Playing with ISO

Recently, I read an article about using a higher ISO instead of flash when photographing indoors. It was an interesting article and had me excited to try it with my camera. The author of the article was using a high power Canon. I have a mid-level Sony. So, my results would be different than hers. But, I wanted to give it a try.

A little photography lesson. ISO is the speed of the "film" or image sensor. Higher ISO means you can shoot with faster shutter speeds in darker settings and still get a well lit photo. However, it comes with a price. The higher you go, the more noise that is introduced into the photo. (Noise is term used for fuzzy specks that show up on the image, especially in shadows.)

I've never shot anything professionally at higher than ISO 400. But, my son was playing sweetly this morning and I wanted to get some photos. I used three different settings. Here are the results.

This was shot at ISO 1600, f/3.50, SS 200. In a small size like this, it looks ok. But if you were to print it out at 8x10 or higher and the flecks of noise would be evident.

This was ISO 800, f/2.80, ss 160. It was a little darker, because it was backlit, so there was more to overcome. As you can see, it isn't as sharp as it should be. It's a good photo but I think it would have been better if I'd used a flash to fill in to darkness.

This was done at ISO 200, f/320, ss 3.50 with an external flash bounced off the ceiling. It's a lot clearer than the two above. The lines are crisp and the colors are bright.

I think I will be sticking to my rule of going no higher than ISO 400. If I need more light, I will definitely use my flash. Hopefully, one day I will have a fancy camera that can handle the higher ISOs. But, for now, my skill level and equipment prevent me from using it effectively.