Review Digital Camera World 02-19-2014

Digital Camera World

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What is ISO: camera sensitivity settings (and the best ways to use them) Feb 19th 2014, 00:01, by jmeyer What is ISO? Discover how your camera’s sensitivity to light is measured and when you should increase your camera’s ISO setting. Click on the infographic to see the larger version What is ISO? The camera's ISO setting is its sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive it is. This is measured according to international standards, so ISO100 on one camera will be exactly the same as ISO100 on another. Each ISO setting is double the one before: if you increase the ISO from 100 to 200, you double the camera's sensitivity; and if you increase it from 200 to 400, you double it again. This carries on through the ISO scale. This is deliberate. The ISO settings are designed to double (or halve) the exposure in the same way that the lens aperture settings and shutter speed settings are, and this is why the lens aperture, shutter speed and ISO are often described as the 'exposure triangle'. For example, if you want to use a faster shutter speed without changing the aperture, you could increase the ISO instead. This relationship between lens aperture, shutter speed and ISO could quickly get complicated, but there are drawbacks to changing the ISO which mean that in practice you tend to change the ISO only when you have to. SEE MORE: How to set up a camera for the first time – 11 things you need to do first ISO drawbacks When you increase the ISO setting, you're not really making it more sensitive to light, you're simply amplifying the light values it's managed to capture. The problem with this is that all digital images have some background noise. Usually, you don't see it because it's faint compared to the light falling on the sensor, but when you increase the ISO, you amplify it, and it shows up as a kind of random speckling. The higher the ISO, the worse the noise. The 'signal-to-noise' ratio is one of the things we measure in our camera tests. Low ISOs offer a high signal-to-noise ratio (lots of signal, not much noise), but higher ISO settings bring a lower signal-to-noise ratio, which means that this random noise is making up a larger part of the picture. SEE MORE: Beginner photography tips – the most common mistakes and how to avoid them Exposure options ISO adjustments are best kept for situations where they're absolutely necessary. The regular exposure adjustments of lens aperture and shutter speed are the ones to use on a daily basis, and you only need to think about the ISO if the light levels fall to the point where you 'run out of apertures' (you're at the maximum aperture, and are risking camera shake from slow shutter speeds). If your DSLR has a full auto mode, it will make these decisions for you, increasing the ISO where it has to in order to avoid camera shake. Otherwise, you need to keep an eye on the camera settings yourself and increase the ISO if you're shooting in marginal conditions (or use your camera's Auto ISO function). It's often best to take control rather than leaving it to the camera, because there will be situations where you're the only one who can judge what a suitable shutter speed will be. You can see some examples in 'When to change the ISO' opposite. PAGE 1: What is ISO? PAGE 2: See the difference in high vs low ISO settings PAGE 3: Easy ways to keep the noise down at higher ISO settings PAGE 4: When to change the ISO READ MORE 77 photography techniques, tips and tricks for taking pictures of anything 10 common camera mistakes every photographer makes First camera crash course: simple solutions for mastering your new DSLR 24 camera features every beginner photographer must memorise Focus and focal length: the true benefits of using a DSLR Feb 18th 2014, 12:34, by jmeyer Using a DSLR offers a number of unique advantages over compact cameras and smartphones – chief of which is their ability to change lenses. In this quick beginner’s guide we’ll explain some of the key benefits a DSLR offers in terms of focus and focal lengths. When you look through the viewfinder and half-press the shutter button, you'll see the multiple AF (autofocus) points that flash when they've achieved focus on whatever's in your frame. These are designed to help you take sharp shots. However, if you shoot using basic modes (Portrait, Landscape, Sports and so on), most DSLRs will automatically select the AF point, so your camera uses the AF point to focus on what it thinks you want to focus on – usually whatever's closest to you, which might not be what you want to be in focus at all! SEE MORE: Autofocus point options – what subjects should each be used with However, one of the many benefits of using a DSLR is that you can control what your camera focuses on to ensure sharp results every time. You have the option of manually selecting your AF points. This means, when shooting portrait photography, for instance, you can focus on somebody's face that's off-centre in your frame for an improved composition. The number of focusing points varies enormously depending on your camera model. For example, an old Nikon D40 has three AF points while the Canon EOS 7D has 19. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 offers 35. SEE MORE: Best camera focus techniques – 10 surefire ways to get sharp photos Focal lengths, wide-angle and telephoto A major advantage of using a DSLR over a compact camera is that you can change lenses, opening up a whole world of focal lengths. SEE MORE: What camera should I buy – pros and cons of each camera type Lenses with fixed focal lengths are known as prime lenses, while zoom lenses have a range of focal lengths. Focal length is measured in millimetres, the longer the measurement the narrower the angle of view. A 35mm lens roughly equates to what you see in the real world, those with larger focal lengths (telephoto) have a magnifying effect, bringing far-away objects closer, while shorter focal lengths (wide-angle) cram more onto the frame. SEE MORE: What is focal length – definition, comparison, every question answered But as well as a cropping effect, focal length has a dramatic effect on the shape of your subject: the wider the angle, the more distorted the image appears – great for landscapes, not so good for portraits. SEE MORE: What your camera captures at every focal length – free photography cheat sheet By changing both focal length and distance you can alter perspective and control how much background appears in shot. How to control what you’re focusing on To manually select individual AF points, press the AF Point Selection button on your camera and look through your viewfinder. Use the top dial, crosshair buttons or joystick to cycle through each AF point until the one you want falls over your chosen subject in your scene. Half-press the shutter button to achieve focus on your subject, fully press the button to take an exposure. Helpfully, the AF points are placed on (invisible) vertical and horizontal lines at points one-third into your frame, so they can also help improve your compositions; use them as guides as to where to place the subject in the frame. Note that if all the AF points light up you're still on AF Auto Point Selection. READ MORE Beginner photography tips: the most common mistakes and how to avoid them How to focus your camera for any subject or scene: free photography cheat sheet Getting sharp images: every photo technique you need to know starting out Digital camera tips: how to choose the best AF mode

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