(NTP) : ISO Challenge : 2011

[ricktas]

What better way to start 2011 with a new series of challenges for the AP members learning how to use their cameras. So if you are New To Photography, give these challenges a go, learn to get off Auto Mode, and understand how camera features work, and interact with each other.

This challenge to our members that want to learn to take control of their digital camera is based on the Learning Centre topic : ISO.

ISO adjustment increases the 'sensitivit'y of your camera's sensor. This is done electrically and the more 'sensitive' you make your sensor to light, the faster shutter speeds you can achieve.

So we would like you to set your camera to Aperture mode, and set it to the smallest aperture you can. Usually f22 (remember the larger the number the smaller the actual aperture). Now make sure your camera is in manual ISO mode (refer to your camera manual in need).


THE CHALLENGE: We want you to go out and take two photos of the same subject. One at ISO 100 (some may have to use 200 as it could be the lowest number available to you). Then using the same subject, change the ISO to 3200 and take another photo. If your camera allows very high ISO try one at ISO 8000 or above as well. Present your photos in this thread and tell us what you have learnt from increasing the ISO.

Specifically, what happens to your shutter speed and what happens to the quality of the photo produced? Tell us what you observed.

The full New To Photography Learning Centre is in the Ausphotography Library, under New To Photography

Looking forward to seeing your two/three photos presented for the challenge and your discussions about what you have learnt from the challenge, and how changing the ISO setting can visually affect the resultant photos. Also remember to look at what changing the ISO does to the other camera settings. What happens to the shutter speed, and why does it happen

[itybitypieces]

ISO 200 f/38 exposure time 10 sec

matchboxisotest1 by 31e63ff63eeff23824220cd93dda29c2, on Flickr

ISO 3200 f/38 exposure time 1/2 sec


matchboxisotest2 by 31e63ff63eeff23824220cd93dda29c2, on Flickr

when taking these two photos on the settings i did. the main thing i noticed was the shutter speed and how dramatic the diffrence was.this would probably be because the higher ISO is more sensitive to light allowing the faster shutter speed for a correct exposure.
at first when i reviewed my photos,i did notice that the one with the ISO3200 did have some noise in the shadow of the match box,also the same on the red of the koala.wasnt that noticeable until i zoomed in though.which would be usefull if you wanted to add a grain like effect to a photo.not sure if this was ment to happen but the iso3200 is slightly darker.

[ricktas]

Good work on noticing the change of shutter speed. So if you were trying to capture a fast moving subject, but the results were blurry, so you increased the shutter speed, but that resulted in an under-exposed photo, what could you do to ensure you got a fast shutter speed to freeze the action, whilst still getting a good exposure?

[itybitypieces]

increase the ISO

[ricktas]

increase the ISO

Yep!

Hope some more photographic newbies take up this challenge.

[William]

This is a very useful thread Rick, I think ISO is one of the most misunderstood functions of a Digital camera , Keep it it as low as you can get , And only increase it for very low light or If needed for high speed action

[JanOD]

ISO is the very thing I've been working on for the last couple of months. I just can't seem to wrap my head around 'the triangle' by reading and tutorials, so I decided to just go manual and experiment.

High ISO on my camera always means noise, and doesn't look good in sunset or wildlife photos (which are my most common subjects). So I have been using ISO 100, 200, and sometimes 400, but never higher, except in extremely low light (where noise seems to be inevitable without a tripod). Since I take photos handheld, I've been sticking with 0.005 sec (1/200) or faster on the shutter speed. This leaves aperture settings usually pretty high (low number) most of the time. If I speed up the shutter speed, I lower the number on aperture (bigger aperture) with it, to allow for more light. If that doesn't work, I change ISO up one, say from 100 to 200, and try again....

Just speaking in beginner generalities, do I have the concept right?

I'll have to read my camera manual to find out how to change ISO in AV mode (I didn't know it was possible). But I will be giving this a go! Thanks!

[ricktas]

Hi Jan,

yes you have the basics behind it correct. However in low light for landscapes it is better to leave your ISO low and lower you shutter speed. Get a good tripod, and a remote shutter release, and then take 15 second.30 second,3 minute exposures. You will get some amazing landscapes using a longer exposure time, rather than increasing your ISO.

Re noise. Depending on your camera, you can usually get to ISO 400 or more without seeing much noise introduced. Certainly some cameras, usually the full frame sensor ones, and reasonably current models allow you to get to ISO 4000 and still have relatively little noise appearing in the resultant photo.

You can use ISO to your advantage: Increase ISO when you NEED a faster shutter speed (fast moving sports for example), or if you go out with the intention of trying to process a series into monochrome, increasing the ISO can leave noise, which when converted to monochrome looks rather like the grainy black and whites of old!

For landscapes etc, leave your ISO as low as you can, though experiment and see what results you can get using high ISO in all sorts of situations. Experimenting helps you understand how your camera works, and also, you just never know what you might capture that is different to what others do, simply because you are doing something that everyone else doesn't do.

[SeanT]

I'm a complete newbie only getting a camera last week. I've taken a few photos indoors in the afternoon so light is pretty low and they are often coming out blurry (I think due to slow shutter speed) I've got the camera on 'P' mode and am trying to take shots of a toddler and 1 yrs old. From looking at this thread and reading a few others would it be fair to say it may be the ISO is too low as a tripod isn;t really an option when chasing children around. Do you have any setting you would recommend as being 'standard' or is there too many variables?

[Dylan & Marianne]

If I was chasing kids around inside, I'd try to use the highest iso that your camera will produce usuable images with (I don't go past 1600 on the 7D for instance) in combination with the widest open aperture (smallest F number) in order to allow yourself a fast shutter speed. Flash is a whole new kettle of fish!

[ricktas]

I'm a complete newbie only getting a camera last week. I've taken a few photos indoors in the afternoon so light is pretty low and they are often coming out blurry (I think due to slow shutter speed) I've got the camera on 'P' mode and am trying to take shots of a toddler and 1 yrs old. From looking at this thread and reading a few others would it be fair to say it may be the ISO is too low as a tripod isn;t really an option when chasing children around. Do you have any setting you would recommend as being 'standard' or is there too many variables?

Have a go at the New To Photography learning plan, and then join in these challenges. You have been a member since September, but had 2 posts. If you follow the learning plan, give the challenges a try and learn, you will understand why your shots are blurry. The benefits of Ausphotography are much greater if you join in, and act on the feedback, rather than just reading.

[SeanT]

Thanks for that I'm starting the learning program now

[daggert]

ISO 100

ISO 1600
I guess the thing I notice more is the brightness of the 1600 shot. Was taken in a well lit room
I might try again in an outside shot

[daggert]

Also when I took the 100 shot all I got was a blurred image because of camera shake. I ended up using a tripod

[daggert]

Tried again with an outside shot of my dog. It is sunny outside but with a very fine layer of cloud over the sun, therefore shadows werent as obvious as they might have been. What I did notice was again the 1600 has a brighter more clearer representation of the wall.
I thought that 100 was best for sunny conditions and expected the 1600 to be the poorer lit shot. The dog doesnt seem to change all that much.

ISO 100

ISO 1600

[daggert]

Now that I can see them side by side, I can see the colour difference in the wall behind her. Why is that? Would that be light reflecting off her back, while the front part is more shaded?
Maybe the 1600 has more coat definition.
I do need to invest in a eye test and get some glasses though so I sometimes think the blur is in my eyes not the photo!

[cfm]

I have been grappling with the Shutter/Aperture/ISO triangle, and almost think that camera's should have 3 rotary dials (Tv/Av/ISO) instead of 2 (Tv/Av) for when you're in Manual mode. I just have to get used to fiddling with ISO as well, which isn't too hard with my Pentax K-7. Also, the K-7 has a Sensitivity mode, so you can set ISO and let the camera choose shutter and aperture. I've found it quite useful at times.

[rubyd]

This was a great challenge! Its always so interesting to read everyones discoveries! I'll participate in a challenge soon too!

[juanny]

Hi. I am a newbie and trying to find time to try out the challenges in between changing nappies and chasing after my two older kids. I am slowly working through the learning plan. I took two photos one with an ISO 200 and the other ISO 1600. The main difference i noticed was the shutter speed in the first photo with the ISO 200. As you can see the photo is quite blury so obviously needed a tripod. Is the reason the shutter speed changes is because the lower the ISO there is less light therefore the shutter speed is slower? I get quite confused over ISO. The other photo with ISO 1600 was quite clear. Thanks for looking.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/61493148@N05/5791970197/" title="IMGP7954 by juanny3, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3664/5791970197_191981517d.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="IMGP7954"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/61493148@N05/5791970291/" title="IMGP7955 by juanny3, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2042/5791970291_af7f3a5261.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="IMGP7955"></a>

[juanny]

don't think my linked worked. sorry first time doing this

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61493148@N05/5791970197/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61493148@N05/5791970291/