Do you always shoot in ISO 100?

[manaheim]

I shoot in the lowest native ISO I can get away with. That said, these days it's pretty hard to tell the diff between ISO 100 and 400 (on newer cameras, anyway).

In big rooms where I need to bounce a flash off a high ceiling, I'll crank the ISO up to 400-800 without batting an eye.

If you use flash a lot... get an external rechargeable battery. Best money you can spend.

 

[limr]

2nd gear is fun until the torque drops off

I do like 100 ISO, but looking in my fridge, it appears that all the film I have at the moment is either 200 or 400, excluding a few rolls of Pan F 50, which I love, and 2 rolls of Delta 3200, which I haven't tried yet because I'm oddly nervous about it.

I actually took a few shots with my boyfriend's Pentax K5 and it didn't even occur to me to change the ISO. This whole discussion is quite foreign to me, but still kinda interesting.

Overread's third point makes sense - maybe it's a suggestion to help keep students from being overwhelmed by too many options, because that can actually be quite crippling, and not just in photography. It seems to me similar to having students stick to one focal length at first, or how Photography 101 classes that still teach film have students only use black and white film (and usually only Tri-X). Limit the variables at first, and then add more options.

Of course, if it's just one pro telling others that it's the best way, the ONLY way, because that's what works for him...well then that's just silly.

 

[iLOVEhatephoto.com]

Hey I do a lot of night photography and am often tempted to shoot ISO 100 however i blow out some of the bright city lights. I don't know where to find a happy medium. What do you all do in a situation like this?

 

[Gary A.]

I rarely use flash and I shoot a lot of low light situations. I don't flinch shooting at 6400 ... well maybe I'll think twice for 6400 ... but when necessary I'll dial it in.

 

[iLOVEhatephoto.com]

I rarely use flash and I shoot a lot of low light situations. I don't flinch shooting at 6400 ... well maybe I'll think twice for 6400 ... but when necessary I'll dial it in.

That's pretty impressive. I feel I need to use my tripod when I shot 1/20 sec or lower or else I have way too much movement. Kudos to your for having such a steady hand

 

[unpopular]

Concerning noise, ISO will not actually change the sensitivity of the sensor, rather, it will apply analog gain the chip. So, your sensor, unlike film, remains at a constant sensitivity regardless of ISO setting. This is important, because every sensor has an native ISO where the gain is going to be neutral. Attenuation of the sensor actually will impact dynamic range, esp in the hilights. While it is true that the shutter is open longer at lower than native ISO, I'm not really sure that noise quality improves enough to justify it. Furthermore, in some cases the thermal noise might be problematic more at ISO 100 than the shorter exposure at the native ISO.

So in my opinion, the only time to shoot at lower than native ISO is to increase DOF. Still, I think it's probably better to use an ND.

 

[iLOVEhatephoto.com]

Concerning noise, ISO will not actually change the sensitivity of the sensor, rather, it will apply analog gain the chip. So, your sensor, unlike film, remains at a constant sensitivity regardless of ISO setting. This is important, because every sensor has an native ISO where the gain is going to be neutral. Attenuation of the sensor actually will impact dynamic range, esp in the hilights. While it is true that the shutter is open longer at lower than native ISO, I'm not really sure that noise quality improves enough to justify it. Furthermore, in some cases the thermal noise might be problematic more at ISO 100 than the shorter exposure at the native ISO.

So in my opinion, the only time to shoot at lower than native ISO is to increase DOF. Still, I think it's probably better to use an ND.

Yeah the noise really gets to me. I'm going to try that. Wish I could try to duplicate this shot again and try it the way you are suggesting. Do you think a better lens that could produce a sharper image would make any difference? Because sometimes I tend to blame it on the lens I am currently shooting with.

 

[unpopular]

As for shooting at the lowest possible ISO, I think it's sound advice in general. But always shooting at ISO 100 (or any given ISO) is kind of silly. Obviously you don't want to shoot a non-moving subject at ISO 1600 at 1/4000 when you could just as easily do it at ISO 200 at 1/500.

Shooting at the lowest ISO possible, i.e. the bottom of the setting list is a not a good idea period, and may actually do more harm (as I noted above).

That said, I typically shoot at ISO 200, this is changing now that I an XE1, but regardless, I still keep the ISO as low as possible while still able to get the results I want. I also tend to shoot around f/8 and wider (typically f/4-5.6), so that makes things a bit easier.

 

[NedM]

I set my aperture, then shutter speed, then lastly my ISO. Although, my aperture usually stays constant, I'm always fiddling between my shutter and ISO.

 

[bratkinson]

I agree with Derrel 100% - I, too, like driving my car in 2nd gear regardless of where I go!

I think the last time I shot at ISO 100 (ASA 100) was some Ektachrome 100 I had about 1980, give or take. When Ektachrome 200 came out, I made the switch and shot that for the rest of my film days.

These days, ISO 1600-2400 for daylight and 2400-12000 for inside or after dark are my most often used ISO speeds. If I have an issue with noise, I have several post processing options to clear it up amazingly well!

 

[iLOVEhatephoto.com]

As for shooting at the lowest possible ISO, I think it's sound advice in general. But always shooting at ISO 100 (or any given ISO) is kind of silly. Obviously you don't want to shoot a non-moving subject at ISO 1600 at 1/4000 when you could just as easily do it at ISO 200 at 1/500.

Shooting at the lowest ISO possible, i.e. the bottom of the setting list is a not a good idea period, and may actually do more harm (as I noted above).

That said, I typically shoot at ISO 200, this is changing now that I an XE1, but regardless, I still keep the ISO as low as possible while still able to get the results I want. I also tend to shoot around f/8 and wider (typically f/4-5.6), so that makes things a bit easier.

 

[iLOVEhatephoto.com]

I agree with Derrel 100% - I, too, like driving my car in 2nd gear regardless of where I go!

I think the last time I shot at ISO 100 (ASA 100) was some Ektachrome 100 I had about 1980, give or take. When Ektachrome 200 came out, I made the switch and shot that for the rest of my film days.

These days, ISO 1600-2400 for daylight and 2400-12000 for inside or after dark are my most often used ISO speeds. If I have an issue with noise, I have several post processing options to clear it up amazingly well!

I always try to leave my shutter open as long as possible to keep my ISO low during nighttime shots. Without washing out the image of course.

Do you mind sharing what post processing options you typically use? I want to start to learn more about what works best for people and the steps they take to achieve the best end result.

 

[iLOVEhatephoto.com]

I set my aperture, then shutter speed, then lastly my ISO. Although, my aperture usually stays constant, I'm always fiddling between my shutter and ISO.

That's generally what I do too and then take a test shot and see where my settings need to be adjusted.

 

[iLOVEhatephoto.com]

I agree with Derrel 100% - I, too, like driving my car in 2nd gear regardless of where I go!

I think the last time I shot at ISO 100 (ASA 100) was some Ektachrome 100 I had about 1980, give or take. When Ektachrome 200 came out, I made the switch and shot that for the rest of my film days.

These days, ISO 1600-2400 for daylight and 2400-12000 for inside or after dark are my most often used ISO speeds. If I have an issue with noise, I have several post processing options to clear it up amazingly well!

2nd gear is fun until the torque drops off

I do like 100 ISO, but looking in my fridge, it appears that all the film I have at the moment is either 200 or 400, excluding a few rolls of Pan F 50, which I love, and 2 rolls of Delta 3200, which I haven't tried yet because I'm oddly nervous about it.

I actually took a few shots with my boyfriend's Pentax K5 and it didn't even occur to me to change the ISO. This whole discussion is quite foreign to me, but still kinda interesting.

Overread's third point makes sense - maybe it's a suggestion to help keep students from being overwhelmed by too many options, because that can actually be quite crippling, and not just in photography. It seems to me similar to having students stick to one focal length at first, or how Photography 101 classes that still teach film have students only use black and white film (and usually only Tri-X). Limit the variables at first, and then add more options.

Of course, if it's just one pro telling others that it's the best way, the ONLY way, because that's what works for him...well then that's just silly.

That's really interesting. I think that shooting with film is a great way to fully understand your settings and how to achieve our vision correctly. I think I get spoiled sometimes when shooting digital.

It took me a long time to get where I am today and through a lot of trial and error, and seeking help and advice from other more advanced photographers.

It's always great to hear other peoples suggestions and try to attack the issue in different ways. Thanks for your input

 

[iLOVEhatephoto.com]

I agree with Derrel 100% - I, too, like driving my car in 2nd gear regardless of where I go!

I think the last time I shot at ISO 100 (ASA 100) was some Ektachrome 100 I had about 1980, give or take. When Ektachrome 200 came out, I made the switch and shot that for the rest of my film days.

These days, ISO 1600-2400 for daylight and 2400-12000 for inside or after dark are my most often used ISO speeds. If I have an issue with noise, I have several post processing options to clear it up amazingly well!

I al

I shoot in the lowest native ISO I can get away with. That said, these days it's pretty hard to tell the diff between ISO 100 and 400 (on newer cameras, anyway).

In big rooms where I need to bounce a flash off a high ceiling, I'll crank the ISO up to 400-800 without batting an eye.

If you use flash a lot... get an external rechargeable battery. Best money you can spend.

Believe it or not I don't own a flash. Besides the one on top of my camera. It completely scares me at the present time. I really want to learn and understand lighting better so I am able to expand my creativity and learn new techniques. I get comfortable in my level and forget there is so much more to learn.