What is ISO in Photography?

ISO is the abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization.

So what is ISO in Photography?

It is the Film speed to measure of a photographic film’s sensitivity to light, determined by sensitometry and measured on various numerical scales, the most recent being the ISO system. Relatively insensitive film, with a correspondingly lower speed index requires more exposure to light to produce the same image density as a more sensitive film, and is thus commonly termed a slow film. Highly sensitive films are correspondingly termed fast films.

ISO numbers usually double up, and each step gives one more stop of light. Common numbers are: 50 – 100 – 160 – 200 – 400 – 800 – 1600 and higher.

What is the important of this ISO in photography?

It is one of the important things to understand to get a proper exposure. It is comes together with Aperture and Shutter Speed. Lower ISO are commonly used in outdoor while higher ISO are commonly used in a low light environment. And also ISO will determine the quality of the images because the lower the ISO you used the less noise/grain you can get and the higher the ISO the more noise/grain you can get.

As a general rule, shoot with the lowest ISO you can get the sharpest image with the least amount of noise. However, if you need to, don’t be afraid to bump the ISO as far as you need to. Sometimes it’s better to get a noisy shot than no shot at all!

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