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ISO and aperture questions

  • 28-07-2010 8:08am
    #1
    dinneenp
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,154 ✭✭✭


    Hi,
    1. ISO. My camera goes to 6400. Most of my pics end up on My photoblog- photoblog.ie or my Flickr page
    What's the max ISO setting you'd use and why? In daytime does it matter, I think in nightime noisw would show more with a high setting?
    If I'm not printing large would IQ be noticable?
    2. Aperture. I use f8 for 'I don't care', 'f 22 or so for landscape'. My camera goes to f32. When would one use this aperture?

    Thanks,
    Pa


Comments

  • #2
    jpb1974
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,027 ✭✭✭jpb1974


    What's the max ISO setting you'd use and why?

    ISO dictates the rate at which your digital sensor captures light. The higher the ISO the quicker the digital sensor captures light.

    You typically increase the ISO in order to quicken the shutter speed.

    If you're at say a gig you'll typically be shooting handheld so a fast enough shutter speed maybe be required to get reasonably sharp photos. You would open the aperture on your lens to let in more light and increase the ISO to increase the speed at which your digital sensor gathers light.

    If you're shooting something like a static landscape on a tripod then you would typically set your ISO as low at it goes. Shutter speed is typically not an issue, although for seascapes you may want to freeze the motion of the water.

    Google 'Understanding ISO' for more details.
    My camera goes to f32. When would one use this aperture?

    Rarely. Maybe landscape, maybe if you were trying to force the camera into a slow as speed as possible (by letting in the smallest amount of light possible). They say once you go past certain apertures the quality of some lenses starts to drop off... I suppose it depends on the quality of lens... not entirely sure to be quite honest as I'd rarely go past F16.


  • #3
    .Longshanks.
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,718 ✭✭✭.Longshanks.


    dinneenp wrote: »
    ......My camera goes to f32. When would one use this aperture?

    Its not the camera that gives you the ability to f32, its the lens.
    You might go to f32 if you wanted motion blur during bright(ish) conditions but otherwise it would see little use for it


  • #4
    dinneenp
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,154 ✭✭✭dinneenp


    Cheers for the replies.
    I understand how ISO works and that it can be good for low light settings but has a trade off.

    This photo below was taken in shop in the evening. From what I can see the quality is still fine. Some other pictures I was taking (early evening) were setting high ISO. I'm wondering if I should limit the max ISO or no need unless very dark and then noise may be easily visible?
    Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
    Aperture: f/6.3
    Focal Length: 220 mm
    ISO Speed: 6400
    Exposure Bias: 0 EV

    4834327551_6fa24723c9.jpg


  • #5
    jpb1974
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,027 ✭✭✭jpb1974


    You should be using a tripod for a photo of static items like that.

    ISO should be set as low as possible.

    You should also be able to shoot as low as about 1/60 second handheld for this subject which means that you could have dropped the ISO to about 1600.


  • #6
    jpb1974
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,027 ✭✭✭jpb1974


    The amount of acceptable visible noise in your photos is really up to you... there's no firm or fixed rule.


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  • #7
    kdobey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 107 ✭✭kdobey


    dinneenp wrote: »

    What's the max ISO setting you'd use and why? In daytime does it matter, I think in nightime noisw would show more with a high setting?
    If I'm not printing large would IQ be noticable?
    2. Aperture. I use f8 for 'I don't care', 'f 22 or so for landscape'. My camera goes to f32. When would one use this aperture?

    Thanks,
    Pa

    ISO - Not all sensors are built equally in this regard. What is a "usable" ISO on one camera will not be usable on another. Check out this piece http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d90/iso-3200.htm to see a comparison of high ISO on some different Nikons.

    Worth noting that the dynamic range is generally less when you have a higher ISO - this probably varies from sensor to sensor too.

    Aperture - I use the max f-number when I've forgotten my ND filter! Also - while you get a sharper image at a high f-stop like f22 not all lens are equal in this regard. Your lens highest f-stop is not your sharpest aperture and this will vary for each lens. If you really want to know what you sharpest aperture is ken will probably help you there too. I've maxed out a few times (with Tripod) to good effect to get smooth water or more interesting night shots.

    Edit: when I say "usable" ISO I realise that it's subjective and I realise sometimes you need very hi ISO or that that some times you want that effect. Personally I mean an ISO setting that introduces noise which is not distracting from your subject.


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