Most cameras will include the ISO options when you’re taking pictures, but unfortunately, many people don’t take this value into account when they are taking pictures, leading them to miss out on potential image quality.
There is some confusion about what ISO actually is. In film cameras, it refers to light sensitivity – but this doesn’t exist digitally. ISO instead is just a metaphor for this. It causes photographers to focus on the wrong parts of digital images because they develop differently than film. We need something better.
Key Takeaways:
- Many people do not fully understand digital ISO — or, even worse, they have an incorrect understanding of ISO.
- Digital ISO is a totally different function than film ISO because the two types of cameras develop very differently.
- ISO tries to replicate digitally what occurs in film photography — but poorly, leading to adverse effects for many.
ISO is an increasingly shaky metaphor that promotes misunderstanding, obscures what your camera is doing and robs us of the tools we need to get the most out of our cameras.