The TRUTH about shooting at ISO 100 that the PROS know.
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My name is Simon d'Entremont and I'm a professional wildlife and nature photographer from Eastern Canada. In this video I'll share with why shooting at ISO 100 is advice best left unsaid.
I use Topaz Labs software for noise reduction, sharpening and upscaling:
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“The high ISO is revealing that your photo was noisy in the first place and not that the high ISO creates the noise”. Beautiful stuff 👌🏽
If ISO is not what makes the noise but rather reveals it. So where is the noise is coming from?
@@nasserkaoukno proper lighting or proper exposure
@@nasserkaouk Many sources, but you have no control over them because they are on the sensor and its readout and initial processing. These depend on technology specifics, sensor design specs such as required readout speed, and sensor readout mode, and on the required digital white balance. What you can control is light level. If you cannot add light to get better signal per noise on the photon level and on the electronics level, as we do in video, lighting for f5.6 ISO640 1/50 or whatever is required, with proper ISO you are making sure you are avoiding noise from an additional source. This is the noise from the digital signal level on the actual storage format. A RAW or compressed image or video have their own noise floor according to compression type, data rate and bit depth of format. and in modern video formats this is not static because it raises with higher amounts of motion and higher texture detail. If your digital signal is low on the recording format, it will have quantization, which reduces tonality, or even artifacts such as compression blocks and loss of shadow stops in some areas that were fine on the sensor level. A good recording level is a requirement in digital formats, especially compressed ones. Uncompressed floating point color formats will solve this, but it is not yet feasible. Formats that are far better than the sensor also reduce this problem. Most cameras in medium ISO only produce 5 to 6 bits of color, so a very capable high bit depth and low compression format will store the images fine even at low level, and I mean underexposed and in low ISO.
It's a slightly misleading example though - if you compare properly exposed images across the ISO range the noise will increase with the ISO. Same with grain on film stock. The pro trick here is to prioritise a correct exposure and to know your camera.
@@a__rankin If you have light, you will use it. In technical imaging we do not only light for best image, we also use a custom color filter to eliminate white balance gain/multiplication. This can add two stops to the blue information.
This has to be the most I have learned from a TH-cam video this year.
The most misinformation.
Exactly this :D
How have I never been taught this before! 🤯 I was always told the high ISO created the noise, and that it was better to brighten in post. This is a real game changer.
You are such a gifted teacher, Simon. Thank you 🙏
It does and doesnt, alot of the noise is created at high iso is interference in the sensor and body, most cameras today are fine to 3200 for stills and 800 for video, its more about understanding dynmaic range, 0 to 255 values true black and true white.
Your explanations have the clarity, simplicity, and elegance that only come with true expertise. So glad I found your channel!
Good video. The basic message, which I've believed for years: far more photos are ruined by out-of-focus subjects (resulting from insufficient depth of field) or motion blur than were ever ruined by excessive noise. Most viewers will notice out-of-focus and blur instantly; few will complain about noise. And as Simon pointed out, noise is now pretty easy to fix.
100 pct
Ya I think most of the ppl that are irritated by the post don't necessarily disagree as much as they disrespect a mf using click bait titles and power words...u instantly can't trust a person who uses these deceptive practices to get views. So there should b no surprise that a bunch of ppl are hating on/blocking this dkwad. "THE TRUTH" ya left out a shocking there clickbaiter
And THAT was always true.
If I’m permitted some dissent, some of the higher ISO shots here are noticeably paler in colour but most importantly (to me) are all unnaturally frozen. With all the advances in digital cameras, we’ve been left with talented, knowledgeable photographers with thousand of dollars of equipment shooting photos of taxidermied looking animals 😅 because now any motion is deemed as bad! Same happens with live shows of bands, etc.
What crasy ISO numbers !!!!
I used to photograph with Kodachrome 64 (only 64 ISO) or Fuji Provia 400F or 400X (400 ISO). For mooving subjects in bad lighting, I had to turn to B&W with Ilford Delta 1000 (pushed to 3200 and developped in XTol, even then it was quite grainy)...
You should really hold the camera stady with Kodachrome 64 if not using a tripod, and it was either no depth of field or not enough shutter speed, often both lacking (but what a great film non the less)... but... I could have never gotten this soaring howl picture with those low ISO ! 📷
Seeing this video, I feel like I just got released from ISO prison
From ISOlation, you might say
Same. My photographer life so far has been a lie... and I am now free.
@RememberTheTrees 😂😂😂
This is when I wish TH-cam has a "favorite" or "double thumbs up" for a video.👍👍
I was stuck in the "ISO 100" mindset for a long time, because the only camera I had was a Lumix from about 2005 with a max ISO of 400. After getting a more modern camera, it took a while for me to realize that I could get some really clean looking shots at higher ISO, especially indoors.
I figured out a long time ago I'd rather be able to run a faster shutter speed to capture action (which doesn't have to be something as crazy as sports, it can be a laugh, or quick smile, or a sideways glance) and if it had a little noise but was otherwise clean I was almost always happier.
I primarily work with audio. You stating that the issue is noise to signal ratio was all I needed to hear to make it all click. My hero.
same but for RF ❤️
I'm a wedding photographer and I used to shoot at ridiculously low ISO settings because I was so afraid of getting a noisy image but then the images always turned out to be noisy anyway because I was shooting at such low ISOs. The more that I comfortable I got with shooting at higher ISOs, the better my images looked.
Or just use a set of flashes like most pro photographers use. Most of the time there’s no reason to use a crazy high iso
@@matthoffman6962you completely missed the point. Congratulations
@@maxbtl lol thanks for the comment
Except the images didn't turn out to be noisy anyways because you were shooting at low ISOs, it was because you didn't know how to properly light for that ISO.
@@hankkingsley9183 in time, you will learn that you don't always have the ability, or even the permission, tu use studio lights and flashes everywhere :)
I cover live events and concerts, flashes are strictly forbidden and i don't have a say in the light show, high ISO capabiliy is THE deciding factor when choosing a new camera body
No two fields of photography are equal and your views and experience don't always translate to universal truths
Only go to the lowest ISO "IF" you have enough lighting to do so. Most important is getting the shot with the lighting you have. Your information is absolutely correct. Thank you for bringing the subject for newer photographers.
Wanted to comment that I only recently broke my shackles of low ISO. Seeing this video has now given me confidence to continue this sensation of freedom! Thanks! Subscribed
You can almost hear the collective gasps of the iso snobs. 😂 THANK YOU for dispelling these decades-long myths, Simon!
99% of photographers are snobs lmao
@@Perceptence One kind of camera snob that I know about, by being one, is the belief that only full-frame cameras with fast glass are "professional", because you can get more extreme bokeh with them. You CAN get better bokeh from a full-frame camera with fast glass, but maximum bokeh is not always necessary, or even desirable. I still like my full-frame and fast 85mm for portraiture, but lots of "lesser" cameras can take fine portraits.
The gasp is echoing.
ISO number is a concept from analog photography. It made sense in those times, because sensitivity came with the price of granularity. In digital photography it’s all about S/N.
Been shooting full time 10 years and never heard this at all but I'm a cinematographer and almost never film without additional lighting 😅
I moved to auto ISO for most handheld shooting years ago. I was reticent to use auto anything but I realised I was missing potentially great shots all over the place in my quest for low ISO, super detailed images. Now I stick with auto ISO unless it’s a landscape shot on a tripod. A sharp shot with ISO 800 is better than a blur at ISO 100 every single time.
Similar here: When using manual flashes, I use a fixed ISO. Otherwise I use the custom settings for quickly switching between the "people" setting with a shutter speed not slower than a 1/200th of a second and whatever ISO necessary and other frequent use cases. It doesn't help the foto if it's virtually noise free but OTOH the person in the image suffers from motion blur.
For fast shots... found my camera does 100-25600 with acceptable grain/noise, so have auto-ISO set to do it. Did an entire convention without touching my flash at all without much issue. One less thing to have to deal with when taking photos. Also use Aperture priority, and back button AF, with Continuous auto-focus mode, and works well.
@@wolphin732 I’ve used back button focus for the last 7 years. Would never go back to focusing with the shutter. I keep mine in manual mostly and select the aperture and shutter speed I want and let the auto ISO deal with the rest. If the ISO is creeping up a bit more than I want for the occasional shot, I open the aperture a bit and use a slightly slower shutter to compensate.
I never used auto ISO until recently. Vast improvement! For general hand held shots I mostly use auto ISO, stop down one stop and, if appropriate, bracket exposures. Manual ISO is just for specific cases.
Same. Manual Mode with Auto ISO, and then if I want I can limit how high the Auto ISO can go. I'm just a neophyte, but it's worked well for me so far.
I knew this intuitively but the way he demonstrated everything was absolutely masterful. Wow.
Eye opener Vlog for me Simon! Yep ... for my generation, who learned photography on negative and reversal films were available. I am 72 now, for me age is just a number and there is no age limit to learning! Creative people never retire!
I served in advertising and headed the creative teams of leading advertising agencies in Pakistan. Whenever we were outdoors for a shoot, my favorite film was Kodak Ektachrome, 50 ASA. No noise and ultra sharp images with vivid colors even using images for posters through process printing.
Now I am a consultant and brand developer, do photography myself with strobes. My most favorite areas are food, products, portraits and street photography.
All the very best Simon! Rgds. ♥
I must tell you something: This is the first time I've heard this advice and I really understood perfectly how the signal-to-noise ratio applied to sensors works (since I'm an electronics graduate as well as a photographer). Everything became logical after your explanation. In addition, the new denoise function in Lightroom had already prompted me to increase the ISO in my photos, with amazing results. I, who had even forgotten about the automatic ISO function on my Nikon, went and started using it in conjunction with the manual exposure controls. I really liked the results and I didn't see any photos where denoise was essential.
This post of yours deserves to be printed out and put up on my wall. A big hug and sincere thanks.
Welcome!
Right on. First time watching this channel. The advice in this video is gold. And your comment is helpful. Thank you. 🙏🏽
Yeah as soon as he said it's like a gain knob that was the aha moment.
@@MatticusNicholas On my astrophotography cameras there is no ISO, just a slider called « Gain ».
However I feel your explanation is introducing the misconception that gain/iso balances exposure and one can trade one for the other easily. However, ideally, just talking about a satisfactory SNR (not taking artistic factors into acount, e.g. minimizing exposure time), exposure and gain reach a minimum below which higher gain levels cannot compensate low exposure. Which is, because signal increases linearly with exposure but noise only with square root. Whereas shifting signal+noise levels with gain are both linearly proportional to each other. Or did I get that wrong (I just know from my time working with detectors for electron radiation, we needed to consider just that)
I have found no other photographer on YT who is this well spoken while also being charming, knowledgeable, humble and perhaps most importantly, not boring. An excellent teacher.
Yeah..and he's good to.
Too kind!
This was something I learned about a few years ago, going on a trip with a friend of mine who is a highly regarded dog photographer and me, being a landscape photographer. She instantly was amazed by the low ISO I was always trying to use. She tought me that having the right shutter speed was all I needed... Let the 'ISO fear' go... Since that moment, I've been so relieved!!! Using high ISO's all the time to get the crisp images I need...
Was expecting a really hot take from the title, but this video delivered way beyond expectations. I love how you emphasize on the fact that getting the shot is much more important than micromanaging all the settings to get a technically ISO sound image, and missing the shot or ruining it with the other two parts of the exposure triangle not being at the right settings for the scene. Great to see a rep for auto ISO too, learn how to use metering and your shots with auto ISO will come out perfect. Every photographer needs to see this video!
This video is proof that even the nature of TH-cam can't quash all authentic, informative, and interesting content. This is a sample of quality. Thanks for the tips, Simon.
Appreciate that
brownnosing there Brad....
@@emetahava No. I just think that when you see quality in a swamp of mediocrity, it should be pointed out. Let's encourage those who are producing concise, clear, and worthwhile information. I guess you haven't been there when I've roundly criticized a lot of the junk out there. :)
Wow. Absolutely not. - This video is terrible misinformation. Just clickbait. Don‘t watch it. The guy doesn’t know anything about photography.
@@christocan4710 I've been in photography a long time. I even developed my own black-and-white film with those old metal film reels back in the day. Oh, do I appreciate digital cameras. :) But I'm not too old to learn something. I think Simon provides that. I see no reason to denigrate him.
Simon is a master at explaining things. Its always clean and easily digestible. Loving it!
Wow, thanks!
@@simon_dentremont It's true - you have the gift of simplifying complex subjects so that everyone can understand. When I took early retirement a year ago and was finally able to spend time on photography, yours was one of the first channels I discovered and subscribed to. I've learned a huge amount already from your videos (your earlier video on using Manual + Auto ISO was an important one!). Many, many thanks!
He is a good communicator and I wish I had a teacher like him in photography, no nonsense.
Your not wrong !
I have been shooting for 30 years. Never had ISO so clearly explained.
Most helpful thing for me,
"The noise was already there, the ISO just reveled that it was there."
That is exactly what I needed to know. "Noise comes from not enough light, not from high ISO."
Thanks!
Glad it helped!
Simon, thank you for taking the time to make this video! You have a gift.
Basically, the ISO from a flim camera and from a digital camera is not the same and not comparable. My mindset was stuck in the film era, where we would prefer to shoot 100 ISO and below as 800 ISO film was just too grainy. We have come a long way in digital photography. Thank you for this video.
But film at ASA 100 can also be grainy if shot in low light
Precisely. Film is why many think high ISO is bad. Good video, good comment.
@@puaspitonOld digital was worse than high ISO film.
@@joel6376 Exactly. On my first two digitals I actually went to 50 and 60 as much as I could. I used tripod (sometimes as monopod) A LOT. IIRC early dSLR's could go ISO 400 MAX. At resolution of 3 Mpix. Before Nikon D300 you could pretty much forget about clean nightime shots, because even with tripod and bulb mode, sensors ran hot and therefore noisy. And unfortunately digital noise exists also, maybe even more, in colour, while film grains is only in luminance.
Yeah, today I can shoot ISO 3200 with my phone, no problem. And of course you need to understand exposure time and your subject, because shooting landscapes, or even more waterscapes and infrastructure, is totally different from shooting wildlife or sports. In the first case you sometimes use ND filters to make exposure longer on purpose.
A lot of filmcameras have the perfect fit around iso 400...
The sensor dynamic range decreases at higher ISO, it's not just the noise and SNR ratio. Having said that, a lot of full frame cameras retain more than satisfactory dynamic range until ISO 2000, even ISO 3200. This is more important for landscapes. In regards to noise, what you say is completely accurate.
In addition to that color depth is decreased in higher iso as well.
here is an example for the sony A7 III in color depth reduction cdn.dxomark.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CS_Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-IV-vs-Nikon-D850-vs-Sony-A7-III-1024x468.png
Dynamic range may decrease at higher ISO, but an under exposed image with "high dynamic range" will still look worse than a properly exposed image.
Sensors have a 'native' ISO so setting below that also reduces dynamic range. As a cinematographer I work to the camera's native ISO as much as possible.
Do some tests. Shoot with plenty of light at 100 iso, and then 800 iso. You will see a marked difference in grain/noise. What you determine is "satisfactory" is entirely subjective.
Best advice I’ve been struggling to make my images sharp and this showed me how to … this video showed up to me without even looking for it.
camera drone pilot here. My people need to watch this... WOW. thanks!
The day I lost fear of high ISO was when I watched your video on manual with auto ISO. I started shooting not worrying about ISO and when I uploaded the files to my pc I was amazed at how many of those photos were taken at ISO 1600 and you couldn't really notice. Truly eye-opening.
I just started photography and was following the "keep ISO as low as possible" rule. I kept getting angry because my photos were blurry. I have shaky hands and my shutter speed was very low. I'm glad that you've taught me to not be scared of higher ISO's and realise that they go that high for a reason!
A good approach is to choose the widest lens aperture (smallest f-number) that delivers an adequate depth of field and the slowest shutter speed that will freeze movement to your liking without blowing out important highlights. Those settings not only control two important creative elements of a photo, they also determine exposure and the amount of light used to make the photo. From there, choose an ISO - or delegate that choice to the camera through auto ISO - that delivers an image having a pleasing lightness. The more attention given to those creative settings of f-stop and shutter speed, the higher the likelihood you'll make pleasing photos...at any ISO.
Hope you have shake reduction. I think mine adds about 3 stops or so. Experiment to see what shutter speeds you can reliably shoot and then up the ISO when needed.
Use a heavy tripod the 3rd most important gear besides, in order, your brain, your camera, your tripod...
I have shaky hands to it sucks.
@@Not_So_Weird_in_Austin Agreed. Least loved most essential gear
Fellow Canadian here! Just recently got into photography and stumbled upon your channel by just looking up advice and tips! Very informative and is great for someone like me who is trying to understand what the living Heck I am doing! A lot of of my friends are constantly telling me to go at lowest ISO possible. Thank you so much for all the information and education, kind Sir!
I just started photography and im so glad i started watching your videos. The way you deliver the information really helps me understand not just how to do something but why. So thank you
I just started 2 months ago and yes, so much this. People have been telling me certain things like “turn your ISO to this” or “make sure your aperture is this” and I’ve been screaming “W H Y ?” for the entire two months. This has been beyond helpful.
The real trick is taking the time to learn the limits of your camera in terms of ISO performance. It is important to know where the tipping point of a camera is in acceptable high ISO noise. Once you know the upper limit, you can set the ISO range for using auto ISO. In terms of cropping there is an old adage that states " if you think you are close enough, get closer".
His point is that there is no limit where you’re better off just underexposing the shot. If you can create more light by adjusting the shutter speed or aperture, that is sometimes preferable. If you cannot, then you must raise the ISO as much as needed.
The upper limit comes from what the image is for. If you’re just shooting for your own enjoyment, there is no limit but when you work for a client, you have to know what the requirements for a usable image are. Sometimes it can be flexible, other times there’s a hard limit and you have to plan your gear accordingly.
@@stickgarrote8582 That sounds like situations where the lighting is too poor to produce a professional image, not situations where underexposing the shot is better than raising the ISO. That’s the lighting exceeding a limit, not the ISO.
The simple truth is every camera absolutely *does* have an upper limit where raising ISO *will* produce worse results and as such this point should only really be crossed as a last resort and certainly not without consideration, and that many cameras *do* use auto ISO in a way that raises the ISO way too much way too quickly for the intended result, increasing the noise and decreasing dynamic range as a result while gaining nothing. So as always in photography, if you want to get the best results, learn to use your camera to its maximum potential and know its strengths and weaknesses inside out so you can take advantage of the strengths and avoid the weaknesses. Which is photography 101, really, and applies to any camera you'll ever use, be it a simple point-and-shoot (or camera phone) or an expensive full-frame DSLR with lenses that cost a small fortune.
@@Case_ So you’re saying it is better to underexpose and brighten in post-processing than raise the ISO beyond the alleged limit? The point of the video is that if those are your only two options, raising the ISO is less problematic. Obviously we’re talking about situations with no other options (e.g., slower shutter will produce motion blur and aperture is already wide open).
You have taught me not to be afraid of getting out of "Auto" mode on my camera, and to experiment with ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. My photos have greatly improved because of it. I am going to Scotland this fall - I am expecting better photos than I have previously taken.
I'm the opposite, afraid of using auto modes, such as for iso. I need to work on being more flexible in certain situations. Especially since we now have the denoise feature in Lightroom Classic.
@@L.Spencer Understand your feelings. Experiment with it. Try limiting how far the camera can adjust the ISO. And try printing as well. It's unlikely you'll even see minor noise. The experience will be the best way to get over any concerns, and learn your personal limits on how far you let auto ISO adjust. Happy experimenting!
DAAAAAMNNN, this is a big revelation for me... I am so glad I found this channel
I am forever thankful to you for teaching me this. I was clueless because I was alway taught to keep that ISO low. I set my camera in Manual with ISO in automatic and boom everything changed.
This is BY FAR the best explanation and reasoning I've ever heard in a video. Very clear terminology with visual demonstrations and use of examples. A child might be able to understand everything you're saying here. Exceptional job!
I’ve been working in the outdoor industry for over 10 years, but only recently took the dive into telephoto glass for wildlife images. I was nervous about shooting high ISOs until the photographers I was working with shared their knowledge.
Your videos are great confirmation of practices and feature great ideas. I really appreciate what you’re doing! Cheers, from BC and SE Alaska!
The gain knob analogy is absolutely spot-on. In audio recordings, it works EXACTLY like that. Every room has noise, but bringing the gain knob higher, you make it more evident if there's no clear signal being sent to the microphone to increase the signal to noise ratio.
Great explanation. I shoot weddings with mostly available light and I long embraced high ISOs as a necessary tool for my style of working
I’m just getting back into photography after over a decade away from it and I have not at all been happy with my work. This video just explained exactly what I’ve been doing wrong. Thank you so much!!
It took me few years to learn and stop being ISO purist and I can't show how much happy I'm to see the same train of thoughts from the professional like you! Bravo to you for this! 👋💪
To be honest, old cameras were very noisy back in the day. Before 2010, there were many cameras which were noisy as hell even at ISO800 and 1600 was the limit. There werent so much auto settings for ISO and minimal shutter speed, so its not only about learning the lesson of ISO.
I learned to shoot at very high ISO through birding because you have f/5,6 - 6,3 apertures and need 1/1000 or higher and have to accept what the camera tells you and you cant and wont buy a 600mm f4 lens for a hobby to get around this a little bit.
Most pictures look noisy because of wrong focus or wrong shutter speed.
This is the best and most informative photography video I've watched. You bring out the beauty of our province!
After watching your video, I'll be more relaxed about ISO settings.
I absolutely agree and love this advice. Took me years to understand that having noise is way less of a problem than risking blurry photos.
Far as I know, you also lose dynamic range and color depth sensitivity going higher on ISO.
When ISO100 wasn't flexible enough for me, I learned to default myself at 400. From there I play around the shutter
I already knew this, but man, I wish I'd found your channel earlier. Amazing video, well explained. I look forward to viewing your other content 📷
One of the best, most useful and truthful photography videos on TH-cam! It deserves repeated watching until knowing the script by heart! Terrific job !!! Thank you for busting the myth !
Glad you enjoyed it!
I grew up in photography. My father was a great photographer. I became a lab manager for other photographers. Back then we used film and if you used anything over 400 ASA the photos would have a lot of grain or noise in them. So everyone would try to shoot with 100 , 64 or 25 ASA. ASA changed to ISO in 1974. People think that ASA was for film and ISO was for digital, but this isn't the case. If you have a film that is ASA 400 or 400 ISO, they have the exact same light sensitivity as one another. But you probably already new this. Everyone thought that digital would never be as good as film. I'm guilty of this. Since I started shooting wildlife I quickly found out that auto ISO is the way to go! The information you provide is priceless! I look forward to your videos, they have taught me a lot. Thank you!
I still have some 64 for slides on my freezer!!!!!!
I shot lots of 400 and some 1000 film back in the day. Yes, they were grainy. The best thing about digital is you can EXPERIMENT. Try every ISO and see what it does. Not quite an option for film
I recently stumbled upon your videos, they are simply fantastic. I've been a semi-intermediate hobbyist photographer for over years, and still learn new things from your videos. So well explained and good examples. Keep up the fantastic work, greetings from Finland! 🥰
Awesome, thank you!
I had been shooting Av. After watching your video, I switched the Canon M50 to M with auto ISO. Snapped a few pics. I love it, thanks so very much!
It's really interesting, I'm an engineer who studied sensors (mostly acoustic ones) for 5 years and you're definitely right. Playing with gain / ISO is a good way to get the most signal and information. Of course you'll get more noise but it is easier to crop noise than to create additional information in the signal. I must try higher ISO.
I’ve been surprised at how much more ISO (gain) I need to create a proper exposure in the shadows that I got at lower ISO film rolls!
This explanation is almost poetic. Much appreciated, all the best Simon.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video!!!!! it has helped so much clear up ISO to me.
Glad it helped!
I do a lot of stage photography. My default iso ranges from 5000-8000. My shutter pretty much stays at 500 because performers move so fast. I still deal with a bit of noise, but Topaz helps a lot. I have been able to get so many wonderful photos out of these settings.
I'm always grateful for guys like Simon, who offer up their time & expertise.Thank you, you make photography so much easier to learn.
Glad you like them!
This is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing advice and content ❤
You're so welcome!
Absolutely informative video. Thanks for valuable advice. Keep sharing.
When I started photography (60 years ago) it was all about film, and the standard film was 100 ASA (which became ISO). It was based on normal lighting in the middle of the day for shooting at f8 and 100th second. The only other option was 400 ASA film for sports, or if you were using transparency film (which was the best by far) you could get 32 ASA film that was great for anything where your subject was static. Digital changed everything.
32 sounds crazy cool!
I started photography 30 years ago, just before digital entered the world of photography. I was always using film 100, but that limitation helped me to fall in love with my aperture settings. I actually think those who learned on film have a technical and artistic advantage over those who grew up 100% digital.
I learned and "grew up" using a DSLR but could not stand the auto or "creative" settings, so I'd always just shoot on manual. I recently got into film and not much is different other than the fact I have to manually focus everything and am locked into a specific ISO until I am done the roll of film.@@Ric9hardify Exposing for the shadows instead of the highlights was the hardest thing to get used to.
I was shooting in low light a lot back then and was always pushing 400 asa to 800. I loved the way it looked.
@@davidgreus3041 In the late 90's, I used to use Kodak Ektar 25 to shoot candid portraits and things not moving. I loved the color saturation more than any other film I ever tried. The enlargements were also some of the best I ever had. I usually carried two bodies because the one with the 25 in it was unusable so much of the time because of it not being bright enough to shoot without a tripod. It's nice now not having to go through 24 or 36 exposures to finish off a roll of film before you can change the ISO.
Studying cinematography really deepened my knowledge on ISO as well. In the cinema world, lower ISO shots have the dynamic range allocated toward the shadows while higher iso shots allocate the dynamic range to the highlights. So for low light scenes it’s actually MUCH better to shoot at lower ISO’s many times, because there will be significantly more detail in the dark shadows. This does mean you need to light accordingly though. Still the same principle applies, you can’t starve the sensor of light. as long as there’s lighting hitting the subject and you’re not trying to make a black hole visible, higher iso settings aren’t the end of the world
ummm... no.. this is backwards. lower iso increases the dynamic range in the highlights, and the shadows get crushed because of lack of light. higher iso will over expose the hilights reducing their dynamic range and bring out more dynamic range in the shadow, which can be pushed back down in editing. cinematography requires you to keep you shutter at half the speed of your frame rate to maintain 180 degree motion blur, so lowering your iso in a dark environment will always make you footage darker in the shadows and introduce more compression artifacts and lose you dynamic range in the shadows.
@@homewardboundphotos That is completely wrong, and @mikemarch416 said it right. When shooting video, you get more detailed highlights at higher ISO values because the camera "sacrifices" the dynamic range of the shadow areas to preserve highlights by "elevating" the dynamic range window (making the shadow areas noisier). You can see this in action in this video, along with charts:
th-cam.com/video/eyiVjTrEEbw/w-d-xo.html
It's no coincidence that, for example, S-LOG starts at ISO 800, you can't set it any lower than that.
@@erikpeterffy7552 uhh what, this video you linked has exactly nothing to do with whats being talked about and is irrelevant.. you need to think about this. why would increasing the iso, and pushing the highlights closer to clipping preserve them? you're pushing them closer to the end of the dynamic range of the camera. making the image darker (lowering iso) preserves detail in the hilights. making the image brighter (raising iso) preserves detail in the shadows. log starts at 800 because it's a reverse s curve and since shadow detail is harder to retain than hilight detail, the curve favours higher iso. that's the reason.
The camera doesn't "sacrifice" detail in the shadows at high iso. it just makes the shadows brighter, which is the exact opposite of sacrificing detail in the, which is exactly the point of slogs reverse s curve, because the mp4 codec it records is lossy and throws out data closer to the blacks and whites. don't even start man, i make 6 figures, have 50k worth of gear, and a 5 series bmw because the photo and video works that i do. I know what i'm talking about.
@@homewardboundphotos You are completely misunderstanding the concept of dynamic range. Increasing ISO doesn't make anything necessarily brighter, as you can achieve the same exposure at ISO100 and ISO6400 by simply using a faster shutter speed, narrower aperture or ND filter, so you don't push anything toward clipping. In the linked video you see exactly that, and the uploader literally talks about why you have more stops of dynamic range toward the brighter part of the image at higher ISO (he even encircles it for you in the diagram). Study the figure carefully at 1.34. There it is in big red and blue lettering what I am talking about. 6EV vs 8EV. As for the second half of your comment, well that gave me a good laugh. Anyone who's been shooting amateur video for at least 2-3 years knows you have no clue about video and thus the concept of the "exposure triangle". Anyway, I have 51k in gear and a 6 series BMW, so I know better. 🙃
@@erikpeterffy7552 omg your video actually validated everything I'm actually saying, you just don't understand the video XD both footages were shot AT ISO 800. He put an ND filter on it to make the image DARKER, therefore RETAINING DETAILS IN THE HIGHLIGHTS. The reason he's not just lowering the ISO in the camera is because 800 is as low as slog 3 will let you record. Record the image DARKER, retain detail in the HIGHLIGHTS. Same ISO, lower brightness (because of ND) = more detail in the highs. And guess what dumbass? The same works in the darks. Record the image BRIGHTER by increasing the ISO, and retain more detail in the shadows.
Absolutely hilarious when morons share examples that actually prove them wrong, but they don't realize because they don't understand what's happening on the screen LMFAO! what an absolute joke.
Its amazing how you share your knowledge in such an accesible and easy way. Very good content.
that is one of the best explanation videos i've watched so far as a beginner photographer! thank you so much, the video explained everything i needed to know about the ISO which was quite confusing for me because i could never get it right for my images not being over- or underexposed. Thank you so much 👍
I actually really like luma noise in printed photos and typically just remove the chroma noise. Creates a nice organic textured look in my opinion. We shouldn’t fear noise as much. It’s the chroma noise that looks digital and cheap. The luma noise can be very pleasant.
Me being a fan of unprofessional looking, capture of the moment photographs, I think even chroma noise has a feel to it, like the look of a cheap point and shoot film camera.
@@candle_eatistcolour film does not create chroma noise, that happens with digital sensors when scanning poorly exposed negatives
@@alvareo92 I'm saying chroma noise gives a feeling similar to that of the look of a cheap film camera, not that cheap film cameras create chroma noise.
What’s the highest ISO photo you were proud of? Let us know!
5000 iso ut was an indoor event at night and I only did it because I saw a friend do same with the same camera and everything came out fine after notice reduction
I'm not "scared" of using high ISO when needed, but I always prefer ISO-100 (on my Canon cameras) if possible. Look at A and B at this image. Would you agree that high ISO and noisereduction is the culprit here? www.bjone.no/High_ISO_less_details.jpg.
You have to test your sensor and each lense used to determine what's acceptable mage quality. High ISO is electrical gain in the circutry. I would test then set the auto ISO to the maximum ISO then set shutter and apeture for the scene. Shooting kids soccer on a clear sunny day I can set ISO to 1000, shutter to f8 and the shutter is fast enough to stop action with good depth of field. This works for my camera a D7200 with Nikon 80-200 classic zoom. Testing is the key.
Great video sir. Very good explanation. I feel the noise occasionally adds to the atmosphere and the subject matter sometimes calls for it. I tend not to shoot with flash if at all possible. Highest I've shot on a pro gig was 12800 on a 5D MKIV and it turned out great (backstage at a jazz concert). Usually though I don't hesitate at all to go as high as 6400. I normally have a rough minimum shutter speed in mind and adjust the ISO as low as possible to still yield that shutter speed. Having said all of that, after over a decade of photogprahy I don't think in numbers anymore and adjust things on the fly completely by feel, I just think, more/less depth, brightness, speed etc. and just go by feel. Its hard to explain, but the numbers stopped being numbers and are more just reference points not even that. Editing is already subconsciously taken into account as the photo is shot as well. Its all an intuitive blend of the whole process at this point, its not just taking a singular photo at certain numerical settings.
Just a comment on the cropping. You can crop without loosing "effective" quality of the photo, if you just crop one edge of the photo. The short edge for example. I do this quite a bit and don't hesitate making photos different aspects, its nice to shake it up a bit.
Continue to learn more from this video. Thank you Sir.
Amazing, thank you. It's very informative. Beautiful photos!
I have watched several videos from you now, and all of them say not to stick to iso 100. After trying it out myself, I had no luck at getting sharp images, even at 3200. After consistently raising the iso and adjusting the other settings accordingly, I'm now more comfortable shooting higher iso and can get sharp images with it. Thank you for being such a great teacher and balancing knowledge and information with examples and fun. You're one of my go to guys with questions now, and I greatly appreciate the knowledge. Thank you
Simon has really changed my photography. It's rare to hear these type of scary myths discussed. I love using auto ISO. I have caught so many amazing shots because of it. I used to think auto ISO was icky. I've learned so much more from this channel than most. My shots are more consistent. Better exposed. Sharper, better.
It isn't just talk. This channel has taught me so much. Keep up the great work Simon!
Great to hear!
I learned to shoot in Manual by setting the ISO first. I think it really boxed me in - your explanation makes so much sense! Thank you for this.
Definitely didn't know any of this. Blew my mind. Thank you so much.
Great stuff. I'm a wildlife/landscape photographer and can confirm I've gotten some great shots at crazy high ISO. I once shot a barn own in the middle of a snow storm an hour after dark at 12,800. That was years ago before the huge improvements in noise reduction that have improved it a lot. Now I don't generally go too much over 3200, I heavily prioritize shutter speed and aperture on most shots. One thing that was very helpful to me in the beginning was guessing the correct exposure settings - then seeing how off I am based on the camera auto-settings, then also really understanding metering and range pictograph. It all really comes back down to understanding light then applying that to how a digital camera captures it. If you've never dived into how camera sensors work - it is very helpful. I will say video is less forgiving - but as far as photography goes, use that ISO! :)
Great advice Simon. I’ve been shooting in manual with auto ISO for years and love it. And, as a bonus, my camera, the Fujifilm X-T4, always chooses the lowest ISO, depending on the lighting quality. Camera manufacturers know what they’re doing when they design their latest cameras; we should trust them and not just listen to the advice of well meaning, but misinformed, other photographers. Great channel Simon. Keep the good advice coming!
Your post was changed my photos quality! Brilliant information! Thank you, thank you!
I recently found your channel and after one video I subscribed. Best thing that has ever happened to me as a photographer! Thank you so much for explaining this so easily!!!
Welcome aboard!
I learned not to worry too much about ISO back in the film era!
In my country (and possibly elsewhere too?) the newspapers stopped using film and went fully digital all at the same time. (I don't remember what year it was). This meant that the camera stores had a big surplus of 800 ISO films that they could no longer sell to the press photographers. So these films suddenly became cheaper than the 200 ISO films that we amateurs usually bought. And I got great results with ISO 800! Noise was much less of a problem than I had anticipated. It took me some time to fully understand why this was so, but using higher ISO was a good lesson.
I'm old enough to remember the term ASA (film speed). The camera's I used had the ASA dial setting on the top of the camera. I used quite a bit of Kodacolor Gold , ASA's 100, 200 & 400. different times but similar techniques.
@@jimbruton9482 I started shooting on film when I was a kid (I'm 32 now) because my dad always loved photography. I used to get ASA 400 film and it felt like I was ready for everything lol like strapping your fastest shoes
He is the only who can really show you the way to be a better photographer,
because noone else can show you what you really need to know
Thanks Simon
Thank you for all your knowledge and for sharing valuable advice.
Well, this is typicaly the kind of tips i'm looking after to progress. Simon, thank you so much for this helpfull video! 👍👍
It's amazing how big the difference is between a TH-camr and a real photographer! Flawless video, congratulations! As I leave the studio, i set aperture priority, auto-ISO and auto-shutter speed with manually selected minimum value. The latter eliminates motion blur (e.g. I don't let it go below 1/500 in auto-mode), but if suddenly "too much" light hits the sensor (light levels are constantly changing in an event shoot), the camera can instantly increase this value for the correct exposure.
My Nikon CoolPix P900 shoots between 100-6400 ISO, I never really had any lessons until after the first year, so I was always shooting over ISO 1000, because I didn't quite understand shutter speed and aperture. Fast forward a few years later, now I shoot between 200-800 for normal photos and don't edit my results anymore. I still use +1000 ISO for astro photography, but mostly for the moon and very few planets. I was never, nor am I currently afraid of high ISO, so when I learned that most TH-cam channels tell you to stay between 100-400, I thought they were crazy. This is a refreshing change of pace, and definitely the reason I stick to your channel for inspiration and insight.
Honestly your explanation on auto iso is right on point. I used to shoot full manual exclusively but you’d always get burners for either tests or if you’re shouting a quickly moving subject in a highly dynamic scene. Auto iso just completes your exposure within your given parameters. I know that if I’m using auto iso I will at least get an image that could be milked in processing to make a usable image. With that being said I am always keeping an eye on my iso to make sure that my shutter speed and aperture are not hindering the cameras ability to capture the scene at an acceptable iso. You do need to understand a proper exposure to make youse of auto iso
I'm a hobby photographer for years and I know about the concept explained in this video.
But I have never seen a video explaining it so well and to the point, backed up with examples and tips.
The video is neither too short nor too long.
Bravo. That earned you a thumbs up and a new subscriber!!
Thanks for sharing!
One thing that was missed was that you can balance ISO with a flash. In a dark environment you light a subject with the flash but also expose the environment using a higher ISO where the flash won’t reach
During the film days, my brother and I did wildlife and landscape photography in the Rockies. He always used the lowest ISO (ASA?) possible while I was overjoyed when ISO 400 appeared. While my brother kept changing his film based on the subject, I exclusively used 400. That's when he gave me the nickname, "Old 400", and I've used that moniker ever since. Thanks for this fine training, Simon.
I did likewise in Hawaii and Alaska, Kodachrome 25. But eventually settled on Kodachrome 64 since I needed a bit more speed for bird photography.
Love 400 color film.
Your example of where the noise comes from is really refreshing! Thanks!
Such great content. Clear, friendly, and well articulated. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I realized years ago that motion blur is usually much worse than noise, so I turn up ISO as much as I need to to keep exposure times short enough.
Especially with modern 16-24MP sensors... even older 12MP cameras. If you're asking these questions you're most likely not printing or displaying any of your photos big enough to see the noise.
I’ve been shooting pro wrestling for the past few years. Understanding ISO has been integral in getting perfectly exposed action shots in challenging lighting conditions. This video is a great explainer for those who might be scared off bumping it up or relying on auto ISO, it’s really useful!
Simon, I'm so glad I found your channel. I'm learning a lot from your videos. I've been unknowingly following your advice for ISO quite some time. I usually select A or P and Auto ISO depending on the subject and the depth of field I want.
Fantastic!
This was an amazingly informative video. Completely changed my outlook on iso within the first few minutes
I work in networking fulltime (so im very familiar with the concept of SNR and it made ISO make sense to me almost imediately) but Im a photography and DP on the side. It blows my mind how widespread the misconception of ISO is. Its always refreshing watching your videos keep up the good work.
I really appreciate this video, Simon! As a "hobby photographer", I was definitely in the category of "shoot everything at ISO 100 if you can". After watching your video just now, I'm now a changed man. 😎👍 Thank you!
I never lowered the ISO I'm so glad that you say this!! I couldn't figure out why to lower so much
Very clear, very concise, and very true. Excellent tutorial!
Best explanation for ISO Simon. When i started i came from landscape photography and ISO was hard grained to be 100. But these days, the noise removal apps, having more control of shutter speed to nail the shot and seeing the difference of not having the good speed for action has shown me proof that i had to let it go awhile ago, so happy i did. Excellent example of the seascape and landscape action shots.
Auto ISO made my shooting so much easier. Like you said in your other videos, the ISO is like a messenger telling you that you need to get more light to the sensor. Great video as always!
Glad I stumbled on your channel. Very informative!
Thanks for watching!
Incredibly helpful, interesting and well made. Thank you!
From what I learned you prioritize aperture and shutter speed according to the subject and adjust ISO accordingly as long as the noise level is still acceptable.
Aperture = to get the target depth of field and hyperfocal distance.
Shutter speed = to get the proper speed to capture. still, slow. or fast moving subjects.
There is a limit where you just have to stop increasing the ISO because of the noise amplification and artifacts it produces and you just have to with slightly change/compromise the ideal shutter speed or aperture to get a balanced result.
100000 % right!!!!
I remember when I first started photography, I had this kind of bias to keep my camera at ISO 100 because I wanted to keep the picture as sharp as possible. This caused me a lot of stress as I would adjust the shutter speed and aperture in order to compensate for the dark exposures of my photos. Nighttime photography was a no-go for me at the time unless I set the shutter to a long exposure. So glad I eventually got out of that bias and I got much better results from there.
I just discovered your channel today. First video ended with a new subscriber. Second video, and I'm blown away by the way you explain and present the facts. Thank You!
Welcome aboard!