Count the zeros: Sony A77's 16,000 ISO (just sayin')

Count the zeros: 16,000 ISO (just sayin')

You want real-life pictures of really high ISO photos from Sony's new A77? You have read that the details get lost when you get to 6400 ISO? Here are some pictures I took last week at 11:30 p.m. waiting for the last streetcar to take me home. Here is a series starting at 1600 ISO and going up to 16,000!

A77, Minolta f4-4.5/28-135 at 28mm, 1600 ISO, 1/15 sec., f5.6

A77, Minolta f4-4.5/28-135 at 28mm, 6400 ISO, 1/30 sec., f5.6

The advantages of lower ISO speeds are counteracted by the required slow shutter speeds, especially if motion is involved.

A77, Minolta f4-4.5/28-135 at 28mm, 6400 ISO, 1/60 sec., f5.6

A77, Minolta f4-4.5/28-135 at 28mm, 12,800 ISO, 1/125 sec., f5.6

A77, Minolta f4-4.5/28-135 at 28mm, 16,000 ISO, 1/160 sec., f5.6

I can clearly read the letters of the next arrivals and even the house number of the building 100 yards away. Here's a 100% crop:

A77, Minolta f4-4.5/28-135 at 28mm, 16,000 ISO, 1/160 sec., f5.6
100% crop

Yes, there is noise but there is also detail. And I didn't even post-process these pictures as much as I could have. I just wanted to show you that this camera can take decent pictures in very low light. How about yours? What do you do if you need/want to take pictures in the dark?