ISO

[julie32]

Still learning the basics. Can someone please explain to me how ISO works on a digital camera.

thanks in advance,
julie

 

[WDodd]

ISO is the digital equivalent of film speed. Someone else can tell you how it relates more thats beyond me. But at higher ISO speeds you will start to see more digital noise in your pictures. Depending on the camera make and model noise will start to appear at different places ISO 800, 1600, 3200 etc.

Just a quick tip, I try to use the lowest ISO that my camera will support at all times (ISO 100). Of course light won't always allow this so when I can't achieve the effect I need by adjusting aperture and shutter speed ISO comes next.

Hope that helps.

 

[Digital Matt]

ISO (International Standards Organization) is a standard by which a film's (or sensor's) sensitivity to light is measured.

 

[julie32]

Matt, I checked our your website and your work is incredibly beautiful...

 

[Digital Matt]

Matt, I checked our your website and your work is incredibly beautiful...

Thank you , but that's beside the point. Do the explanations of ISO make sense to you now?

 

[sabbath999]

Thank you , but that's beside the point. Do the explanations of ISO make sense to you now?

Respectfully, beautiful pictures are NEVER beside the point... and yours are beautiful

 

[Mufasa]

ISO like said before is the digital form of film speed. Higher ISO values allow you too shoot in less light because they make the sensor asorb light quicker. This seems nice but this comes with a downfall. Although all camera are different in terms of specific reaction to it, all cameras have a decrease in quality when you put up the ISO.

The first bad thing which results is digital noise (or simulated film grain on Sony's i find). If you shoot one pic on ISO100 and another on ISO1600 the later will have a ver textured look.

The second bad thing is that high ISO's rob you of color. i find usually red's and brown's are where i loose out. If you are the kind of person who likes saturated colors then dont use high ISO's

Now the good things. On most lower end cameras the ISO goes 100,200,400,800,1600, and sometimes 3200 (there are other values but for simplicity we will stick to these). Each one gives you 1 more stop than the last which means that 200 takes in twice the light of 100 and so on. If you need that extra depth of feild then you could bump u you ISO so you could go from f/5.6 to f/8.0.

For a long time i shot only on high ISO's but when i spent a day shooting 100 i learned how much better things look in lower ISO's

 

[julie32]

Mufasa, thank you. Very very good explanations. It's exactly what I wanted to understand.
Everyone, thanks a lot.

 

[chuckles]

How then, does ISO relate and translate to the film ASA number? If you are using an older light meter if you set the ASA to match the ISO setting on your camera is it the same? Close or no cigar? New light meters are ISO enabled but my old Luna-Pro F?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Digital Matt]

Thank you Sabbath. I just wanted to keep the discussion on topic

ISO and ASA are the same thing, and digital cameras are calibrated to reach the same sensitivity at different ISOs as the film they are emulating.

 

[WDodd]

Mufasa had a great explanation! I would recommend to go out and play with your camera on manual and change the ISO and the aperture/shutter speed and take a peek at the difference.

 

[ann]

ISO =ASA

they just changed the name from american standards to international

 

[julie32]

Sabbath,
I LOVE your work. I just book marked it as a favorite!
thank you!