Timeline for What is considered High ISO?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Dec 15, 2019 at 10:28 | comment | added | juhist | "I think the sky is the limit." -- no, I think the photon counting noise is the limit. | |
| Apr 24, 2018 at 22:12 | comment | added | Foliovision | Peter, I've thought about this distinction some more. Another way of looking at High ISO is that it's the level at which the human eye can detect a change in ISO. That still happens after ISO 400. I.e. ISO 100 to 400 can be looked at full quality from a sensor but from ISO 800 you can see the difference between ISO 100 and 800 pretty easily. Like you I remember well the grain in high ASA film. Yes, the difference now is more striking and the quality sinks slower but the principle distinction between full quality and High ISO still starts after ISO 400. Interesting, esoteric subject. | |
| Apr 20, 2018 at 3:41 | comment | added | Foliovision | As I mentioned in my answer High ISO is static. It's anything over 800. Cameras can perform better or worse in high ISO. I.e. a Sony A7S performs much better in high ISO than a Panasonic GH5 (even though they cost approximately the same). This sentence makes sense: "Sony A7S high ISO performance exceeds that of any other 35mm digital camera." If high ISO is a moving target it's impossible to compare high ISO between cameras. Compare how awkward it is to write: "High ISO on the Sony A7S starts at ISO 6400 while high ISO on the A6300 starts at 1600 ISO." | |
| Apr 19, 2018 at 11:46 | comment | added | David Richerby | @Foliovision But what is the relevance of "high ISO film" to the question? "High ISO" might not have been a moving target in film days but, with ever increasing ISOs available on today's digital cameras, and ever-decreasing noise performance well above 400 ISO, why do you believe it's currently static? | |
| Apr 19, 2018 at 9:29 | comment | added | Peter - Reinstate Monica | @Foliovision Your chart simply shows a near-linear decline starting below 100 ISO, with the possible exception of the Canon EOS where the decline shows a marked increase around 1000 ISO, which can be supposed to mark the upper end of the "usual" range. "High ISO" is very obviously a moving target (which consumer film could shoot at 50000 ISO?). I remember when Kodak's Ektar 1000 came out and enabled me for the first time ever to take night shots without tripod. The quality was probably worse than the EOS at 100k today. Not moving? LOL. | |
| Apr 18, 2018 at 23:31 | comment | added | Foliovision | Good input Alan, but I don't think high ISO was ever a moving target. High ISO was always 800 ISO and above. You'll see below in my answer including a couple of camera charts that even the best digital cameras still perform at their best at 400 ISO and lower. But you are right - back then 400 ISO was already considered fast film if not high ISO. | |
| Apr 18, 2018 at 15:28 | history | answered | Alan Marcus | CC BY-SA 3.0 |