ISO is one of the three factors that determine exposure, along with aperture and shutter speed. In order to get the best quality from your photos, you need to know how each of the three settings contribute. Read this tutorial to gain more in-depth knowledge on how to use your camera properly and start taking professional photos.
Step 1 - What is ISO?
ISO (International Standards Organization) determines the sensitivity of the sensor in your camera, which in turn affects the exposure of your photos. The ISO scale usually starts at 100, and each next value doubles up to the limit of the camera's capabilities: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600… The start and end points of the range depend on the camera you are using. Majority modern cameras They also have intermediate ISO values \u200b\u200bthat are equal to 1/3 steps.
The International Organization for Standardization is responsible for widely used standards in various fields, but everything you need to know about ISO as a sensitivity parameter is listed below.
Step 2 - How does ISO affect exposure?
ISO is one of the three parameters that affect exposure, along with shutter speed and aperture. Aperture is determined by the lens, shutter speed by exposure time, and ISO by the properties of the sensor. To be more precise, ISO determines how the exposure of a photo changes when the sensitivity of the sensor changes.
The ISO scale is similar to shutter speed in that when the ISO is changed by a factor of two, the exposure also changes by a stop, and they are proportional to each other. Decreasing ISO corresponds to low exposure, increasing it will give more strong impact light, the exposure will increase. Much easier than aperture. The following is 6 photos for different meanings ISO: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200. Aperture and shutter speed remain constant on all photos, only ISO changes. So you can see the effect of this setting on the photo. the ideal exposure is shown in the fourth photo, where ISO is 800.
As you can see, each setting affects exposure independently. But there are some consequences of using high ISO values.
Step 3 - How does ISO affect photo quality?
As a general rule, the lower the ISO, the higher the image quality. By doubling the ISO, you are essentially doubling the exposure, and doubling the digital noise as well. This noise reduces the detail in the photo, making the image grainy and uneven.
Low ISO = High Quality
To better show how ISO affects image quality, I took another series of photos, which is shown below. For the purposes of this experiment, I changed not only the ISO, but also the shutter speed and aperture so that the exposure remained constant, as a result it was easier to compare the quality of photos. Photos are displayed in the following order: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
As you can see, the higher the ISO, the stronger the noise, the more it spoils the picture. Exist special programs. that remove noise. They can correct the situation, but at the cost of some reduction in detail and smoothing out small details that mix with noise. This is clearly shown in the picture below (section of the image at 100% scale). Therefore, use noise reduction plugins with caution.
Cameras with big size the sensor is better because the sensor receives more light. But technology is improving and the difference between sensor size and noise is shrinking, especially when compared to cameras from years past.
Every camera is different, so I suggest you shoot with your camera in low light to determine what maximum ISO you can use without sacrificing too much quality. Increasing the exposure during processing has the same effect as increasing the ISO, that is, it increases the noise, so make sure that you set the exposure when shooting correctly, without underexposure. In this way, you will avoid increasing the noise during processing.
Now that you know how ISO works, let's take a look at various situations practical application.
Step 4 - Which ISO and when to use.
ISO 100: Your photos will be of the best quality. Excellent for shooting in daylight as there is no need to increase the ISO. Shooting at 1600 in bright conditions is a waste of time as the photos will be noisy.
ISO 200 - 400: For slightly less lighting, such as in the shade or indoors if it is brightly lit
ISO 400 - 800: I use this range when shooting indoors with flash as it allows the background to come out better.
ISO 800-1600: Reportage and event photographers often have no choice but to use this range, as live events often take place in low light conditions and flash is either not possible or prohibited.
ISO 1600-3200: Again, event photographers use this range for concerts and also in low light conditions where using a tripod is difficult. This range is the highest on my camera, but I rarely use it as I'm not a fan of digital noise.
ISO 3200+: This range is reserved for extreme low light, but is very noisy and the image is too grainy.
Translator's note: modern models of professional cameras give quite acceptable quality for reportage shooting at much higher ISOs, for example, the Nikon D3S camera is capable of shooting with ISO 102400
In traditional photography, ISO, or ASA, was a measure of how sensitive a film was to light. This indicator was recorded in digital terms. Many could see these inscriptions on packages with films - 100, 200, 400, 800, etc. The lower the number, the lower the film speed and the more grain in the frame when shooting.
In digital photography, ISO measures the sensitivity of an image sensor. The same principles apply here - the lower the number, the less sensitive your camera is to light and the more grain.
Higher ISO values are generally used when shooting in the dark to get faster shutter speeds. For example, when you want to take sports competition indoors in poor lighting, it is recommended to set the ISO value to the highest possible. However, the higher the ISO, the more noise will be in the pictures.
Questions to ask when choosing an ISO
There are four questions to ask yourself when choosing an ISO setting:
Is this item well lit?
Do I want to get a grainy image or not?
Can I use a tripod?
Is the subject moving or standing still?
If the subject is well lit and you want to reduce grain as much as possible, use a tripod and a fixed lens. At the same time, it is necessary to put enough low value ISO.
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 the ISO will be noisier footage.
Situations where you may need to increase the ISO for more quality pictures include:
Sports events where the subject is moving quickly and lighting conditions may be limited.
Concerts that often take place in poor lighting conditions. They are also prohibited from using flash.
Art galleries, churches, etc. Many galleries have a rule against the use of flash and of course these spaces are not very well lit.
Birthdays. When a birthday person blows on candles in a dark room, using a flash can 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 pictures. in the best way Finding out the ISO values for your camera is to experiment with different settings. This will help you understand how they affect the final image. It's worth finding out as much as you can about shutter speed and aperture, as they directly affect ISO.
Along with shutter speed and aperture, light sensitivity, or ISO value, can be safely called one of the most important parameters of the most important setting of any camera - exposure. If you have already decided to master photography for real, you want to get really good photographs worthy of the attention of other people, then you just need to deal with each of the “members” of this “troika” that affects the quality of a photographic picture. You will need to learn how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO (or ISO value) affect the properties of the photo you end up with in all your work.
We will not talk about shutter speed and aperture today. Let's talk about sensitivity. It is very important. Believe me, photography is simply nowhere without it.
So, four steps to understanding ISO, or what ISO is.
Step one. ISO - what is it?
In short, ISO is a parameter that controls the sensitivity of the matrix of any camera. Simply put, ISO, which is indicated in numerical terms, is a characteristic of the ability of the sensor of any of the modern digital cameras to perceive the flow of light. The ISO jackal is standard, and is numerical value this most important parameter. It starts with a value of 100 ISO units. Each subsequent value increases exactly twice. 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and so on. different models cameras may have different limits of ISO values. But, it is worth saying that many modern cameras, in addition to the main ones, base values also have intermediate ones.
And the name ISO itself is an abbreviation for the International Standards Organization. Translated - International Standards Organization. This organization is responsible for great amount various ISO standards in a wide variety of industries. In photography, this is the standard for the sensitivity of the camera's matrix.
Step two. How does ISO affect exposure?
As we said today at the very beginning of this article, ISO sensitivity, along with aperture and shutter speed, is a very important parameter that affects the most important setting when shooting with any camera - exposure. Shutter speed is the shutter speed of the camera, aperture is the diameter of the hole in the lens through which light enters the matrix and creates an image on it, and ISO is a property of the photosensitive element of the camera. In the past, before the advent of digital photography, photographs were taken on film. The light sensitivity of the film was unchanged. Today, the sensitivity of the matrix digital camera can be easily adjusted. Simply put, ISO determines how well a frame will be exposed when shooting, subject to a change in the light sensitivity of the camera's matrix.
The ISO numeric value and the shutter speed (shutter speed) numeric value are proportional to each other. When changing each of these two parameters, their value changes twice in one direction or another, that is, by one step. That's why the value of the ISO scale is very similar to the values on the shutter speed scale. Decreasing ISO reduces exposure. This is due to the fact that the impact of the light stream on the camera sensor is reduced. If we change the ISO value in the direction of its increase, then the effect of the light flux on the matrix, respectively, will increase, and, therefore, the exposure will also increase.
To make it easier for you to understand all this, carefully study these photos. In each of these six shots, the aperture and shutter speed are the same, but the ISO value is different each time, namely: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 units. These photos illustrate very well how light sensitivity affects the final result, that is, the picture you get. It seems to us that photograph No. 4 is almost perfect in terms of exposure. It was made with ISO 800 sensitivity.
You have probably noticed how each of these three parameters - shutter speed, aperture and ISO - in their own way affect the exposure as a whole, and how important it is right choice photosensitivity.
Step three. How ISO Value Affects Photographic Image Quality
It is important for every photographer, especially beginners, to remember one thing. important rule. It sounds like this: the lower the ISO value of the matrix, the higher the quality of the photograph, and, accordingly, the higher the ISO value, the lower the quality of the photographs. If you raise the sensitivity, with each step you increase the exposure. With each new value exactly twice. We have already talked about this today. And with increasing exposure, the so-called digital noise also increases to a large extent. The more significant the digital noise, the worse the detail of the photographic image, the higher its graininess and visible unevenness. Thus, we came to a simple conclusion: the lower the ISO value, the better quality received photo.
To make it easier for you to understand what we just said, take a look at these photos. This time, when shooting, we changed all three parameters that affect the exposure: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. For all that, our exposure has always remained constant. In our examples, the ISO values were: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 units.
These photographs clearly show how, with increasing light sensitivity, digital noise, which is almost invisible in the first picture, becomes more and more noticeable with each step.
In order to get rid of digital noise, there are special noise reduction programs. Some of them do their job just fine. However, these programs also have their drawbacks. They are expressed primarily in the fact that they reduce the detail of the photographic image, smooth out small details in the picture. Take a look at these two pictures. They perfectly illustrate the quality of work of such programs. That is why we recommend using them very carefully and moderately, given your ultimate goal, that is, considering why you are creating this or that picture.
A larger sensor copes with digital noise much better, since much more light hits such a matrix. But these days modern technologies are developing rapidly, so the difference in this regard between large and small sensors has been greatly reduced.
Each camera is unique. That is why the digital noises created by her can be called in some way “her fingerprints”. That's why we encourage you to experiment with shooting with your camera in different lighting conditions, and especially when shooting in low light conditions. This will enable you to find out which maximum value sensitivity is more suitable for your particular camera. Pay attention to the fact that during the post-processing of an image on a computer in various graphic editors overexposure allows you to get exactly the same effect as high photosensitivity, namely, digital noise increases. That is why in the course of your experiments you will be convinced of the abilities of your camera, and learn how to set the exposure correctly. All this will give you the opportunity to avoid too noticeable digital noise in your photos.
Step four. In what cases, what sensitivity settings to use
ISO 100-200 units. With this value of ISO, the photographic image retains the most details, and therefore will have the best quality. ISO 100-200 units is the best suited for shooting in natural sunlight. Under such shooting conditions, there is simply no need for a higher ISO value at all. Well, let's say if you shoot at a ISO of 1600 on a bright and sunny day when there is not a single cloud in the sky, you will get a very grainy and "noisy" image.
ISO 200-400 units. This value of sensitivity will be well used when shooting in conditions where the lighting is sufficient, but not very bright and strong. Well, for example, when photographing outdoors in the shade, or inside a well-lit room.
ISO 400-800 units. So good to work if you shoot indoors and with flash. In this case, you can easily adjust the constant exposure, which will give you the opportunity to get a well-developed background in your photos.
ISO 800-1600 units. In this range of sensitivity work mainly reportage photographers. After all, it is they who most often have to shoot in low and poor lighting conditions, or where for some reason it is not allowed to take pictures with a flash or it is simply impossible to use it. There is simply no other way to work - there is only one: increasing photosensitivity.
ISO 1600-3200 units. And this value of ISO is most suitable for reportage photographers. With such parameters, it is good to photograph, for example, concerts that take place on the street, or shoot in conditions of very poor lighting and the inability to mount the camera on a tripod. In many cameras, ISO 3200 is the highest value for ISO. But even so, most of the photographers use it only in exceptional cases. Agree, few people like too “noisy” photos. Of course, if digital noise does not carry its own role, its semantic load in the entire style of photography, if it is not created by the author intentionally to express one or another of his ideas, ideas.
ISO above 3200. This sensitivity is used in even rarer cases when shooting at almost minimum quantity Sveta. Well, or they create some kind of creative, special photographs, photographs with unusual creative effects. At this ISO setting, even the most expensive professional full-frame cameras produce images with very noticeable digital noise.
ISO is one of the three factors that determine exposure, along with aperture and shutter speed. In order to get the best quality from your photos, you need to know how each of the three settings contribute. Read this tutorial to gain more in-depth knowledge on how to use your camera properly and start taking professional photos.
Step 1 - What is ISO?
ISO (International Standards Organization) determines the sensitivity of the sensor in your camera, which in turn affects the exposure of your photos. The ISO scale usually starts at 100, and each next value doubles up to the limit of the camera's capabilities: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600… The start and end points of the range depend on the camera you are using. Most modern cameras also have intermediate ISO values of 1/3 steps.
The International Organization for Standardization is responsible for widely used standards in various fields, but everything you need to know about ISO as a sensitivity parameter is listed below.
Step 2 - How does ISO affect exposure?
ISO is one of the three parameters that affect exposure, along with shutter speed and aperture. Aperture is determined by the lens, shutter speed by exposure time, and ISO by the properties of the sensor. To be more precise, ISO determines how the exposure of a photo changes when the sensitivity of the sensor changes.
The ISO scale is similar to shutter speed in that when the ISO is changed by a factor of two, the exposure also changes by a stop, and they are proportional to each other. Reducing the ISO corresponds to a low exposure, increasing it will give a stronger exposure to light, the exposure will increase. Much easier than aperture. Below are 6 photos for different ISO values: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200. Aperture and shutter speed remain constant on all photos, only ISO changes. So you can see the effect of this setting on the photo. the ideal exposure is shown in the fourth photo, where ISO is 800.
As you can see, each setting affects exposure independently. But there are some consequences of using high ISO values.
Step 3 - How does ISO affect photo quality?
As a general rule, the lower the ISO, the higher the image quality. By doubling the ISO, you are essentially doubling the exposure, and doubling the digital noise as well. This noise reduces the detail in the photo, making the image grainy and uneven.
Low ISO = High Quality
To better show how ISO affects image quality, I took another series of photos, which is shown below. For the purposes of this experiment, I changed not only the ISO, but also the shutter speed and aperture so that the exposure remained constant, as a result it was easier to compare the quality of photos. Photos are displayed in the following order: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
As you can see, the higher the ISO, the stronger the noise, the more it spoils the picture. There are special programs. that remove noise. They can correct the situation, but at the cost of some reduction in detail and smoothing out small details that mix with noise. This is clearly shown in the picture below (section of the image at 100% scale). Therefore, use noise reduction plugins with caution.
Cameras with larger sensor sizes are better because the sensor receives more light. But technology is improving and the difference between sensor size and noise is shrinking, especially when compared to cameras from years past.
Every camera is different, so I suggest you shoot with your camera in low light to determine what maximum ISO you can use without sacrificing too much quality. Increasing the exposure during processing has the same effect as increasing the ISO, that is, it increases the noise, so make sure that you set the exposure when shooting correctly, without underexposure. In this way, you will avoid increasing the noise during processing.
Now that you know how ISO works, let's take a look at various practical use cases.
Step 4 - Which ISO and when to use.
ISO 100: Your photos will be of the best quality. Excellent for shooting in daylight as there is no need to increase the ISO. Shooting at 1600 in bright conditions is a waste of time as the photos will be noisy.
ISO 200 - 400: For slightly less lighting, such as in the shade or indoors if it is brightly lit
ISO 400 - 800: I use this range when shooting indoors with flash as it allows the background to come out better.
ISO 800-1600: Reportage and event photographers often have no choice but to use this range, as live events often take place in low light conditions and flash is either not possible or prohibited.
ISO 1600-3200: Again, event photographers use this range for concerts and also in low light conditions where using a tripod is difficult. This range is the highest on my camera, but I rarely use it as I'm not a fan of digital noise.
ISO 3200+: This range is reserved for extreme low light, but is very noisy and the image is too grainy.
Translator's note: modern models of professional cameras give quite acceptable quality for reportage shooting at much higher ISOs, for example, the Nikon D3S camera is capable of shooting with ISO 102400
Sooner or later, everyone who picks up a camera and tries to figure out its settings sees an unfamiliar abbreviation there and wonders what ISO means in cameras. In fact, everything is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.
ISO setting on the camera
What is ISO
ISO is a measure of the susceptibility of the light-catching element of a camera to the light that hits it. The larger this value, the less demanding the camera is on the amount of lighting when shooting, and you can shoot with it in low-light places. Previously, the sensitivity level was indicated for the film, but in modern cameras it has been replaced by a matrix.
The number of ISO in the camera is indicated in whole units. The minimum and maximum permissible ISO values \u200b\u200bin different cameras differ and are set by manufacturers.
ISO is very important when correct setting the so-called "exposure pair" - shutter speed and aperture values. Sometimes it happens that when optimal combination These parameters still fail to get a correctly exposed frame: either there is too much light, or, on the contrary, the picture turns out to be too dark.
ISO comes to the rescue: by changing its parameters, we can further adjust the sensitivity of the matrix and even out the exposure of the future image without resorting to a flash.
The sensitivity index changes in steps: ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, etc.
One stop is equal to twice the difference between adjacent ISO values (200 and 400, for example). In some higher-end cameras, you can manually set intermediate values \u200b\u200b- ISO 250, ISO 500. It is worth noting that in cameras with the ability to automatically select ISO, the values can be very different: both 230 and 1400.
What is ISO in a camera and how it works can be clearly explained with the following example:
Shooting object: poorly lit street
Excerpt: 1/20
Diaphragm: priority mode
ISO: 100
With these settings, it is very easy to get a blurry frame, because the shutter speed is quite large (i.e. the camera stays open longer and manages to capture more light). To avoid this, it is necessary to lower the shutter speed, but at the same time increase the ISO, so that the picture does not turn out dark. If you raise the ISO to 800, then the shutter speed will be 1/160 of a second, and this will already allow you to shoot the evening landscape “hand-held” (without a tripod) and the frame will remain clear.
Noises
But do not assume that by setting the ISO to the maximum, we will automatically save ourselves from having to worry about the quality of the picture. At high ISO values, the photographer gets another problem - digital noise in the photo. These colored dots really spoil the quality of the picture.
Where do they come from? The fact is that with an increase in the level of the electrical signal, the level of interference automatically increases - extraneous signals that are not related to the subject. In addition, the matrix itself creates its own noise.
Maximum ISO should be avoided and stick to "neutral" 200-400 for normal digital cameras and 400-800 for mirrored ones.
The lower, the better. In this case, the rule applies: when shooting, the ISO is lowered to a minimum, then the necessary exposure is selected using the aperture and shutter speed settings. Only when it is no longer possible to change these values, they resort to increasing the photosensitivity.
These two shots show how ISO affects noise levels and exposure settings.
- ISO 100
- aperture: f1.4
- shutter speed: 1/10
- ISO 3200
- aperture: f1.4
- shutter speed: 1/350
The number of ISO also depends on the size of the camera's matrix. In SLR cameras with a large matrix, noise at high ISO values \u200b\u200bis not as noticeable as in ordinary compact cameras (“soap dishes”). ISO 3200 in reflex camera will give less noise than ISO 800 in the "soap box".
ISO setting on the camera
The camera will most likely need the right amount of lighting to capture quality at different support functions. You can increase ISO by opening the aperture and/or slowing down the shutter speed. Wanting to leave high properties shot, you should set the lowest ISO as possible. If necessary, the indicator can be increased, but it is important not to forget about the presence of noise. It's often better to produce a photo with little noise than to get a blurry image.
By increasing the ISO, it is possible to increase the sensitivity to light, that is, the microcircuit needs a shorter period to scan the image that the lens of photographic equipment catches. When the photo is taken with a flash, the ISO does not need to be increased. In poor lighting, with a low barrier of sensitivity to light, it is recommended to shoot using the fixation method; for example, using a tripod or some other object, say, a table or a fence to fix the camera. Then your photos, even if they are not perfect, you can always achieve their high quality even with mediocre technology.
conclusions
Let's summarize what ISO means in a camera and how this indicator works:
- ISO is just the degree of sensitivity of the matrix to light.
- The higher this value - the higher the sensitivity and the more noise in the photo, and the lower - the less noise and the better the picture.
- When shooting, you should strive to lower the ISO to a minimum, combining its value with the shutter speed and aperture values and achieving the desired exposure.
- In well-lit places, ISO should be set no more than 100-200.
- Cameras with a large matrix are less prone to noise and allow the use of high photosensitivity.
In conclusion, it should be said that photography is not so much a set of strict rules as a huge scope for creativity. Everyone can choose for himself any suitable settings, focusing on his taste and the capabilities of his technique, but you should always strive to make the picture harmonious and pleasant to perceive. If this is achieved through unexpected experiments, so much the better, it speaks of the skill and talent of the photographer.
