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ISO Doesn't Work How You Think It Does! And This Changes Everything

Coffee Break Photography

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ISO is one of the most misunderstood settings on a camera.

You've probably been told that increasing ISO makes your camera's sensor more sensitive to light.

But technically… that's not what is happening.

And while the highly technical explanation of ISO is absolutely correct, it isn't always particularly helpful when you're actually standing there trying to take a photograph.

In this episode of Coffee Break Photography, Rich Dyson explains ISO in practical, everyday photography terms.

We'll look at:

📷 What ISO actually does
📷 Why increasing ISO makes your images brighter
📷 Why high ISO can introduce noise
📷 Why low ISO isn't always the best choice
📷 Why a sharp ISO 3200 photograph can be better than a blurry ISO 100 photograph
📷 When you should increase your ISO
📷 Why Auto ISO can be incredibly useful
📷 How to find the maximum ISO you're comfortable using
📷 Why you shouldn't be frightened of high ISO

And we'll also tackle one of the biggest arguments in photography:

Does ISO actually change exposure?

There are some very technical answers to that question…
…but this video is about what actually helps you take better photographs.

YOUR TURN!

How were you taught ISO?
Did you learn that ISO changes sensor sensitivity?
Were you taught the exposure triangle?
Or did you learn about ISO as electronic gain and signal amplification?
And what's the highest ISO you're comfortable using?

Tell me your camera and your maximum comfortable ISO in the comments.

For example:
"Canon R6 – ISO 6400"
or
"Sony A7 IV – ISO 12800."

Let's see what everyone is using!

👍 If you found this video useful, please Like it.
🔔 Subscribe to Coffee Break Photography for more practical photography advice.
📤 And share this video with another photographer who needs to stop worrying about ISO!

📷 For face-to-face photography workshops with Rich Dyson in Edinburgh, visit:
edinburghphotographyworkshop.com

5 Comments

@coffeebreakphotography Creator 1 month ago Pinned

How were YOU taught ISO? 📷

Were you told that increasing ISO makes your camera's sensor more sensitive to light?

Or were you given the much more technical explanation about gain and amplification?

And here's the question I'm really interested in:

What's the highest ISO you're comfortable using?

Tell me your camera + maximum ISO below.

For example:

👉 Canon R6 – ISO 6400
👉 Sony A7 IV – ISO 12800
👉 Nikon Z6 III – ISO 12800

Let's build a useful list for everyone watching.

And if you've got a different view on how ISO works, let's hear it — technical explanations are welcome! 😂

Just remember, the aim is to help people take better photographs.

@leo1066 1 month ago

Hi Rich, brilliant topic. I started taking photos with 35mm and 126 cartridge films and it was all about ASA, the lower the number, the less grainer the photograph, then life took over for 50 yrs and ISO took my life over. I mainly shoot wildlife - birds in flight. Top priority is shutter speed, aperture then ISO. I currently shoot on R6, R6 2 with RF 200-800 and the cheap RF 100-400. I’ve had brilliant shots at ISO 25,000 and poor ones at ISO 800. With modern cameras, understanding the kit and skill factor is more important than ISO. There are dozens of brilliant editing softwares with exceptional denoise and sliders for everything but the kitchen sink to improve the image. Thus in summary- know the tools, Horne the skill and go out and enjoy photography.

@paulcooper9187 1 month ago

I primarily use a Fuji XT3 and have it set to auto ISO, with a cap at 6400. I used to think I could see noise at that point, due to the none Beyer sensor. However changes in Lightroom, specifically aimed at the Fuji sensors, have largely eliminated that effect, and by using around 50% Denoise I can now shoot to 12800. It’s worth saying that the image stabilisation is lenses only on the XT3, and certainly not all of them.

I came through the film school of old, and ASA and that influenced my thinking, and the way I use ISO , pragmatic, it’s about getting the image you want. Now it’s down to the assessment of can I fix it in Lightroom when I look through the viewfinder. Advances is the digital darkroom, have changed the way I work. As I say film, get the exposure right, but in the last 2 years things have changed so much , that my workflow has evolved. Occasionally when shooting an important image, I revert, but the effects are so very similar.

That was pragmatic and thought provoking, the occasional kick in the pants, we all need occasionally.

@neroz322i 1 month ago

When I started out in photography, I had a Pentax K1000 film camera ~ I used to shoot and process my own B&W, so I guess I learned about ISO using film
(you had to pre-think your shoot and buy the right ISO film and learn processing times to push your film)

Currently use a Nikon D600, and stick to 200 - 400 ISO ~ occasionally might have gone upto 640/800

@comeraczy2483 1 month ago

I was taught ISO by having to choose between two film rolls and I was told that higher ISO was more sensitive but more grainy.
For digital photography, I wasn't taught; I just heard all the usual nonsense. It's only when I started looking into the technical aspects that I understood that ISO makes absolutely no sense whatsoever on digital cameras (thankfully, with phones, ISO is disappearing from everyone's mouth). Then I looked at the ISO scales and I believe that between the most over and the most under, I saw more than 2 stops of discrepancy between cameras. Manufacturers seem to be using ISO to position their products in specific market segments. For instance, Sony exaggerates the scale for the a7s iii by about 2/3 stops more than for the a9 iii (when ISO is set to 51200, the measured ISO is 29100 on the a7siii and 42400 on the a9 iii).

I do not have any maximum ISO setting. Deciding on a max ISO is absurd because it depends on the image, and its context. For something banal where details are important, sure there isn't any point shooting at high ISO, but for something unique and essential where details don't matter much, any ISO is better than no image. So, my numbers are the cameras max:

Samsung s22 ultra - ISO 3200 (SNR equivalent to full frame ISO 40000 if the numbers were meaningful)
Sony a7 iv - ISO 51200 (or 204800 if you count extended ISO)