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  • Photo Review

    ISO and image quality

    Feb 21, 2017 5 minutes
    Margaret Brown

    It's common for today's cameras to support ISO sensitivities of 25,600 or even higher. Yet, while many photographers see this as advantageous, few understand the real relationship between sensitivity and image quality. And it's more complex than you might think. ISO sensitivity is one of the key parameters that comprise exposure, the other two being the lens aperture and the shutter speed setting. Correct exposure requires balancing all three to deliver the best picture quality.

    It often boils down to deciding what’s the lowest ISO setting you can use, given the aperture and shutter speed settings you've selected (or been forced to accept) before you encounter other problems like potential for image noise and the dynamic range recorded, along with management of camera shake and aesthetic issues associated with depth of field.

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