)

1/3200th ~ 1/8000th

Of course, it's possible to get sharp images at speeds slower than these (and I have quite often), but these speeds tend to be pretty "safe" if you just want a nice, sharp image.

By the way, my favorite shutter speed for most BIF action is 1/3200th. Seems to work well in most situations.

I also have been shooting too slow & your suggestions will help me. Thanks

 

[gbodave]

I don't know...that's not really been my field experience. I can get sharp eyes when panning at as little as 1/20th of a second - and I certainly can't do that with a bird flying towards the camera When you're panning side to side, you're keeping some or all of the bird's movement in check since you're panning along (depending on your panning technique of course).

However, when the bird is coming straight at you, that option is gone. While I agree it isn't changing size at a rapid rate (depending on the distance), it's still moving and the size is changing a bit with each second. Different bits of the bird are over different pixels.

I'm going to try to do a little math here, but it's not my first language so correct me if I'm wrong on this

Using your 30MPH example, a bird flying right at you is covering 44 feet per second. That's 528 inches per second so at 1/500th of a second, you're getting about an inch of movement. One inch of movement coming at the camera is going to show blur. In fact, I think we can agree that even 1/4 of an inch worth of motion during exposure would probably still be visible with a target coming towards the camera (1/2000th approximately). To get down to 1/8th inch of movement - which I don't think would be noticeable on a target flying towards the camera, you'd need 1/4000th of a second or so. Much more than necessary for all but the fastest birds flying side to side.

Hope that makes sense

I think it's one of those agree to disagree situations because despite the math this isn't something that fits a precise formula, partly because no two scenarios are the same and partly getting the shot in as simple but effective way within a very short period of time to accomplish that.

The point I was making was the comparison of perceived speed between head on and side to side. Surely the same speed going from one side to the other would be perceived by the camera as being faster despite the panning situation and would require a higher shutter speed to freeze the action. There again there are many situations where panning isn't used. It's an acceptable technique to aim in front of the bird and fire away in burst mode when it enters the frame. Especially when in a hide there are often physical barriers to panning to any great extent. Also there could be lots of vegetation that keeps masking the bird so panning can be a frustrating option.

I didn't quote shutter speeds because what would be appropriate would be down to what's happening "in the moment" each happening is likely to be different. Certainly a subject going that fast (30mph was just to illustrate the point - could have been any speed as long as it was constant in both scenarios) would have me using a lot more than 1/500 which would be nearer to the calculated 1/8th of an inch movement although I must confess when that bird is hammering at me it's not a calculation I have time to make.

 

[Steve]

I think it's one of those agree to disagree situations because despite the math this isn't something that fits a precise formula, partly because no two scenarios are the same and partly getting the shot in as simple but effective way within a very short period of time to accomplish that.

The point I was making was the comparison of perceived speed between head on and side to side. Surely the same speed going from one side to the other would be perceived by the camera as being faster despite the panning situation and would require a higher shutter speed to freeze the action. There again there are many situations where panning isn't used. It's an acceptable technique to aim in front of the bird and fire away in burst mode when it enters the frame. Especially when in a hide there are often physical barriers to panning to any great extent. Also there could be lots of vegetation that keeps masking the bird so panning can be a frustrating option.

I didn't quote shutter speeds because what would be appropriate would be down to what's happening "in the moment" each happening is likely to be different. Certainly a subject going that fast (30mph was just to illustrate the point - could have been any speed as long as it was constant in both scenarios) would have me using a lot more than 1/500 which would be nearer to the calculated 1/8th of an inch movement although I must confess when that bird is hammering at me it's not a calculation I have time to make.

No worries, we can agree to disagree on this

However, I do agree with you if you're not panning. In that case, yes, I DO think that you'd need more speed for a side to side shot than one coming at the camera. However, I don't know that I've ever actually shot a bird side to side without following it - other than maybe takeoff shots. Still, in that case, yes, we agree.

We also FULLY agree that every scenario is different - no question. And nope, I don't do math in the field either (I'm highly allergic).

Still, once you start panning along, it's a different game (which was where I was coming from). In the image below, I have a sharp face, despite the 1/20th of a second shutter speed. That's why I say that it takes more shutter speed for birds coming at the camera. When you're following along, you're helping maintain a sharp image - it's not an option when the bird is coming at the camera.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[JimD]

I get questions all the time about the "best" shutter speeds for bird in flight (BIF) photography, so I thought I'd talk about that a little with this post.

First, there's no perfect BIF speed (although, 1/3200 comes close). I have shots from 1/20th all the way to 1/8000th. It just depends on the bird and what I'm trying to accomplish. For this post, we'll just look at speeds for freezing the action.

The speed you pick depends on the speed of the bird. I'm going to do this by size since larger birds are generally slower than smaller birds. However, there are a couple notes...

1. If there's a heavy wind and the bird is flying into it, you can generally drop these speeds at stop (or more) if you need to. If the bird has his back to a brisk wind though, you will likely need another stop faster than what I'm recommending below (or as close as you can get). (In short, it's all about the bird's "ground speed".)

2. If a bird is flying towards you, that's another time you generally want a bit more speed than the estimates below - or at least stick to the higher speeds in the range. When you're panning with the bird, you're helping to overcome some of its speed - when it's coming at you, that goes out the window.

And of course, you need to consider where these speeds put your ISO as well. Generally, when I'm shooting in brighter conditions and all things begin equal, I tend to favor the faster speeds mentioned below. If I'm pushing higher ISOs, I try to get away with the lower shutter speeds - but - with the understanding that my keeper rate may be a touch lower.

All that in mind, here are my shutter speed recommendations for freezing BIF action:

Large Birds (Cranes, Egrets, etc.)

1/1600th ~ 1/3200th

Medium Birds (cormorants, eagles, hawks)

1/2000th ~ 1/4000th

Smaller birds (songbirds)

1/3200th ~ 1/8000th

Of course, it's possible to get sharp images at speeds slower than these (and I have quite often), but these speeds tend to be pretty "safe" if you just want a nice, sharp image.

By the way, my favorite shutter speed for most BIF action is 1/3200th. Seems to work well in most situations.

Thanks, Steve. My bird photography has really improved over the past year. I have been practicing a lot. But I am sure I have been shooting at too slow of a speed. 1/1600 rather than 1/3200. I need to kick it up. I shoot mostly egrets and heron. Wondering...what about settings for AF? I shoot a lot with my Tamron 150-600mm so I would set to pan but what about the camera itself? Thanks a lot for this forum!

 

[VStammer]

This is a good reminder for me too as I seem to be shooting too slow as well. I too was always worried about the higher ISO the camera was choosing in Auto ISO but I have been amazed at the results coming out of Topaz DeNoise and what it does to eliminate much of that noise. Just maybe this will improve my sharpness and keeper rate. Thanks Steve!

 

[Richie_28]

This is very helpful information. I think I tend to underestimate shutter speed, especially with a big lens like the Sigma 150mm-600mm C lens and a camera like the Nikon D500.

 

[DRwyoming]

This is a good reminder for me too as I seem to be shooting too slow as well. I too was always worried about the higher ISO the camera was choosing in Auto ISO but I have been amazed at the results coming out of Topaz DeNoise and what it does to eliminate much of that noise. Just maybe this will improve my sharpness and keeper rate. Thanks Steve!

I posted something similar in another thread today, but I think a lot of us that either shot film or shot first and second generation DSLRs have a bit of ISO phobia and struggle to adapt to what modern sensors and modern image processing can handle gracefully. Well without over generalizing at least I sure took a long time to accept that something like ISO 3200 or 6400 or even higher in some cameras can be fine if that's what it takes. Over the last year or so I've been slowly bumping up the high ISO cap in my Auto ISO settings and have been favorably impressed with the results.

It could be a topic for a blog post or video @Steve, to paraphrase Blue Oyster Cult.... Don't Fear the ISO (and make sure to have plenty of cowbell ). I bet a lot of folks who cut their teeth with older digital cameras or film could use a reminder of the times and what modern cameras can get away with and how that can allow shooting flexibility like higher shutter speeds or smaller apertures for greater DOF when the situation calls for it without ruining the image with noise.

 

[Neil H.]

If you are a Nikon shooter, Steve's Manual + Auto ISO should be set up as "Photoshooting Menu Bank A" . Then insert Steve's most recommended shutter speed for the situation. This Youtube video explains it quite well:

I also set up the red dot video button near the shutter button + real wheel to quickly change Menu banks - hold video button and spin wheel to go through A B C and D Menu Banks. Set up A for Action and B for sitting duck etc. etc.

 

[gordon_g]

I posted something similar in another thread today, but I think a lot of us that either shot film or shot first and second generation DSLRs have a bit of ISO phobia and struggle to adapt to what modern sensors and modern image processing can handle gracefully. Well at least without over generalizing at least I sure took a long time to accept that something like ISO 3200 or 6400 or even higher in some cameras can be fine if that's what it takes. Over the last year or so I've been slowly bumping up the high ISO cap in my Auto ISO settings and have been favorably impressed with the results.

It could be a topic for a blog post or video @Steve, to paraphrase the Moody Blues.... Don't Fear the ISO (and make sure to have plenty of cowbell ). I bet a lot of folks who cut their teeth with older digital cameras or film could use a reminder of the times and what modern cameras can get away with and how that can allow shooting flexibility like higher shutter speeds or smaller apertures for greater DOF when the situation calls for it without ruining the image with noise.

Count me as one of the fear the iso folks... but I’m working my way out of it... but it’s not easy... my D90 was horrible! lol

 

[Mr F Stop.]

I agree mostly with what you say. After all the faster the shutter speed the less chance of motion blur. But, yes of course there is a but. Why not just crank that shutter speed up to 8000 and rip the dial off? I am guessing ISO? So here's the 6 million dollar ( Iam a Brit but we will use dollars) question is this. Which is more important for a sharp image, shutter speed or iso. The reason I ask is that I am finding that keeping the iso lower using better technique or a tripod and slowing that shutter down gives me more keepers. I am using a D500 and a 150/500 sigma.

 

[Steve]

I agree mostly with what you say. After all the faster the shutter speed the less chance of motion blur. But, yes of course there is a but. Why not just crank that shutter speed up to 8000 and rip the dial off? I am guessing ISO? So here's the 6 million dollar ( Iam a Brit but we will use dollars) question is this. Which is more important for a sharp image, shutter speed or iso. The reason I ask is that I am finding that keeping the iso lower using better technique or a tripod and slowing that shutter down gives me more keepers. I am using a D500 and a 150/500 sigma.

Yup, ISO is the problem - you don't want crazy high ISO if you can avoid it.

There's also not a clear answer to your question of which is more important, but I do have a guideline. One very universal principal I've discovered over the years is that I can often fix high ISO to make it look good, but I can't as readily fix a blurry image. It's far easier to get a workable shot if it starts off tack sharp and I'd MUCH rather have a noisy image that was razor sharp than a soft image with low ISO.

However, at the same time you reach a point in ISO where it's eating into detail (which is why I don't set to 1/8000th and leaves it there). When you hit that point, the ISO has destroyed fine detail and even if the image is sharp, it'll never have the detail you want - even after careful noise reduction. You can't recover detail that was never recorded / destroyed due to noise.

So, we play the game of balancing ISO and shutter speed.

 

[DRwyoming]

I agree mostly with what you say. After all the faster the shutter speed the less chance of motion blur. But, yes of course there is a but. Why not just crank that shutter speed up to 8000 and rip the dial off? I am guessing ISO? So here's the 6 million dollar ( Iam a Brit but we will use dollars) question is this. Which is more important for a sharp image, shutter speed or iso. The reason I ask is that I am finding that keeping the iso lower using better technique or a tripod and slowing that shutter down gives me more keepers. I am using a D500 and a 150/500 sigma.

Yeah, like anything there are tradeoffs and taking the idea to an extreme isn't a good idea whether that's NEVER go above ISO 400 (just an example) or ALWAYS run the fastest possible shutter speed, ISO be damned.

I certainly still try to keep ISO down as low as possible but I'm no longer afraid to bump it up when the situation calls for it and that's a big change after decades of photography that trained me to think anything over ISO 400 or maybe 640 was just out of the question for nature and wildlife work. But sure if the situation and subject lets me slow things down and shoot at or close to base ISO that's still my first choice.

But sure, your point is spot on. Just because we can run some higher ISO levels with modern gear when necessary doesn't mean we should or at least doesn't mean we should just crank up the shutter speed all the time in every situation with no regard to the ISO impact. But it sure is nice having the option for more shutter speed or DOF when it's needed for action in less than ideal light.

Maybe it's just my perspective but I suspect there are more old school shooters stuck in the idea that ISO has to be kept ultra low all the time than newer folks who just run it all the way up for no good reason but who knows maybe the latter is a bigger issue these days for folks that started with the newer tools.