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Advantages and Disadvantages of ISO

Unless you’ve used film in the past, you probably don’t know what ISO is and how it effects your photographs. ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization. In relation to photography, it essentially means your film speed. Film Speed is the amount of light that is needed to properly expose your film or image.

If you go to any store and pick up a roll of film, you’ll notice a number on the package. Generally it will be 100, 200, 400, or 800. That’s the ISO number. The lower the ISO number the more light it will require to penetrate the film for proper exposure. 800 ISO film requires a lot less light to expose your picture properly than film with an ISO of 200.

Why not just 800 ISO film all the time?

Surprisingly the downside to a higher ISO film is not cost. The fact is, 800 ISO film has larger grains which are more sensitive to light and require less of it to become exposed. Although, the image will turn out more ‘noisy’ or ‘grainy’. 100 ISO film may take more light but the images will be far smoother and more appealing:

ISO 800 ISO 100

When applying this to your digital camera you have the ability to adjust your ISO film speed between a variety of numbers. The option usually is in the same area as your white balance. Each camera may be different, but the average film speeds are 50, 100, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1200+.

I would never recommend going above 400 ISO if you can manage it. Your photos will probably be too grainy. Not the good kind of grain either as you sometimes see in film. Film grain is black and white while digital grain has a number colors (mainly reds and greens). It’s not a very attractive grain. In most cases you wont need to go above 400 ISO. I try shooting at 100 when I can swing it. Usually when I am outdoors during the day. The rest of the time I usually set it at 200.

Is all ISO speeds created equal?

No, often more expensive cameras allow you to shoot at a very high ISO rating and still retain a crisp image. Often these cameras are found in the bags of professional photographers with a large budget. It’s not often you will find a consumer camera that is able to capture crisp high ISO images. Though it is more likely you’ll find a quality SLR camera than a Compact that allows high ISO photographs.

When should I use faster film speed like 800 ISO?

If the environment has little ambient light. A good example would be a concert. Your flash wont reach the stage and if you drop your Shutter Speed to low, everything is a blurry mess. While your images may turn out a little more grainy, you’ll be able to pick up plenty of light and have a properly exposed photo.

Carsten
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Carsten said:

Man, awesome!!!

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  • Posted 7 months ago.
derekeb
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derekeb said:

This is really good information. Thanks for the refresh!

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
Peter Blomert
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Peter Blomert said:

Adam, that is a great lesson!

For those out there who are deeply interested in available light photography, let me add two ideas I sometimes use to get the best out of my pictures in low-light situations:

  1. Instead of choosing a higher ISO I underexpose my pictures 1 f-stop, up to 2 f-stops in extreme situations. There are ways in using photoshop and the lab-mode to correct the exposure without getting the grain-problem.
  2. Instead of or in addition to idea one you could think of turning your pictures into black and white pictures (normally I do that later in photoshop, not while shooting). The more graphical impression of black and white pictures fits well into e.g. a concert-shooting.
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  • Posted 3 months ago.
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