Yesterday, we discussed shutter speed. Today we’ll focus on the third and final element of the triangle of exposure. ISO is a setting that you should understand to get the best photos.
ISO is a term used in photography to describe the sensitivity of an image sensor’s light sensitivity. It is one of three elements that make up exposure: aperture , shutterspeed, and aperture .
ISO is measured by numbers such as 100 or 200, 400 or 800.
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- The ISO number is a measure of how sensitive the camera sensor is to light. This means that a higher ISO is required to expose an image properly.
- The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor to light will be, meaning that less light is required to expose an image properly.
ISO is a term that was used in the old days of film which consisted of tiny crystal grains. These crystal grains need more light at ISO 100 and 200 because they are so small. ISO 1600 or ISO 3200 film has larger crystal grains and requires less light exposure. The photos will be less smooth, but the crystal grains will be larger.
Digital cameras have ISO-equivalents. Digital cameras have ISO equivalents.
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- At higher ISOs, your camera sensor requires less light to produce a well-exposed photo. You will see more noise and grain in the photo.
- You will notice less noise and grain in your photos when you use a lower ISO.