What is iso? and why do my pics come out grainy?

Position:Home>Visual Arts> What is iso? and why do my pics come out grainy?

Question:

This is a picture I took!.
http://photos-a!.ak!.facebook!.com/photos-a!.!.!.
This along with many others always looks really grainy and noisy when you zoom in!. It was even rejected from some website because the amount of grain!.

Idk whats wrong!. I think that the amount of grain and iso have something in common!. I usually keep the iso settings on auto and the shooting mode to either auto or landscape or macro!.

So can anyone explain to me whats wrong here and how does iso workWww@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

ISO is the same as film speed!.
If you set the iso at 100 that is the same as using 100 film
and so on!.
The higher the iso the more noise there is going to be!.
You want to use the lowest iso as passible for better results!.
!00
200 for brightly lit conditions
400 for still well lit conditions but a little less lght
800
1600
3200 All for poor lighting conditions!.
Again the higher the iso the more noise or grain you will have!. Get of those auto modes for better results!. I use manual 99% of the time!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You've already gotten plenty of info about what ISO is!.

Now !.!.!. about those settings!.!.!.

1!. Never allow your camera to use Auto ISO - simply because by doing that you're letting the camera decide how much grain you're going to get!.

Experiment a little!. Try 100, 200, 400, maybe even 800!. Gain some understanding of the effect each has under different lighting conditions!. THEN, use your brain and take control!.

Unless you have a camera that offers no other choice, NEVER use AUTO!. If you have P (Program) mode use it!. Or learn to use either Aperture or Shutter Priority!.

Presets like Landscape or Macro are okay!. But you can almost always do the same thing better when you really understand your camera and practice!.

Contrary to what a lot of marketing, and a lot of lazy people say about digital photography, it IS NOT AS EASY AS JUST PUSHING A BUTTON AND EXPECTING A MIRACLE!.

Good photography requires skill and practice!.

You're asking the right questions!. Keep at it!. You'll do fine!Www@QuestionHome@Com

ISO refers to the sensitivity of the digital sensor or film!. A higher ISO absorbs more light and more detail than a lower ISO, increasing the grain in the process!.

Try to always use the lowest ISO possible on your camera, 80 - 100 is pretty normal!. On overcast days or when I am shooting sports, I set my ISO between 200-400 so I can use a faster shutter, and capture the action without motion blur!. The highest ISOs 800 + will give you the most grain!.

Using your ISO in conjunction with your shutter speed, and your apertue, you can shoot more creatively!.

Check out the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson, this book will explain in detail, how all three work together!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

iso stands for international system organisation !.!.!.!.!. the more u keep the iso the more grainy ur pix will come !.!.!. iso basically looks out for the light exposure just like aperture !.!.!.!.
for more detailed explanation - for all the camera settings visit www!.gadget-freak-me!.blogspot!.comWww@QuestionHome@Com

ISO and ASA are measures of light sensitivity of film!. The ISO term has been carried over into the digital camera to represent how much light the sensor will "take in"!.

A higher ISO will allow photos to be taken in low light conditions while still maintaining a fast shutter speed to prevent blur!. The problem is, especially with point and shoot cameras, higher ISO does produce the ugly "digital noise"!. The sensor is TINY on the point and shoots and thus so are the pixels, and when they are trying to capture more light, the specks are a result!.

You can avoid this by learning to use your camera in settings other than AUTO!. The camera is automatically setting a higher ISO in low light conditions!. You can manually set the ISO to remain at 100 and this will eliminate the noise!.!.!. BUT!.!.!. you may then have a slow shutter speed that will require the camera to be on a tripod and / or to use flash!. Of course the flash is NOT going to light up a large area, so you need to learn when you need to use a tripod in low light conditions to avoid having to use the higher ISO speeds!.

You can, however, have noise issues if the shutter speed gets very long!.

Basically, you are using a digital point and shoot!. They can do ok in average situatiions, but their natural design limitations can become VERY apparant when you need a photo that falls outside their very limited range of capabilites!.

The better DSLR cameras can use high ISO because the pixels are MUCH larger and do not generate the noise at high ISO!.

steveWww@QuestionHome@Com