My Digital Camera ISO Experiment

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Following on from Wednesdays post about digital camera ISO I thought it would be good to stop talking about it and give it a go.

So I did, but seeing as I didn’t have any low light shooting opportunities coming up I decided to use my mouse as a substitute.

The photograph on the top is taken using the 100 ISO setting on my camera and the photograph on the bottom is taken using the 200 ISO setting on my camera. And these are the only two options I have for ISO besides the auto setting where the camera will automatically decide which is the best between the two.

Results…

I took the shots using a mini desktop tripod and no flash. Which really gave the camera a good workout because it was really low light!

There isn’t a huge difference between the two photographs but there is some, and taking into account that I don’t have much ISO range on my camera anyway, I think it is quite a good result. What I wanted to achieve was to see the difference (if any) between the ISO settings on my camera. They show that using a camera’s ISO settings in low light with no flash is a realistic option and one I will experiment with further.

It will be great for when flash photography isn’t allowed, like concert or school performances. And I can see that there will be slightly different effects with each settings depending on what I want to do with the photograph. Looks like fun!

Mandy

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What is Digital Camera ISO?

Back in the old days when I had a film camera, ISO was to do with the film and it’s speed. I generally used ISO 100, 200 and 400, for bright conditions, cloudy conditions and all round conditions respectively.

It’s a little different with digital camera ISO

What is digital camera ISO?

Digital ISO gives an indication of the sensitivity of the camera’s image sensor (what would be a comparison to film).

And can be adjusted depending on how much light is entering the camera. Which sounds a little like EV compensation to me, but it isn’t!

The lower the camera’s ISO the better the image quality of the photographs.

The higher the ISO setting the more chance there is of the image having digital noise (depending on your image sensor).

So what is noise?

Briefly it occurs when the ISO has been set high and therefore the image sensor is very sensitive to the amount of light coming into the camera, but also sensitive to anything else as well. And that results in noise or ‘dots’ appearing in the image.

The size of the image sensor in your camera is directly related to it’s ISO speed range and how large it can be. It can go as low as 50 or up into the 1,000’s, each camera will have it’s own range. Point and shoots only have small sensors so a high ISO will cause noise. Where as DSLR camera’s have large sensors so noise is not so much of a problem and higher ISO’s can be achieved.

Why would I use it?

If you are in a low light situation where you want to take a picture but can’t get the right exposure because you can’t use a flash, then using a higher ISO to get the right exposure for the picture is the best option, and will let you take the picture.

This can increase the risk of noise in the image. But I would take the photograph anyway because you can use post production software to remove most of the noise afterwards.

Digital cameras will have an auto ISO setting as well, and the camera will automatically select a higher ISO when light conditions are low, but you may want to adjust this.

My Camera

My camera has an auto ISO setting and a choice of 100 and 200 ISO settings. So the auto setting will decide between the two in low light if I don’t choose one myself.

Mandy

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Camera Colour Features v’s Photoshop

My camera has an option to change the colour settings of the camera to full colour, black & white or sepia. So I went out to give them a try as I have’nt used them before. These three photographs are the result. It was a dull day and it was raining so I picked a subject that was full of colour to give greater contrast.

I used to sometimes shoot in black and white film on my old camera so it’s nice to be able to just flick between the two (colour and black and white) whenever I feel like it.

Although the detail is good I don’t think I would shoot a lot in sepia unless for a specific need.

But if shooting in black and white or sepia solely and not using colour for that subject then there is no turning back.

Once you get home you can’t add the colour again so it’s something to think about.

But you can always shoot in colour (as well) and then change it later in Photoshop, or is that cheating!

Photoshop

These next three photographs have been produced in Photoshop Elements, the black and white and sepia anyway. So you can compare the two sets of photographs.

The full colour photograph is in RGB colour.

The black and white one has had the colour removed in the colour adjustment palette.

And the sepia one has been created in the colour adjustment palette by adding blue and red.

If you were comparing all six photographs together I don’t think you could guess which was which if you didn’t know beforehand. The first three look a little sharper but that could be the subject, to properly compare I should have used the same photo but I thought that would look a little monotonous.

So I think it’s down to a question of taste - camera or Photoshop (whichever version you prefer). I think I would choose photoshop because it gives a bit more flexibility, but that’s easy to say as I have used it a lot.

But one thing I will say is the Photoshop Elements produced photos uploaded to my blog a lot quicker than the ones that were produced on the camera.

Mandy

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Movie Mode - How Good is it?

A lot of manufactures make digital cameras with a movie mode or video camera capabilities (although limited), but are they any good?

Personally I feel that a camera is best for taking photographs and a video camera is best for shooting movies. Most video cameras have a still frame mode as a digital camera feature as well.

Although both of these types of cameras, digital camera or video camera are supposed to make life easier because they are 2 in 1, having each others features these addon functions to me never seem any good.

Video verses camera resolutions

For instance my camera has a movie mode option and I decided to take a look at the resolutions for both the movie mode and the photography mode.

video mode: 320 x 240 pixels
photography mode: 2560 x 1920 pixels

So from that you can see the difference in the quality of the shots that will be produced by both of these modes, the more pixels the better. The video mode being very poor.

I think at the end of the day it’s best to take both a digital camera and a video camera if you are looking to use both, and then you will get descent images from both. Although when I just want to capture the odd bit of video then I have found just using a digital cameras video mode to be fine.

Mandy

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How User Friendly is your Camera?

I am in the process of looking at my camera’s features more closely and getting to know how they work and the best ways in which I can use them. Here’s some previous posts: Shooting in Macro Mode, What is EV Conpensation.

Which is very interesting and I am really enjoying doing it, but it is making me look at how user friendly my camera is. How easy is it to flick between the different settings when changing the shot?

Photography mode

For instance when choosing which photography mode I want to use I have to go into the menu, then capture, then scene, to change it. Most cameras have a photography mode option now and mine has a choice of: auto, sports, night scene, portrait, landscape and backlit modes.

It’s a great mode to have for a point and shoot as there is no manual settings for individual shots. It would be nice if this setting was easier to get at as I use it regularly. But I have to remember this camera is made as a cheap, very small, carry anywhere camera and I am very pleased it has this option at all.

Something to consider when buying a camera

This is something to consider when choosing a new camera to buy, and likely to be one of a growing wish list I seem to be compiling for a new camera.

I think it comes down to prioritizing what is more important and what options would I like to have to hand on a daily basis when taking photographs.

So working out which are my favourite features and which I use the most will help me to make that decision. I am looking at buying another camera this year, but I didn’t realise looking at my exisiting camera would start to build a picture of what I would like my next camera to be.

What’s on your wish list?

Mandy

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What is EV Compensation?

I’ve started to look at my camera’s settings and get to know them. Yesterday was the first post looking at a digital cameras macro mode.

This is the first time I have looked at all my camera’s features so closely, so they will be introductory posts as I know I will learn more about the features as I go.

EV Compensation

This is the first option I have in my camera’s menu. And an interesting one because by using it you can adjust the automatic settings for exposing the image. And for a simple point and shoot this is quite a cool feature to have.

I haven’t tried it out yet so I don’t pretend to know much about it, but I have found a good description of EV Compensation here.

My camera’s EV Compensation can be adjusted from -2.0 EV to +2.0 EV (0.5 EV step). It also lists effective subjects and set values for positive and negative compensation. This is helpful when first trying out EV Compensation like I am, as it’s a guide for experimenting and giving me a starting point for practice:

Positive (+) Compensation
Backlit portraits
Very bright scenes and highly reflective subjects
Shots made up predominantly of sky

Negative (-) Compensation
Spot lighted subjects, particularly against dark backgrounds
Scenes of low reflectivity, green or dark foliage

And as with Macro mode I will need to remember to set back to auto after using image compensation.

Mandy

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Shooting in Macro Mode

Most digital cameras these days have a macro mode, including point and shoots which is what I use. It’s basically a close up mode and there will be a minimum and maximum distance for optimum use, each camera will be slightly different so it’s best to check the instructions.

On most cameras you just flick from normal shooting mode to macro mode, with preset settings. It may also restrict your flash or not allow it completely.

On my camera the optimal distance from the subject is 0.6m and when in macro mode the flash is disabled. The picture above was taken in macro mode, from above on a sunny day with no tripod.

I’ve been trying the macro mode out for a while in different settings inside and outside. And I have found that it works better for me outside preferably with a tripod to avoid any camera shake. My inside shots have not come out well at all due to lack of light with having no flash, but I haven’t used any external lighting yet so I’ll have to try that next.

Tripod or no Tripod?

I definitely think a tripod is essential for shooting in macro mode because the camera is so sensitive to movement. I have read that to reduce movement even further you can use the self timer so you are not touching the camera at all when the photograph is taken. That sounds like a good idea, I’ll be giving that one a go.

The other thing to remember is to switch back to normal mode after finishing with macro mode or everything will be out of focus, something I regularly forget to do!

Mandy

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How Well Do You Know Your Camera?

For me not very! I’ve concentrated more on the composition of my photographs and enjoying the opportunties around me for taking photographs. I’ve not concentrated on the camera and getting to know and understand the options and features of it. Which is strange as I am quite a technical person and love gadgets.

But I have come to the point where my lack of knowledge is holding me back. I know I am missing out on making my images better because I don’t know exactly what my camera is capable of.

I do like the camera I use at the moment, my Traveler DC-5080, but it is a point and shoot and to be honest I have always fancied having a digital SLR camera.

But before I invest in a DSLR I want to be sure I can make the most of it rather than it being used on automatic, and basically having a very expensive point and shoot. So before I go buying anything, I want to know the camera I have at the moment inside out. Once I feel confident that I have a good grasp of its settings and how to improve my shots to the best of its ability, then I will feel in a better position to move up to a digital SLR that obviously has a lot more features and options to use.

I love looking around for inspiration and finding a shot to take. So I am looking forward to exploring photography more, once I have learned a bit about the camera and how it can help me to get more out of my photographs. And I will share my experiences and what I have learned here on this blog. I want it to become second nature to use my camera to it’s full potential, so that is my challenge for 2008!

Mandy

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Traveler DC-5080 Camera Review

In The Photographer Blog image of the week feature that runs weekly on a Monday I share a photograph I have taken and talk a little about it. So I thought it would be good to take a close look at the camera I am using at the moment to take the photographs.

My Traveler DC-5080 is the camera I use at the moment and was a present from my husband a couple of years ago. As point and shoots go it’s at the cheap end of the range, but it is a 5 million pixel camera and I feel takes really nice photos.

Although it does have limitations because of the model I was pleasantly surprised by the options that it does have. Including different photography modes like macro, sport, night, portrait, landscape and backlight. It also has a movie mode although I don’t use that much.

The features that interest me the most are the settings and how much I can adjust them. On this camera I can adjust the EV compensation, white balance, ISO, colour, sharpness and saturation. And these are the settings that I want to learn more about, I will be looking at them seperately in future posts. But I am very happy that I can adjust these and have a mess around with them to see how they work. This is the part of taking photographs that I want to improve on, adjusting the settings to improve the image that I am taking.

The camera itself is nice and small with an internal rechargeable battery making it ideal to stick in my pocket whenever I go out, because you never know when a photo opportunity may happen. All in all it’s a descent starter digital camera for me, and will let me get to grips with the settings and learn more about digital photography.

Which camera do you use on a daily basis?

Mandy

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Would You Put Your Image on a Mouse Mat?

I love having photographs as art and framing my favourite ones to go on my walls. Being able to look at places I’ve been or people close to me is very relaxing and enjoyable. 

More ways to enjoy images 

I have not yet touched on more different ways to show your photos off. Like having a photograph printed on a t-shirt, mug, jigsaw, mouse mat or calendar to name but a few. It seems these days you can print photographs onto just about anything! These are great fun ways to show off images and share them with others, and they are great gift ideas.

My personal favourites are the photo books that you can order from various websites, it saves having to put them into an album anyway! And they look really good, a great way to display your best images. If I wanted to do something special with a favourite image though, I think I would choose to have it put onto canvas. Making it feel more like art, it would be nice to see how it turned out.

What will they think of next?

Mandy

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