I have a question about photo theory. I'm not a photographer, but I have casual contact with digital cameras, and I've always been confused about what ISO means in the digital context.
My question is this: When I change the ISO, am I changing the information the camera collects, or am I just changing the way it processes information?
When I change the aperture setting, I'm clearly changing the information the camera collects -- I'm changing the pattern of light that hits the receptors. When I change the shutter speed, I'm again changing the information the camera collects -- I'm giving the receptors a different amount of time to aggregate the light that hits them.
When I change the ISO, however, I don't seem to be changing the information the camera collects in a real way; I seem to be changing only the way the camera processes the information reported by the receptors. Am I right about that, or am I missing something?
-TC
My question is this: When I change the ISO, am I changing the information the camera collects, or am I just changing the way it processes information?
When I change the aperture setting, I'm clearly changing the information the camera collects -- I'm changing the pattern of light that hits the receptors. When I change the shutter speed, I'm again changing the information the camera collects -- I'm giving the receptors a different amount of time to aggregate the light that hits them.
When I change the ISO, however, I don't seem to be changing the information the camera collects in a real way; I seem to be changing only the way the camera processes the information reported by the receptors. Am I right about that, or am I missing something?
-TC