ISO is often also called ISO sensitivity, ISO level, or just photosensitivity of the matrix or film.
Still, what is ISO in the camera settings?
ISO- this is a parameter indicating the level sensitivity to light of its light-catching element(matrices or films). They mainly indicate ISO limits for cameras (photo cameras). Although, this same parameter can be found not only on the camera, but, for example, on the flash. For flash, a guide number is usually specified when using one of ISO 100 or 200. ISO sensitivity indicated in special ISO units. Self numeric expression ISO can take any integer expression from 1 to infinity. For example, my flash can set ISO from 1 (units) to 12,500, and my camera can set ISO from 200 to 1,600.
Less is better!
The higher the ISO value, the more light-sensitive the sensor. It is very important to understand that the higher the ISO value, the less time it takes for the sensor or film to scan the image from the lens. For clarity, I will give an example: we are shooting in the evening, there is little light, the camera is set to ISO 100, and the camera in priority (or in any other mode) shows that the picture will be taken at 1/20s. This is very long, and at the same time we can get a blurry frame. Because, to reduce shutter speed you need to increase the ISO. For example, we increased the ISO to 800, then it will decrease by 8 times and become 1/160s (one hundred and sixtieth of a second). If it were not for noise, then you could always shoot at high ISO and never worry about the shutter speed; due to noise, you need to lower the ISO and increase the shutter speed and, in addition, worry about not getting a blurry shot.
Raise, close, reduce!
Super high and super low ISO
Many cameras have extended ISO range- usually this is a software increase in ISO, and they are designated as Hi1, Hi2, etc. For example, for a camera HI1 is equivalent to ISO 3200, and on a camera HI1 is equivalent to ISO 6400. Always remember that when shooting at such extended ISO values almost always There will be a very strong picture noise effect. I strongly discourage shooting in the extended high ISO range on any camera. Also, the range can expand to a smaller extent, so the camera has values as equivalents for ISO 100, 160, 130. Read about the benefits of expanding to a low ISO range in my article ISO. Some cameras, in fact, do not have a hardware implementation of ISO, I came to this conclusion after conducting.
Which ISO should you choose your camera with?
When choosing a camera, always look at the minimum and maximum ISO values, and also remember that in 90% of cases you will not have to shoot at extremely high ISOs, since often they simply will not provide normal image quality. Because professional photographers have concept of working ISO. Working ISO refers to the maximum ISO value at which the camera can produce acceptable results. The trick is that, unlike and , which give completely identical values on all cameras, the same ISO on different cameras can give different meaning noisiness. Therefore, in one camera the working ISO will be 800, and in the other the working ISO will be 3200. For example, on a camera you can take pictures of acceptable quality at ISO 3200, while in ISO 3200 (Hi1) mode you no longer get a photograph, but complete nonsense. The difference in ISO noise is very noticeable on digital point-and-shoot cameras, where already at ISO 400 the digital noise is often very visible, but at the same time on SLR cameras ISO 400 is quite workable.
What affects noise at high ISOs?
The noise level at high ISO is greatly influenced by camera. The larger the matrix, the less noise. Considering that the matrix in compact cameras is very small, it produces a huge noise level. It can be explained very simply in terms of pixel size. A large sensor has large pixels that can absorb much more light and thus make a strong electrical signal. It is logical that 12MP from a point-and-shoot camera and 12MP from a camera will produce different levels of noise at high ISOs. More information in my article makes a difference.
How is ISO measured?
ISO as well as shutter speed and aperture are accepted count in one's footsteps, for example, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, etc. The difference between ISO 800 and ISO 400 is exactly two times or one stop, and between ISO 100 and ISO 1600 is exactly 16 times, or 4 stops. It’s very bad that cameras generally only allow you to change ISO by a stop. So, it is possible to manually set ISO only 200, 400, 800, 1600, HI1 and you cannot set intermediate values such as ISO 250, 320, 500, etc. On more advanced cameras you can set intermediate values, but still fine There is practically no ISO control in any camera. The most interesting thing is that in automatic mode ISO, ISO sensitivity can take any value, such as 110, 230, 1400, etc.
Auto ISO
Example of auto ISO operation
We decided to photograph the cat at home under dim lamp lighting. We have a 60mm lens, to avoid hand tremors, you need to shoot at a shutter speed no longer than 1/60, so we’ll set the maximum shutter speed in the automatic ISO parameters to 1/60, as well as the maximum allowable ISO 800 in order to get maximum image quality. When taking photographs, the camera will try to lower the ISO and adjust the shutter speed. If the shutter speed is shorter than 1/60 and the ISO is less than the minimum, then the camera will automatically lengthen the shutter speed and lower the ISO and will do this until it hits the specified limit of 1/60 of a second, in which case we will get the maximum allowable shutter speed and the minimum possible ISO for photographing a cat. If there is enough light, then the camera will set ISO 100 (or any minimum acceptable) and any desired shutter speed no longer than 1/60. If there is catastrophically little light, then the camera will set the highest possible ISO and forcibly increase the shutter speed for the correct one. Actually, I I strongly recommend experimenting with automatic ISO in priority mode, since the operation of automatic ISO is quite specific.
Little trick
When using auto ISO and flash, it is better to turn off auto ISO, as very often the camera goes crazy and where you can actually lower the ISO, the camera sets it to the maximum specified and takes a picture with flash. And in general, if you have a flash, then you can safely use the lowest available ISO.
Another little trick
On a number of digital SLR cameras in automatic ISO mode, you can set the maximum ISO in the menu, as well as the minimum. Sometimes, to set the minimum ISO, you just need to use the selector to set the desired ISO value, for example 800. And then, with a maximum set ISO of 1600, you get a working range of ISO 800-1600 at which the camera will work - a very, very useful thing.
The Golden Rule of ISO Settings
Always remember golden rule— you need to shoot at the lowest possible ISO. As soon as you have the opportunity to lower your ISO, do it. Raise ISO only when necessary, for example when the shutter speed at a low ISO is too slow for normal handheld shooting. To lower the ISO as low as possible, open the aperture as much as possible.. If there is a flash, do not use a high ISO. Although, sometimes you can shoot with flash at high ISO values (details).
Conclusions
Meaning ISO directly responsible for photosensitivity and noise level. The higher the ISO, the more noise and worse the photo. The lower ISO- those better photo, but also the longer the shutter speed.
Have a question? You can ask in the comments. Thank you for your attention. Arkady Shapoval.
In traditional photography, ISO, or ASA, was a measure of how sensitive the film was to light. This indicator was recorded in digital equivalent. Many may have seen these inscriptions on film packages - 100, 200, 400, 800, etc. How less number, the lower the film sensitivity and the larger the grain in the frame when shooting.
In digital photography, ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The same principles apply here - the lower the number, the less sensitive your camera is to light and the larger the grain.
Higher ISO settings are typically used when shooting in the dark to achieve faster shutter speeds. For example, when you want to shoot an indoor sports event in low light, it is recommended to set the ISO to the highest possible setting. However, the higher the ISO, the more noise there will be in the pictures.
Questions to Ask When Choosing an ISO
There are four questions to ask yourself when choosing your ISO setting:
Is this item well lit?
Do I want a grainy image or not?
Can I use a tripod?
Is your subject moving or standing still?
If your subject is well lit and you want to reduce grain as much as possible, you might want to use a tripod and a fixed lens. In this case, you need to set the ISO value to a fairly low value.
In the case when shooting takes place in a dark environment and there is no tripod at hand, and the subject is moving, it is worth increasing the ISO. This will allow you to take pictures at a faster speed and with good exposure. Of course, the trade-off of increasing ISO is noisier footage.
Situations where you may need to increase your ISO for better photos include:
Sports events where the subject is moving quickly and lighting may be limited.
Concerts that often take place in poor lighting. It is also prohibited to use flash on them.
Art galleries, churches, etc. Many galleries have a no-flash rule and of course these spaces are not very well lit.
Birthdays. When the birthday boy blows on the candles dark room, using flash may ruin the shot. Increasing the ISO helps capture this scene in great detail.
ISO is important aspect digital photography. It is important to have an idea about it if you want to get high-quality images. In the best way Finding out the ISO value for your camera means experimenting with different settings. This will help you understand how they affect the final image. It's worth finding out as much as possible about shutter speed and aperture, because they directly affect ISO.
Everyone has “stumbled across” a parameter such as ISO at least once in the menu of their camera. However, not everyone knows about it. Let's figure out what ISO is in a camera.
This parameter hides the camera's light sensitivity. The higher the value of this parameter, the higher the sensitivity, and a high value causes a lot of noise to appear in the photo. This is why experts recommend using a low ISO to get high-quality photos without noise. When shooting in low light without a tripod, increase this setting. If you also have the aperture fully open, you can increase the shutter speed, which will prevent the photo from being blurry. If we talk about what ISO is in a camera, then it should be noted that when shooting at night, you should still use a tripod, and also set the value of this parameter lower. When using flash, its high value will not be necessary.
It is worth noting that the amount of noise in a photograph at a high ISO value depends directly on the size of the matrix used in the camera. If these are compact cameras, then with ISO 800 you shouldn’t expect good result. Poor lighting will cause the photo to be completely blurred. In this case, the camera should be kept on a tripod, using a low setting value. When working with professional or semi-professional equipment, you can set its value four times higher, and the quality of the pictures will be simply amazing.
Speaking about what ISO is in a camera, it is worth remembering such a feature as Auto ISO. It can be noted that this function is quite capricious. If you use a point-and-shoot camera, then you should set ISO 100 and not bother. When using SLR camera you can limit Auto ISO within certain limits. For example, you set highest value at around 800, then the camera will be unable to raise it higher, even if it were advisable to do so.
If we talk about what ISO is, it is also worth noting that the values of this parameter can be quite varied. In modern cameras there are a number of values ranging from 50-204800. The amateur range usually ends at 1600, and for more advanced cameras it reaches 3200. Higher values have no meaning in everyday life; they can be useful for reportage shooting done on professional cameras.
If you use digital cameras, there are certain places where high ISO settings can come in handy. First of all, it should be said about events with active actions, rooms where flashes cannot be used for one reason or another, but the lighting in them is not of sufficient quality. When shooting a city at night, it is better to use a tripod, setting the photosensitivity to a high value, but not using a flash.
Now you know what ISO is in a camera.
ISO is the light sensitivity of your camera, or more precisely, the sensitivity to the perception of light by the camera matrix. That is, if ISO is 200, then less light will hit the matrix per unit of time than in the same time with a photosensitivity value of 3200. The higher the sensitivity of the matrix, the sharper pictures you can take, but you should not assume that sharper pictures it's always good. The higher the ISO you can set on your camera, the more extraneous noise appears in your pictures.Standard ISO values are: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200. And the noise that appears in photographs is multi-colored bright dots in photographs that are very different in color from their neighbors. Because of this noise, the photo looks like a photo taken with a 0.3 megapixel camera on a 2006 phone.
However, the ISO system was created for film cameras. In digital cameras, this parameter seems to correlate with the resulting exposure of the pictures on it and similar characteristics of the film camera. Therefore, this parameter on digital cameras has completely become known as “equivalent ISO sensitivity”. And it is expressed in film camera ISO units for the convenience of photographers.
How to use photosensitivity correctly
If you are photographing in a bright place, where enough light can reach the camera’s matrix in a short amount of time, then you should set the ISO to a low level. If the room is dark, or you are shooting late in the evening, then the photosensitivity value should be several times higher. However, it's always worth taking a few test shots and finding best solution.Don't forget that for shots at night it is important to open the aperture so that more light can enter the camera sensor. If you are working with a tripod and static objects, then it is better to set the minimum ISO, but increase the camera delay. If you want to reduce noise in your photos, you can also use a flash to add light to the photo.
Setting the photosensitivity also depends on the size of the matrix of your camera; if you have a fairly simple camera without interchangeable lenses, then the maximum value for you is ISO 800. If you set this parameter higher, then any photo will be filled with unnecessary noise. On SLR cameras, which have better shooting parameters, it is possible to use ISO 1600 and 3200.
In this photography tutorial, I will give you some tips on how to choose the right and best value ISO for landscape photography. Choosing ISO is an important and responsible task if you want to take truly high-quality photos, so take your ISO choice seriously before any photography.
Beginner's task
Selecting the ideal settings in different scenarios enough difficult task for the beginning photographer. We all started at some point and I certainly know your frustration when the images don't look as good as you'd like.
There are so many aspects to think about - composition, perspective, camera, whether filters are needed. What about shutter speed, aperture and ISO? Don't worry. All this is learned through experience, and it comes after trial and error, but soon it will be easier than ever for you!
Since my camera is mounted on a tripod, I could use a low setting for this image.ISO 80.
In this article I hope to make one of these questions a little clearer. Choosing the ideal ISO is critical to image quality and has a direct impact on both shutter speed and aperture.
Always use the lowest possible valueISO
I won't go into detail about how ISO works, but to simplify things, ISO determines the sensitivity of your camera's sensor to light. The higher the ISO value, the more sensitive the camera sensor is to light, while the lower the ISO value makes the sensor less sensitive to light.
Please note: this is a simplification for beginners. This concept is actually much more complex, but you don't need to understand all the science to use it correctly.ISO.
A higher ISO will work for you if you're aiming for a faster shutter speed, but it will also introduce a significant amount of "noise" or "grain" into the image. This is something to avoid and is why you will often hear that you should always use ISO100.
To achieve the highest possible exposure I could use hereISO 64.
While I agree that you should use ISO100 for most landscape shots, it is a mistake to think that you should only use this value. It took me several years before I realized that in landscape photography there is more than just one correct ISO. In fact, I was pretty much an ISO100-aholic, and other than night photography, I stuck to that setting only.
In subsequent years, I learned that this is not necessarily the only correct meaning.
First of all, you can't always use ISO 100. Here are a few scenarios where you might need to raise your ISO:
- handheld photography;
- when trying to freeze moving objects;
- when photographing at night.
ISO640 was the lowest valueISO, which I could use here to get a fast enough shutter speed and a sharp handheld image.
These are just some of the scenarios in which using ISO 100 may not be possible. However, there are other less discussed times when you need to increase your ISO:
- when adjusting shutter speed for ideal water movement/flow;
- if you need to freeze elements that move in the wind (for example, bushes, branches, etc.).
- when you use a telephoto lens while shooting handheld.
In other words, you should always aim to use the minimum ISO, but that doesn't always mean ISO 100 (even if that's the ideal value).
SettingsISO at night
I briefly mentioned that ISO 100 is not ideal for night photography. Let's look at this issue in more detail. Remember that when using a high ISO, the sensor is more sensitive to light. In other words, this means that you need to use a faster shutter speed to achieve the correct exposure when you set your ISO high.
There isn't as much light at night, which means you need more time to create a properly exposed image. However, simply setting the shutter speed to 30 seconds and leaving the ISO at 100 will still end up with an underexposed image.
I had to increaseISOup to 4000 to get a well-exposed shot of this night scene.
Instead, you need to sacrifice some of the image quality and raise the ISO. Exactly what value you'll need depends on the phase of the moon and how bright your scene is overall (for example, being near a city or other light source will affect the ISO value you choose).
The first steps in my night photography journey are to set the aperture and shutter speed that I will use. I then use my base night photography ISO of 1600.
However, as with ISO 100, it's not the only value you should use for night photography. ISO 1600 works as a starting point, and after a test shot I often make small adjustments. Most of the time you will use ISO 1200 to 3200 for night shooting(although the phase full moon or the northern lights may allow you to set ISO 800).
Setting the aperture orISO for shorter shutter speed
The hardest part about manual settings is knowing what settings to make in certain situations. Should you adjust ISO, aperture, or shutter speed? I remember this being one of my biggest disappointments when I switched to manual mode.
ISO 100 - f/10 - 0.4 seconds.
When running a landscape photography workshop, I often have participants make the settings they typically use before I help them. I often notice that many people shoot at f/22 and ISO100. However, when they need more short shutter speed, their first instinct is to increase the ISO.
Then I ask the question: “Do you really need an aperture of f/22? Will f/16, f/11 or f/8 give similar results? If so, then leave ISO alone."
Remember to always use the lowest ISO possible. In this case, the image will benefit from using a wider aperture in combination with a low ISO.
Let's summarize the choice of ISO
I hope I haven't confused you any more than I already did. Understanding ISO and choosing correct value– this is a little difficult, since there is not always only one right choice. However, what I hope you take away from this article is that you should aim to use the lowest ISO in every scenario.
For general daytime photography, I use ISO 64 to 400. The latter setting when I'm shooting handheld with a telephoto lens, which requires a faster shutter speed to maintain sharpness. For night photography, I usually use ISO between 1200 and 3200.
I usedISO400, photographing handheld with a 200 mm lens.
Most DSLR cameras are capable of producing low-noise images at ISO 400, but I recommend spending some time getting used to your camera and finding the ISO limit where noise is minimal.
So, as a final word, there is no one right ISO value for every scenario, but aim to use as low as possible.
