Hot Stuff
Weekly Contest
FREE AKVIS Sketch!
CreativePro.com Podcast
Don't miss it! Updated every Monday.
FREE Mags for Creative Pros!
Creativity, Website Magazine, and more!
The Ins and Outs of ISO
For many photographic techniques, the proper ISO is key to good results. Find out how far you can go with ISO and where you shouldn't tread.
Written by Bryan Peterson on December 15, 2008
Related Articles
Related Reading
Part 3: Freezing Action at ISO 100, 200, and 400
If you could end up with a razor-sharp, action-stopping image by using ISO 100, would you stay away from higher ISOs? Well, in case you haven't caught my drift over the last few days, you can freeze most action subjects with as little as ISO 100, resulting in an image that's flawless. The following exposure calculations at ISO 100, 200 and 400 that are based on sunny lighting conditions with a front-lit or side-lit subject, assuming identical light but changing the aperture and shutter speed.
| ISO 100 | ISO 200 | ISO 400 |
| f/4 for 1/1600 sec. | f/4 for 1/3200 sec. | f/4 for 1/6400 sec. |
| f/5.6 for 1/800 sec. | f/5.6 for 1/1600 sec. | f/5.6 for 1/3200 sec. |
| f/8 for 1/400 sec. | f/8 for 1/800 sec. | f/8 for 1/1600 sec. |
| f/11 for 1/200 sec. | f/11 for 1/400 sec. | f/11 for 1/800 sec. |
| f/16 for 1/100 sec. | f/16 for 1/200 sec. | f/16 for 1/400 sec. |
As you can see, there are plenty of action-stopping speeds available to you at ISO 100, 200 and 400. Beyond ISO 400, grain is a problem.
Here are some examples of these settings in action:
Cannon(Nikon?)ball! While I was shooting down from atop a ladder at the edge of a swimming pool, my friend Christopher was more then happy to make several jumps on this very hot summer day. Hand-holding my Nikon D300 and 17-55mm lens set at 55mm, I shot at ISO 100 and f/8 at 1/500 second.
Gnarly, dude: With my Nikon D200 and Nikon 200-400mm f/4G zoom mounted on a monopod, and ISO 100 and f/5.6 at 1/1000 second to capture this surfer dude catching a wave off the coast of Maui. Again, plenty of action-stopping speed at ISO 100.
And they're off: To capture this harness race at the Fryberg, Maine County Fair, I needed 1/250 second to capture the action coming towards me and used burst mode. I pre-focused on this spot on the racetrack and waited for the action to come to me. Camera: Nikon D2x and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G lens. Settings: ISO 100 and f/8 at 1/250 second.
For more from Bryan Peterson and the Adorama Imaging Resource Center on ISO, go to www.adorama.com.
Bryan Peterson is a widely published photographer and a successful commercial photographer for over 30 years. He has photographed annual reports, corporate brochures and advertising campaigns for a diverse range of clients including Kodak, UPS, Intel, Microsoft, and Citibank. The most recent of his popular series of creativity and exposure books is "Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second." See his work at www.bryanfpeterson.com.
Share:
ISO 100
Since all your shots were set at 100 ISO, I assume you rarely shoot 200 or 400 ISO. So is moral of the story to leave ISO at 100 for best grain-free shots? Or, will you have a Part 4 showing advantages of 200 or 400 when shooting indoors?
thank you
thank you will you have a Part 4 showing sohbet advantages of 200 or 400 when shooting indoors?
ISO
I don't know what is so hard to believe about these shot's, it comes down to the light available, shutter speed and aperature.
drbrender
What about shooting action shots at night, like shooting an open air market in Hong Kong at night? This is what I use the higher ISO for. At ISO 100 evrything is just a blur.
Noise, also called grain, begins to be........
Noise is not grain. Two completely different things. Grain is based on the size of the Silver Halides in film. The lower the ASA rating, the less light sensitive the film is; the finer the Silver Halides are, and the "cleaner" the image looks. The higher the ASA rating, the more light sensitive the film is, the Silver Halides are larger and more course, resulting in a more granular look. Color noise (the real bad kind of noise) is a digital phenomenon that occurs when red and blue pixels are created (or made up) from the original green capture.