topic EOS R7 ISO too high in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

EOS R7 ISO too high

Melsmagic — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 13:48:58 GMT

I always get a really high iso when shooting say wildlife. I have canon r7, 100-500. Manual settings , use shutter of around 1000. Auto iso. F7 or so.

it often 16000 -20000 . Bright day but maybe not in sunlight. If I change iso to manual low, I can’t get a fast shutter setting.?

shoot raw, so always have to process and get noise out/sharpen etc.

is that normal? Or what settings should I be on?

Re: High iso, canon r7 100-500

SignifDigits — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 12:14:39 GMT

I do not have an R7, but it sounds potentially normal, and that the camera is making correct choices. I assume you are using the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM and I am guessing your lens is perhaps the in the f/6 to f/7 range and shooting handheld . It's worth checking that IBIS enabled on your camera and lens.

For you camera check to ensure that it's enabled and not only enabled for one-shot in Camera menu 8 see - https://cam.start.canon/hy/C005/manual/html/UG-04_Shooting-1_0370.html

Are you shooting in servo mode instead of one-shot? For your lens make sure Stablizer is on. Is it in mode 1 and/or are you using another mode more suitable for your wildlife or are they moving where mode 2 or 3 might be more appropriate?

What are you autofocus settings? Not sure that these apply here, but seems worth checking, just in case.

And when you say "manual mode" you mean you're setting ISO to automatic and choosing shutter and aperture, I assume? What is your aperture setting when you shoot at 1/1000th? It sounds like you've tried choosing a lower fixed ISO and perhaps shot with aperture priority to see how the shutter varies?

And are you satisfied with the quality of the photos and just wanting lower ISO so that you will have less noise?

Thanks for asking. Sorry to ask so many questions, but giving us a bit more information might help us help you a bit more.

Re: High iso, canon r7 100-500

shadowsports — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 13:15:13 GMT

Greetings,

While we evaluate your post, please use the Save / Load to card menu option to save your existing camera settings.

Then, perform a reset of the camera's main and custom settings.

Now, without making changes except for setting the date, time and RAW image format, retest under similar shooting conditions. Set camera to "M" manual mode, set shutter to 1/1000 and set the aperture to f7. What are the results?

High ISO amplification is possible depending on the shooting conditions, but we'd like to rule out an erroneous setting to be thorough.

Re: EOS R7 ISO too high

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 13:54:45 GMT

Compare with the sunny 16 rule (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_16_rule)
Set shutterspeed to 1/100, aperture f/16 and ISO 100, you should have a well exposed photo. If not there may be a problem.

Also, bright day, not in sunlight. When(summer/winter) and where(equator or pole) makes a big difference, maybe there's just not enough light to get a lower ISO.

Re: EOS R7 ISO too high

Waddizzle — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 14:32:59 GMT

Based upon the limited information provided, I would say that this is most likely normal. As noted above, the best exposure settings are based on shooting conditions. You would have the same exposure settings with almost any camera capable of such high ISO ranges.

To help us better understand your issue, is it possible for you to share an example RAWfile on a public file sharing platform. I want to see other settings, AF points, metering mode, etc.

Thanks, in advance.

Re: EOS R7 ISO too high

Melsmagic — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 15:12:02 GMT

I need to have a play and test but I think there’s def something wrong or settings.

I use to have the 7d mark ii last, photography wise looking back on my laptop, it was always low iso around 500ish, pictures fine.

now with r7 sunny condition iso was above 1000,

(just checked my summer bird photos and settings seems ok) it’s just recently iso is far too high…10000-20000?

Re: EOS R7 ISO too high

deebatman316 — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 15:47:22 GMT

Were you shooting at F/7.1 or a smaller aperture with your last camera. What lens were you using. It was an EF lens with a wider aperture. Not an RF lens with a smaller aperture.