32
votes
Why would using higher ISO and faster shutter speed yield more noise than using lower ISO and slower shutter speed?
So I first shoot with ISO 1600 and shutter speed set to 1/125 second and then I shoot with ISO 3200 and shutter speed set to 1/250 second. The amount of light should be identical and indeed both shots ...
- 176k
18
votes
Accepted
What is considered High ISO?
Being a man of science, I did some scholar-googling and came across some articles.
Too long, didn't read:
None of the scientific articles I found give a clear definition of "high ISO". However, they ...
- 6,478
11
votes
Is there any point in ultra-high ISO for DSLR [not film]?
For some sort of photography high ISO is very important.
At some point the picture quality does not matter as much as having at least taken a photo, even if it is very noisy.
News journalists or ...
- 143
11
votes
Why won't my ISO go below 6400 when I shoot indoors?
The short answer: It's darker then you think it is. Here's a depiction of various brightnesses and an an exposure value which nominally will give correct exposure at that brightness. Note that these ...
- 143k
9
votes
What is considered High ISO?
ASA Film Speed provides a simple enough answer for this. ISO 400 was considered standard high sensitivity film with anything above that being very high sensitivity film.
It would be easy to argue ...
- 2,457
9
votes
What is the physical cause of increasing noise at high ISO?
ISO for Analog vs Digital
ISO is confusing in digital photography in part because it was actually meant for film photography. In film photography, ISO 400 really is more sensitive than ISO 100 film.
...
- 3,967
7
votes
What are the applications for high ISO shooting?
What is the point of very high ISO capability?
To take pictures without as much light.
Just because a camera is capable of shooting at ISO 25600 (the actual ISO amplification limit of the EOS 6D) ...
- 176k
7
votes
Accepted
Does shooting at high ISO have a practical impact on battery life compared to exposure time?
SImple answer: not to a measurable extent.
Difficult answer: A high ISO-equivalent setting cranks the analog gain up. More gain requires more power per electron (or milliVolt if you prefer), but ...
- 1,887
7
votes
Why do some sports photos I took with higher ISO have lower noise than others with low ISO?
Only difference is lighting and venue...
That's all the difference you need.
Addendum: Now that you've posted example images, we can point out some other differences as well.
In the earlier image on ...
- 176k
6
votes
Is there any point in ultra-high ISO for DSLR [not film]?
Beyond the sensationalist title, I think what you are asking is simply - Are my results typical?
To which I'd answer, yes your results are typical and expected.
I don't often try to shoot in the ...
- 46.6k
6
votes
What are the applications for high ISO shooting?
The answer to this question is that you have taken a wide ranging collection of terms and taken a very narrow range of meanings for them. If you use the meanings that many people do then the question ...
- 19.7k
5
votes
Accepted
Measuring light sensitivity with dB instead of ISO
The sensitivity measured in “ISO” is realized in digital cameras by an amplifier with a variable gain. The amplifier gain can be measured in dB as well, which may be more convenient for some ...
- 971
5
votes
Accepted
What is the significance of a camera's ISO Invariant point?
You probably don't need to worry too much about it for many pictures.
If you're using a boosted ISO level, it's presumably because you need it - and you're happy with the quality you get at that ISO ...
- 3,033
5
votes
Does shooting at high ISO have a practical impact on battery life compared to exposure time?
If you have noise reduction completely turned off then the effect of using a high ISO setting on battery life should be minimal.
Most of the increased power demand of using high ISO settings is due ...
- 176k
5
votes
Why do cameras include very high ISO settings even though they are so noisy?
The short answer is: because it's useful. I'd much rather have to deal with a bit of noise at 3200 and to still get my shot, rather than not getting my shot at all.
The real question is: what is the ...
- 20.5k
5
votes
What is considered High ISO?
High ISO is a traditional expression from the film days. High ISO is 800 ASA and up. It's always been that way. When you reached the 800 ASA film, you were buying high ISO along with the attendant ...
- 169
5
votes
What is the physical cause of increasing noise at high ISO?
Think of ISO like an amplifier - it increases the gain on the incoming signal.
If you have an audio amplifier & an old AM radio tuned to a distant signal, you have to turn up the amp in order to ...
- 23.4k
4
votes
Why is my camera metering indoor scenes as darker than I expect, forcing me to use a high ISO?
The short answer: It's darker then you think it is. Here's a depiction of various brightnesses and an exposure value which nominally will give correct exposure at that brightness. Note that these are ...
- 143k
4
votes
Why am I getting a lot of noise at 1000iso when my camera says it can go up to 6400?
It also depends on the subject. If your subject has a lot of flat black areas the noise will show up much more than on a patterned colourful/white area.
As already stated the camera's max ISO is not ...
- 186
4
votes
What is considered High ISO?
I don't think you'll ever get a majority to agree on what ISO is the lower margin for "high ISO". Cameras differ too much for that (we all know that photographers are rational beings...)
But as you ...
- 3,181
4
votes
Accepted
What is read noise?
Read noise is essentially circuit noise from readout of the sensor photosites up through ADC conversion into digital values. It is typically mostly amplifier and capacitor switching noise.
But that is ...
- 18.8k
3
votes
Why am I getting a lot of noise at 1000iso when my camera says it can go up to 6400?
The fact a camera can use a high ISO (e.g. 20 000) doesn't automatically mean it will be noise-free when using high ISO. ALL cameras have noise, only its amount is different.
D7100 is almost a 5 ...
- 1,041
3
votes
Measuring light sensitivity with dB instead of ISO
In camera, it measures light sensitivity in dB gain instead ISO. Why is it measured in this unit instead of traditional ISO?
Unlike film, digital cameras use electrical circuits to capture images. ...
- 5,602
3
votes
Is there any point in ultra-high ISO for DSLR [not film]?
I doubt your question is answerable. We only do what we think best, and other opinions won't matter to us. Also depends on how we use the camera. When you need it though.....
My opinion is that in ...
- 12.9k
3
votes
Is there any point in ultra-high ISO for DSLR [not film]?
The higest usable ISO depends on the camera. If the maximum ISO you are willing to accept on your camera is that, that is it.
But more expensive cameras have a real usable high ISO, for example the ...
- 25.2k
3
votes
Why am I getting a lot of noise at 1000iso when my camera says it can go up to 6400?
Amount of noise is subjective, you can't say "iso 1000 is very noisy". You should compare it to some other iso value photograph of the same scene. You can't even compare iso values if images are ...
3
votes
Accepted
Astrophotography: Balancing the ISO value
As you increase the ISO, your dynamic range decreases. While your camera has a base dynamic range around 13 stops, when you set the ISO to 25600 you only have a dynamic range of a little under 7. This ...
- 456
3
votes
Why do cameras include very high ISO settings even though they are so noisy?
On DSLRs, ISO is essentially done by increasing the gain on the sensor, or if you will, amplifying the signal. In some respects, this is not unlike turning the volume up on a speaker: nearly all ...
- 14.8k
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