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# ISO Explained!

Posted by David Peterson as Tips

You are probably familiar with ISO on film used in a film camera. It’s the ‘speed’ of the film – higher ISO values mean you can take photos in lower light.

But what about in the digital world?
Surprisingly, there is an ISO setting on your Digital camera. And although there is no longer any film, the ISO setting still plays a vital role.

ISO indicates your digital camera’s sensitivity to light. The higher the number, the less light is needed to take a photo that is correctly exposed (not too dark or too light).

In bright light (like the middle of a sunny day), you’ll normally use ISO 50 or ISO 100. These lowest settings can be used because there is lots of light around.

However, in lower light, your camera needs some help. There are two ways of doing this:

## Decrease Shutter Speed

With a slower shutter speed, the camera has more time to ‘take in’ the amount of light it needs. Unfortunately though, the slower the shutter speed, the more chance that your images will turn out blurry.

## Increase ISO

Rather than decrease the shutter speed, you can increase the ISO. As I said above, this will increase the sensitivity of the camera which means you can get the same shot with less light entering the camera. Thus the shutter speed can be kept low enough to avoid blurry images.

As increasing the ISO will increase the shutter speed, a high ISO will also help when taking fast moving sports shots. You’ll get clear, crisp shots with no blur.

However, I still recommend you use the lowest ISO possible. Why?

## Problems of using a high ISO

Using a higher ISO means the camera has less light to work with. Unfortunately this also means that ‘noise’ is introduced into your camera. If you’d like to find out exactly what noise is and how to eliminate it, check out the free bonus on noise that comes with my Digital Photo Secrets book.

Your camera’s highest ISO value will produce a lot of noise in your image, so I suggest avoiding them unless the light is so low that you have no other choice. Instead choose the second highest value (second largest number).

## Auto ISO

Fortunately most of the time you don’t need to worry about selecting the correct ISO. Most cameras have an “Auto ISO” setting. With Auto ISO, the camera will look at the amount of light in the scene and change the ISO appropriately so that the shutter speed doesn’t get too slow.
ISO Values

If you choose to use a manual ISO, what values should you use?

ISO 50-100. Suitable for bright light (like outdoors on a sunny day).

ISO 200. Great for overcast or cloudy days.

ISO 400 and 800. Use these values when the light is getting dim but it is not yet night.

ISO 1600 and above. Use for indoor or night shots. Also useful to freeze the action in sports shots. These values will produce the most noise.

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Noise in digital cameras is a huge problem, and one we'll have to live with for a while. Find out what causes noise, and how to avoid it with a brand new free bonus that comes with my "Digital Photography Secrets" book. I even show you how to use a leading noise reduction program to fix noisy images you've already taken!
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cloudy, ISO, overcast, shutter speed

#### Author

David Peterson is the creator of Digital Photo Secrets (this site, and the book) and loves teaching photography to fellow photographers all around the world. You can follow him on Twitter at @dphotosecrets or on Google+.

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### 47 Responses

- 9 Tips for Street Photography Beginners « Kieran.Li says:
  July 5, 2013 at 8:27 am

  [...] 8. Keep the ISO Low As I mentioned in my previous post, you should always aim to keep the ISO low to avoid grain in the image. In the conversion process to black and white, grain may become more apparent and spoil the photo. This may not necessarily be a bad thing given that you may want your photo to look old but it’s better to use PhotoShop to do this rather than increase the ISO. For more information on ISO, please click here. [...]

- PRIYANK JAISWAL says:
  June 4, 2013 at 5:39 am

  I have problem with my iso settings , can any one help me pls…, sme tyms when i click the pic’s ,pics becomes grainy so plz give me sm tips ,that hw can i eliminate grains frm my pic’s ,and i always use iso at 100 or 200 in day then also my pic’s become grainy,so plz give some tips and trick to make my pic beautiful by my NIKON D5100

- test says:
  April 10, 2013 at 1:24 am

  alert(0)

- Earl Sharpe says:
  March 15, 2013 at 8:21 am

  Great refresher as many have pointed out. 2 things I’m stuck not understanding and can’t seem to get a grip in are using a flash other than the cameras and 2. How I’m going to have to set my Canon T2i up for shooting night time pictures at Charlotte NC during the All star race come end May.
  Ie gotten fire works down and some low level lighting pictures but nothing travelling at 195 miles an hour with hundreds of point and shot cameras flashing around me.
  Anyone with any suggestions or has this topic possibly been covered somewhere David before

- Ahmed albaqer says:
  March 15, 2013 at 3:48 am

  Amazing tips David .. Thanks v.much

- What is program mode and how do you use it? by Digital Photo Secrets says:
  March 1, 2013 at 3:43 pm

  [...] your camera produces when shooting in auto mode. You may find, for example, that your images are inexplicably noisy, a result of your camera choosing a higher ISO than you would have chosen if you’d had the [...]

- food photography workshop, part 1 | Marin Mama Cooks says:
  November 19, 2012 at 1:58 am

  [...] ISO is kind of complicated to explain, but here is a great link if you’re interested in learning more. Denise told Em and I to keep our ISO at 400 for food [...]

- 7 Tips for Photographing Teenagers by Digital Photo Secrets says:
  October 5, 2012 at 1:56 pm

  [...] like any situation, adjust your camera’s ISO setting to fit the lighting situation. When it comes to aperture, unless there’s a compelling reason [...]

- Worth every penny… « Steven Hoagland says:
  July 26, 2012 at 10:45 am

  [...] Special mention goes to ISO performance. This camera is so good at high ISO, low light photography, that it literally extends my [...]

- Ask David: Blurry Images, Optical Zoom, and Seeing Double by Digital Photo Secrets says:
  July 18, 2012 at 6:17 pm

  [...] If the camera chooses a shutter speed that’s too slow so you get blurry images, increase the ISO one setting (ie from 200 to [...]

- Shooting When the Lights Are Low: Part 2 | Gorge Photography says:
  January 27, 2012 at 4:31 pm

  [...] ISO: Another key aspect of low light shooting is ISO. Each camera handles bumps in ISO differently. My Nikon D7000 does a pretty job up to ISO 1600. I try to avoid going this high whenever possible but sometimes you simply have to. Looking at the Nikon D4 high ISO performance makes me green with envy. Take the time to test your camera’s ISO performance so that you know what its limits are so that you can avoid having to spend hours in Photoshop trying to remove noise that didn’t need to be there in the first place. Whatever you do, do NOT crank the ISO all the way up. Your pictures might look alright on the back of your camera but they will be a mess and no amount of Photoshop will fix them in most cases. [...]

- How To Use EXIF Information To Take Better Photos by Digital Photo Secrets says:
  November 28, 2011 at 6:49 pm

  [...] is a recording of the camera model used, aperture, shutter speed, focal length, and in some cases, ISO speed and GPS coordinates. As cameras continue to get better, more information is recorded in the EXIF [...]

- Why so grainy?? says:
  October 30, 2011 at 1:52 pm

  [...] how ISO works, that should help you choose the proper ISO setting for your particular project ISO Explained!byDigital Photo Secrets __________________ Please check out my Kickstarter Project: What a Trip… Getting Lost on [...]

- The Sunny 16 Rule by Digital Photo Secrets says:
  August 21, 2011 at 5:53 pm

  [...] ISO speed is your camera’s sensitivity to light. A bigger ISO speed means a larger sensitivity. If your camera is more sensitive to light, it takes less light to make a picture more bright. Most cameras start out at an ISO speed of 100, and some models go as high as ISO 1600. That’s 16 times more sensitive than the default, meaning you’d need to expose the camera to 16 times less light in order to get the same picture. I talk more about ISO in ISO Explained. [...]

- Greg says:
  June 12, 2011 at 2:55 am

  very good stuff, thanks for the help!

- kreng says:
  May 14, 2010 at 9:06 pm

  2 thumbs up! ^^

- How To Take Photos of Fast Moving Sports Without Blurring The Subject by Digital Photo Secrets says:
  May 13, 2010 at 8:57 pm

  [...] those of us who hate acronyms, ISO speed is a fancy word for the speed at which your camera’s image sensor reads light coming in from [...]

- savio andrades says:
  April 5, 2010 at 3:01 am

  Hey,

  I am being following your tips since 2004 – 05 and found it really helpful. Infact i am now giving tips to other aspirants! Thank you very much!

  Savio Andrades
  India

- JRoberto says:
  April 2, 2010 at 1:08 am

  It is without doubt an interesting tip; it is very helpfull to work out nice shots right way from the camara by just balancing iso and speed. thanks!

- Mike says:
  January 13, 2010 at 1:31 pm

  Hello Krishnan,

  I think you advice to hamid may be incorrect. First, the Speedlite 580ex is made by Canon. It may be more appropriate to reccomend a Nikon SB900.

  Secondly, ISO 1600 on a D70? On a D700 OK, but for D70 there is a lot of noise at ISO800 and ISO1600 would be much worse.

  I’d recommend, with a flash and tripod to take the following steps. (I’m assuming your subject is a person against a night time cityscape.
  1/ Set the camera on a tripod
  2/ Set aperture to f11 (this i agree :))
  3/ use spot metering. Choose a spot on the background and adjust your shutter speed to that your exposure meter indicates that the background will be exposed properly. Recompose your shot (You can forget about the meter now)
  4/have your flash on the camera. Personally I like manual mode. Set the power to 1/32 or 1/16 or so.
  5/Take the photo. The background should be fine. If your subject is too dark, open your aperature more, like f8 or f5.6. If your subject is too bright, close the aperature more, like f11 or f16.

  Keep in mind the distance between you (and your flash) to your subject. The farther way, the darker the subject will be…

  Cheers!

- mohamad says:
  November 24, 2009 at 6:54 pm

  great info

- Useful Motion Blur in Photography says:
  November 24, 2009 at 2:42 am

  [...] was early afternoon on a sunny day. If you’re wondering what ISO is, then step over to Digital Photo Secrets for a brief, but informative, explanation. The key to shots like this one and the one below is to [...]

- seema says:
  July 18, 2008 at 5:19 pm

  This is one of the best sites ( for digital photography) that i’ve been to. The concept and detailed explanation behind it is excellent!

  Keep up the good work!!

- krishnan says:
  July 17, 2008 at 10:54 pm

  Hello Hamid,

  Lighting is not a problem. u can use a SppeedLite 580X for a better lighting. Set your camera to ISO1600 if it is for night shot. and to achieve a sharp image use F11 with a lower shutter speed. Use AV setting it will be very appropriate.

- krishnan says:
  July 17, 2008 at 10:51 pm

  ISO is once area you can manipulate. view my photos then you will know how to take night photos. I normally use manual and set a low speed in dark areas shutter speed 1/50, F11, ISO 1600
  This is sufficient for various shots including Formula One sports at night.
  All this I learnt from David only. Just sharing the knowledge with you guys.

- Julius says:
  July 16, 2008 at 7:35 pm

  Thanks for the tips.I learn a lot.

- Jacob says:
  July 10, 2008 at 3:32 pm

  Great tips and advice!

- hamid says:
  July 8, 2008 at 4:14 pm

  i have nikon d 70 camera but i have least of experiance about lighting.could you give me some tip about lighting,
  thanks
  hamid

- Alejandro Lopez Fenner says:
  July 7, 2008 at 6:57 am

  Dave. Thank you for your tips! I have tried some of them like using ISO 400 for indoor pictures with fantastic results. Your work is very inspiring to us photography lovers! Keep up the good work.

- julesh shah says:
  July 6, 2008 at 2:06 pm

  thanks a lot dear …. as you are spreading very informative knowledgable tips to the people

- photogphy says:
  July 6, 2008 at 5:04 am

  Thanks for the tips

- Garie says:
  July 6, 2008 at 12:52 am

  If I’m photographing a night scene for instance, I just put my camera on a tripod and lenghen my shutter speed until I get a good exposure. By bypassing the ISO setting and going this route, am I not avoiding most of the noise problem?

- Prayank says:
  July 5, 2008 at 4:02 pm

  I am amazed and happy to recieve your tips.

  Amazed – as I was not aware that photography can be an Art in true sense.
  Happy – as I am pursuing in Photography with a DSLR and I need such tips as many as possible.

  Grateful to you David for these basics. I am excited to do photography…

- Pat says:
  July 5, 2008 at 7:37 am

  David, love your tips.

  thank you.

- NOBBY says:
  July 5, 2008 at 6:35 am

  Great tips as ever !

- Eze A. Obulor says:
  July 5, 2008 at 1:51 am

  David,
  I think you’re a rare person among many. The tips are very inpiring, making one like going out to experiment knowledge gained from the tips as am going out to try out the tips on ISO for night shots.
  I think I owe you alot. Keep it up.
  -OBULOR

- Rose says:
  July 4, 2008 at 10:20 am

  love your tips your the best…..I have an Canon Power shot SD870 IS
  maybe one day you can discuss it…..thanks eh

- Tayo says:
  July 4, 2008 at 4:29 am

  You are a great and dependable teacher!Thanks for your support

- Terry says:
  July 4, 2008 at 1:59 am

  The tips are very helpful. As a progressing photographer I’ve employed many of the tips improving my shots from very good to great delivering a better product to my customers, while also decreasing the time I spend editing after the shoot.

- Frederico Derschum says:
  July 4, 2008 at 1:55 am

  Is ISO setting helpful for controling depht of filed? If I use a lower ISO, I’ll need a greater aperture setting, for the same shutter speed, this will reduce the focus range, correct?

- David Peterson says:
  July 3, 2008 at 6:49 pm

  Elaine,

  As I say in my tip, Auto ISO is a good thing most of the time. Your camera will automatically select the correct ISO for the scene you are shooting.

  David.

- mzaidi says:
  July 3, 2008 at 6:30 pm

  nice tips

- Elaine says:
  July 3, 2008 at 5:42 pm

  Hi,
  What about auto ISO!!! Is it good or bad?

- KHALID says:
  July 3, 2008 at 5:16 pm

  VERY USEFUL INFORMATION THANK YOU A LOT

- Matt says:
  July 3, 2008 at 2:03 pm

  Thanks for the tips they are great. Do you have tips for a more advanced photographer.

- nazaruddin says:
  July 3, 2008 at 1:30 pm

  I use to play around with ISO on my digital camera. Till your tips, i now understand why everytime i change the setting, the output is different. Your tips really help and useful to me. Thanks a lot.

- angela connery says:
  July 3, 2008 at 11:57 am

  Love your tips!!!!!

  Very helpful

  thank you!

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