“The ISO will be so high” is something I hear so often out on safari. So what!?!? I think so many people miss out on capturing special opportunities when they fret over employing high ISO settings. A high ISO is not the enemy!
There is no need to worry all too much about it anymore especially considering the advancements in modern camera technology. Post-processing tools have also evolved significantly, offering effective noise reduction solutions to refine images and mitigate any noise introduced at higher ISO levels.
If you sitting wondering what ISO is. Put simply, The ISO is will make your camera more or less sensitive to the light it receives. A higher ISO value enables shooting in low-light environments without compromising on shutter speed or aperture settings, crucial for capturing clear images in challenging conditions.
That said, the use of a high ISO does come with some down sides. The RAW image on the left has a lot of digital noise. The same image, processed, seen on the right proves just how well this can be cleaned up proving to you all that ISO is not the enemy!
This blog is not about explaining what ISO is but if you'd like a more in-depth explanation about ISO, please feel free to read the blog in the link below:
I am writing this blog to try convince you the ISO is not the enemy the video below will do just that.
That all said and done, you should now know that a high ISO is not the enemy but the rule of thumb mentioned is important to remember.
Your ISO should be as low as possible but as high as necessary. Do not let this value run free and wild because higher ISO values does not only amplify the digital noise in the image but it may decrease the dynamic range of the image, leading to loss of shadow and highlight detail.
Therefore, while high ISO is not the enemy, you as the photographer must balance the benefits with the potential drawbacks to achieve the desired image quality.
If you still believe that ISO is the enemy, remember these three options:
You can either create...
- No image
- A blurry image
- A noisy image
And only one of these can be fixed. Choice is yours.
Thanks for taking the time. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
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