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Photo Forum / General Photo Topics / General Topics / January 2007ISO question
As simply as you can, explain the ISO setting to me. How going up and down affects the picture. What do you use high setting for? Low setting? TIA Steve > As simply as you can, explain the ISO setting to me. How going up and down > affects the picture. What do you use high setting for? Low setting? > > TIA > > Steve ISO controls how sensitive the camera is to light. Low ISO, like 100, is less sensitive, high ISO, like 1600, is more sensitive. More sensitive gives you faster exposures or smaller apertures or both. The cost of going to higher apertures is more image noise, which looks like fine speckles over the image. Best is to try different ISOs with your own camera and work out what level is too noisy for your personal tastes for general use and which level you can accept in a tough situation, like low light. Cheers, Wayne  SignatureWayne J. Cosshall Publisher, The Digital ImageMaker, http://www.dimagemaker.com/ Blog http://www.digitalimagemakerworld.com/ > As simply as you can, explain the ISO setting to me. How going up and > down affects the picture. What do you use high setting for? Low setting? > > TIA > > Steve I do hundreds of pictures at a time of properties. They need to be 640 x 480 so that they will fit in the Corel format they will end up in. For those smaller pictures, would I use higher or lower ISO. I would like the best picture quality. ALL of the photography is done in the middle of the day and only on sunny days. Next, I use my camera a lot for bird and animal photos in the 5.1 mp mode. I like shooting in full sun, but I would say that's only 80% of the time, the rest, various degrees of shade are involved. I want the highest details and depth of field. What would be the best ISO for that? Sorry I didn't post this info the first time. Steve If you have plenty of light you can use the lowest ISO possible. Higher ISOs are used in low light situations. Image size is not important as far as ISO is concerned. Blah >> As simply as you can, explain the ISO setting to me. How going up and >> down affects the picture. What do you use high setting for? Low [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Steve > If you have plenty of light you can use the lowest ISO possible. Higher > ISOs are used in low light situations. Image size is not important as far > as ISO is concerned. Thanks. I only go photo properties when the sun is out. Did a couple of projects in cloudy weather, and close to sunset and ended up doing them over. Thanks. Got it. Low ISO for full sun for the type of pics I am taking. Steve > If you have plenty of light you can use the lowest ISO possible. Higher > ISOs are used in low light situations. Image size is not important as far > as ISO is concerned. Blah Unless you don't want the noise to be visible. -- Jeff R. > > As simply as you can, explain the ISO setting to me. How going up and > > down affects the picture. What do you use high setting for? Low setting? [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Steve Lower ISO = higher quality. So an ISO of 100 would be better than an ISO of 400. The higher ISO - the more "grainy" the picture. Consider using a tripod or mono-pod if your're not already using one. Nothing will take away from quality like a slight blur from camera shake. If you're not using a tripod, shoot with shutter speed of at least 125. More if you're using zoom. For the animal photos, if you have any unwanted blur from the animal's movement you could simply increase shutter speed. But, increasing shutter speed will mean the aperature will have to increase to let in more light (lower f/ number). The more the aperature increases (lower f/ number) then the less depth of field you will have. A solution here would be to go to a higher ISO setting. Doing this will make the camera more sensitive to light so then you can decrease the aperature (higher f/ number) and get more depth of field. Smaller aperature = more depth of field. It's a matter of what kind of situation you're in as to what ISO you're going to need. But, the lower ISO will give you the best quality. -Felder -Felder >> As simply as you can, explain the ISO setting to me. How going up and >> down affects the picture. What do you use high setting for? Low setting? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >best picture quality. ALL of the photography is done in the middle of the >day and only on sunny days. Image size is not related to ISO, hence you can have 640x480 images that are made at any ISO setting your camera has. You can take pictures at any size larger than 640x480 and then later reduce them to 640x480. The single difficulty would be if the image has a different vertical to horizontal ratio, as that would mean trimming off part of the image to make it fit the 640x480 perspective. As far as ISO goes, generally images will be better when lower ISO settings are used. Given your description, it would probably be safe to simply say set the camera a the lowest ISO number it has, and go for it. (In reality, that isn't true with some cameras, and you might want to just set the ISO to 100, even if there are lower values. Either way should be fine.) >Next, I use my camera a lot for bird and animal photos in the 5.1 mp mode. >I like shooting in full sun, but I would say that's only 80% of the time, >the rest, various degrees of shade are involved. I want the highest details >and depth of field. What would be the best ISO for that? That depends on the camera. Generally, the same discussion as above applies. As you increase the ISO (e.g., to 200, 400, 800 and so on) there will be more noise. The difference between ISO 100 and ISO 200 might be very difficult to detect with some cameras. It will probably be a quite noticeable difference at 400. Only the best digital cameras produce even usable barely images at ISO 800 and above. The difference between 50, 100 and 200 is probably small, and might be used to allow different aperture and shutter speeds (for creative effects). Generally going to ISO 400 and above is done only because light is insufficient for lower values, and it will trade higher noise for the ability to even get an image. SignatureFloyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com > >> As simply as you can, explain the ISO setting to me. How going up and > >> down affects the picture. What do you use high setting for? Low setting? [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> > Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com *** Hi Floyd, a great site very cleverly designed, wonderful pictures, fascinating in all aspects so much interesting information. Another world, one that is so harsh I could never cope with, but love just the same. Many thanks for making it available for all to see. John. >> Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> >> Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Many thanks for making it available for all to see. > John. Thank you for so many words of such kindness! Barrow is one of the most exciting places in the world to live. It's an all day adventure every day. Because of that the people here bond together in a way that is very hard to find elsewhere. The population is about 60% Inupiat Eskimo, and the rest is an international mix that includes Native Hawaiians, Samoans, Filipinos, Thais, Mexicans, Americans, Koreans and a few other odds and ends. SignatureFloyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com > >> Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> > >> Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Filipinos, Thais, Mexicans, Americans, Koreans and a few other > odds and ends. > Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> > Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com *** That's amazing, such a mix living in harmony, I have the feeling that the rest of the world needs to know how you all manage it. Best wishes. John. >> >> Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> >> >> Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > Best wishes. > John. You hit that nail on the head! It is indeed really interesting. There are two factors that make the difference. One is the harsh and shear excitement of the location/weather etc. The other has to do with that 60% Inupiat Eskimo population. In all other villages on the North Slope they are about 95% of the population; and the effect is that they are the ones who control the political machinery and the government here. The rest of us are merely along for the ride. This is *their* home, and we are all visitors. European/Western observers came to Alaska in the middle 1700's, and for roughly 225 years *every* *single* *one* of them recorded the "fact" that Eskimos had a "simple" culture that didn't even have any form of governance. None! Prior to about 1970 there simply is not even *one* record of any Western observer claiming otherwise. But in the late 1960's, after the US and Canada had been sending Eskimo children off to boarding schools in order to make "Whitemen" out of them, a generation of children grew up not knowing anything about their culture... and Eskimo elders began to look for ways to counter that. The first thing they did was hire an anthropologist to record parts of their culture, in hopes that it could be taught to their children in those boarding schools. They explained the *very* *complex* system of governance, that was literally so slick that Westerners simply had not been able to recognize that it existed. (Since about 1975 virtually nobody claims that Eskimos have no governance!) Our Western government consist, more than anything else, of a great deal of heat, light and sound, with few actual results. Eskimos avoid the heat, light and sound, and concentrate on results. Government here benefits from Inupiat heritage. For example, every elected mayor of the North Slope Borough has been an accomplished whaling captain. Managing a whaling crew that feeds the entire community is an excellent indicator of ability! Some of my photography is aimed at a display of that culture, as is my web page. (Unfortunately most of what I do is take pictures of people, and I am very hesitant about putting much of that on the Internet.) SignatureFloyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com >>> >> Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> >>> >> Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com [quoted text clipped - 68 lines] > pictures of people, and I am very hesitant about putting much of > that on the Internet.) When the white man found the ignorant savages in North America, there was a system where there were no taxes, where women did all the menial work, and where men hunted and fished. The white man said, "We're going to improve your way of life." >When the white man found the ignorant savages in North America, there was a >system where there were no taxes, where women did all the menial work, and >where men hunted and fished. > >The white man said, "We're going to improve your way of life." There is a great deal of truth to that "joke". SignatureFloyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com > >> >> Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> > >> >> Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com [quoted text clipped - 63 lines] > accomplished whaling captain. Managing a whaling crew that > feeds the entire community is an excellent indicator of ability! *** I'm sure our government here in the UK would benefit immensely if that idea could be arranged, just as crew menber that is. > Some of my photography is aimed at a display of that culture, as > is my web page. (Unfortunately most of what I do is take > pictures of people, and I am very hesitant about putting much of > that on the Internet.) *** Understandable - violation of trust or / and privacy. Trying to get to reasons why there is such a bond between folk there in Barrow. The main reason being one would have to depend others in such conditions and I now appreciate that the Governance is another prime reason, but what about religion? Are there many churches for example, as there are in the States? My thanks again for the insight into your other wonderful World. I note, Barrow is just about the most northerly point in Alaska. John. > Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson> > Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com > As simply as you can, explain the ISO setting to me. How going up and down > affects the picture. What do you use high setting for? Low setting? > > TIA > > Steve ISO settings relate to the film speed (measured in the same units) for a film camera. Each time the ISO setting is doubled (e.g. 400 to 800) then the exposure time needed is doubled as well (given the same lens opening). Basically, you have have three factors which control your exposure - lens opening (f/stop), shutter speed and iso. To get a decent understanding, you'll probably want to visit wikipedia. |
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