Let’s continue with the “High ISO” talk.
First, a photo mad4 with the Canon 7D at 3200 ISO. The 7D is a crop camera which is not very good at higher ISO values. And yet, 3200 ISO looks like this:
Fo comparison, here;s the Canon 1Dx, the top of the line camera, at the same setting of 3200 ISO:
Looks about the same, eh. Now let’s look at a small part of the photo at real pixel size (once you click and view it full size):
And the 1Dx at 3200 ISO:
Look at the meter and see the difference. Considerable.
But let’s look at a photo that is well lit instead of dark. First, using the 7D:
And the 1Dx:
And now the same small real pixel size (again, once you view at full size):
…and on the 1Dx:
As you see, a well lit picture does not show a lot of difference, or at least, not as clearly.
The moral: it’s not that big a deal: you can shoot at high ISO values and if the photo is well lit and you do not “pixel peep”, you’ll be just fine,. More so than you thought, I bet.