Use these simple tips to squeeze the most out of your compact point & shoot camera the next time you find yourself at a concert.
How to Take Better Concert Photos with Your Compact Point & Shoot Camera
Why Do Indoor Photos Without Flash Look Yellow?
If you are experimenting with taking ambient lit photos — photos without a flash — indoors, you may notice that the colors often come out very yellow. This has to do with color temperature and white balance, and is very easy to fix both in-camera and in post processing.
iPhone 4 Gets a Serious Camera Upgrade
Apple just announced their new iPhone 4, and one of the features in this new smartphone is a camera with some serious specifications. Apple is looking to end the days of poor quality camera phone images, and perhaps even give the point & shoot camera industry a run for its money.
Top of the Rock Observation Deck Photo Guide
The Top of the Rock Observation Deck is one of the best places to photograph of New York City from above. You have a nearly unobstructed 360 degree view of NYC and the surrounding area, and the iconic Empire State Building will be included in your shots.
Alcatraz Photography Guide
No first time visit to the San Francisco Bay Area is complete without a tour of Alcatraz Island. This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the U.S., where you’ll see years of history in and around the prison complex. Not to mention spectacular views of the SF skyline.
Photographing the Midtown NYC Skyline from Gantry Plaza State Park
Gantry Plaza State Park is a 12-acre waterfront park along the East River in Long Island City, Queens, NY. It is not as well known as other waterfront parks, so it is less crowded and offers a different view on the skyline that what everyone is used to seeing.
Canon Aims for Low-Light Performance with PowerShot SD4000 IS
Canon’s newly announced PowerShot SD4000 IS has a set of specs that make one thing very clear: this camera is aimed at people who want better, sharper, brighter photos in low light environments.
Sony Releases Ultra Compact APS-C DSLRs: NEX-3 and NEX-5
An overview of the recently released Sony Alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5, two ultra-small DSLR cameras with APS-C sensors and HD video recording.
What is ISO?
ISO is the measure of film speed for a digital camera sensor, used to express how sensitive the imaging surface is to light. This measurement is called “ISO” because its method is set forth by the International Standards Organization.
Effect of ISO on exposure
ISO has a direct effect on exposure. Think of the camera sensor as “absorbing” more or less light at one time as the ISO is set higher or lower. A low ISO setting means less light is picked up, so you will need to use a longer exposure time and/or a larger aperture to get more light in order to capture the image. Conversely, if you choose a higher ISO setting, you need less exposure time and/or a narrower aperture.
Units of Measure
Without getting too technical, a digital camera’s ISO setting is expressed as a simple number. The higher the number, the more sensitive the setting, the faster the film speed. By doubling the ISO rating you double the sensitivity, and by halving the ISO rating you cut the sensitivity down by half.
For example, ISO 200 is twice as sensitive to light as ISO 100. By changing from ISO 100 to 200, you become able to use a shutter speed that is twice as fast as what was needed at ISO 100 to get the same exposure.
Let’s say you’re outside and the scene requires the camera to expose at ISO 100, f/16 and 1/100 sec. You see a moving subject and want a little faster shutter speed. If you just increase your shutter speed and nothing else, the image would be too dark. But if you double the ISO to 200 you can now shoot at ISO 200, f/16 and 1/200 sec. Because your ISO setting of 200 is now twice as sensitive, your exposure time can be twice as fast.
Digital camera noise
There is a trade-off of image quality when shooting at high ISO settings. On film, photographers saw grain appear. In digital photography, we see noise. The general consensus is that noise reduces image quality and is not desirable, therefore photographers in general tend to choose the lowest ISO possible while still getting a good exposure.
The ISO race
The current trend in digital camera design is to produce sensors capable of imaging at high ISO sensitivity. With a camera that is able to sense a great deal of light at once, photographers can use faster shutter speeds which makes it possible to shoot sharp hand-held photos without a tripod, and even photos of moving subjects, in low-light environments.
As of Spring 2010 we are seeing cameras like the Nikon D3s and Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, both of which are capable of shooting at speeds up to ISO 102,400. These kinds of cameras get increasingly acceptable image quality at incredibly high ISO settings, opening the doors to shooting environments in which it was previously incredibly difficult to get good images.
What is Aperture?
An Aperture is an adjustable opening inside your lens which controls how much light is allowed to reach the image sensor (or film). A series of blades controlled by the aperture mechanism increase and decrease the size of the hole which in turn increases or decreases the amount of light permitted to pass through. Here is a terribly simple sketch I made to illustrate the aperture inside a lens:
The photographer controls the aperture by adjusting the f number. In modern digital cameras this is done by turning a dial or pressing a button, while older lenses require the photographer to manually adjust an aperture ring on the lens barrel. Here are the key points to remember with regard to choosing an aperture setting:
Smaller f numbers correspond to a wider opening; larger f numbers correspond to a narrower opening. Therefore, smaller f numbers let in more light; larger f numbers let in less light.
Beginning photographers often find this confusing, so spend some time committing the idea of the last paragraph to memory — lower number, larger opening, more light. Higher number, smaller opening, less light. f/1.8 lets in more light than f/32.
If you put your camera into full manual mode, chose a shutter speed and ISO setting, then took a series of photos using a lower f number each time, each successive frame would be brighter than the last. This is because as you chose lower f numbers, you increased the size of the aperture opening and permitted more light to hit the sensor. Conversely, if you chose a higher f number each time then each successive frame would be darker than the last.
Fast Lenses
Lenses with wide maximum apertures are considered fast lenses because the aperture can be opened up to a very large diameter in order to let in a great deal of light, thereby enabling the use of a faster shutter speed. Think about taking a photo in a dark bar. If your lens is only capable of f/3.5 then you will need to keep the shutter open for a long time in order to take a photo. But if you switch to an f/1.2 lens you can choose a wider aperture to let in more light at once, which in turn gives you the option to use a faster shutter speed.
Fast lenses are helpful for hand-holding your camera in dark environments (as opposed to using a tripod). The fast shutter speed minimizes the blur that would otherwise result at a slower shutter speed from your shaking hands.
Depth of Field
Aperture has a direct effect on depth of field:
- Wider apertures (low f numbers) result in shallower depth of field.
- Narrow apertures (high f numbers) result in deeper depth of field.
You can create a blurry background behind a single subject by choosing a wide aperture such as f/1.8, or get everything sharp and in-focus for a landscape photo by choosing a narrow aperture such as f/22. See “How to Get the Most Background Blur Possible in Your Photos” to learn more about getting creative with depth of field.