So you saying the reason the clipping looks so unattractive etc is because I used iso L (which is 50 on my 5d mark 2 correct?)
The shots you have posted were horrendeously overexplosed. Shooting with ISO 100 reduces the exposure by one stop (if you use the camera's metering). I have no way to say, if the shot was overexposed only by one stop - it is possible, that even the one stop reduction will not be enough and you have to apply a negative bias.
Why would canon have put this option in if it does this?
For those, who believe that they need it, no matter how. For example those shooting water falls want to increase the shutter time, no matter at what cost. Now, you can increase it by a +1 EV exposure bias, or by manual exposure, but if you are recording JPEG, the result will be too bright. USing ISO 50 instructs the camera to adjust the data before generating the JPEG. The same is happening with the raw converters: they do apply a -1 EV "Exposure" (with LR/ACR) or "Brightness" (with DPP) correction, thereby making up for the extra high exposure - but that can not help with clipping in the raw data.
Are you saying that if I shot iso 100 - then this problem I am referring to would not have occurred?
It would have been one stop less; perhaps that would have been enough to prevent clipping, and most probably it would have been enough to prevent leaving, which occured, if I see it right.
And finally to clarify things if I shot at iso 125 for example would that mean I would get the same result as iso 50 (the problem im currently experiencing?)
No;
- ISO 125 would have dictated an exposure 4/3 EV lower than what it was required with ISO 50,
- the shot would have been made with ISO 100,
- the resulting data would have been increased before recording the raw data, possibly causing a clipping by 1/3 EV.