Chapter 3: Camera Settings, ISO

ISO 

 

 The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) established a numerical scale to rate how sensitive different kinds of film were to light. This scale was retained for digital cameras. When you change the ISO value on a DSLR, you can think of it as changing film to  something more or less light sensitive to what is currently in the camera. A big advantage of a digital camera is that you can change the ISO from shot to shot, instead of only per roll of film. 

 Higher ISO numbers are more light sensitive, meaning the camera will be able to take pictures in darker environments. However, higher ISO numbers also tend to produce grainier images. 

 Examples:

 

 ISO 100: suitable for a bright, sunny day 

 ISO 800: indoor spaces when not using a flash 

 ISO 1600: dim or even dark environments 

 

 

 

 This short video shows how to  set ISO on the Canon EOS 5D Mk IV .  

 

 For a more in depth explanation, visit Chapter 2: Elements of Exposure, ISO