Saturday 14 May 2011

Exercise 30

What: The main brief of this exercise was to take similar shots at both normal and high sensitivity
Where: In the house
When: Just before noon
How: The exercise asked for 12 or more photographs of the same subject where the sensitivity of the camera normally known as the ISO was raised after each photograph. I started at ISO 100 and worked my way up.

Previous experience working with camera sensitivity speed meant that I was at least mildly familiar with the use of ISO and how to adjust it within the camera. I knew that changing the ISO would make the camera sensor more sensitive to the amount of light and that doubling the ISO for example for 100 to 200 would double the sensitivity. I also know that it can make it easier or more difficult to take a photograph by adjusting the ISO.
I know what by increasing the sensitivity that there would be a trade off for the sensor and that it would make the image “noisier” and would introduce a film like grain into the image.

In the end I photographed Louis as he sat to my course notes as they were in a sun beam, I knew that this would allow me to view the dark and light areas of the image to examine it for noise and grain.

I sat and had shot the images adjusting the camera sensitivity by one step each time I took a photograph; I kept the camera at f/4.8 and worked my way up to the highest sensitivity which is H1.0 on a Nikon D80.

D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/10 sec, ISO 100, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/15 sec, ISO 125, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/20 sec, ISO 160, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/30 sec, ISO 200, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/45 sec, ISO 250, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/45 sec, ISO 320, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens


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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/60 sec, ISO 400, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/90 sec, ISO 500, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/125 sec, ISO 640, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/125 sec, ISO 800, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/180 sec, ISO 1000, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/180 sec, ISO 1250, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/250 sec, ISO 1600, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/350 sec, ISO 2000, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/250 sec, ISO 2500, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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D80,Aperture f/4.8 , Shutter Speed 1/350 sec, ISO 3200, 55mm (35mm equivalent 82mm), Pattern Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, Hand Held, 18-70 lens

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Straight away I noted that the shutter speed increased as the camera sensitivity was increased although not always at the same step as the ISO did not increase 100-200-400-800 but rather in part steps 100-125-160, etc. I knew that the highest ISO will have a lot of noise and grain.

I have learned that there is a trade off between noise and sensitivity. This is another tool to use when photographing a subject as in some cases it may be necessary to increase the sensitivity knowing that noise will appear but that the image will not be ruined by the noise being present.

Personally I am not a great fan of noise and that in some cases it may be better to support the camera with a tripod rather than increased the sensitivity of the camera to capture an image. However I have also learned that noise is inevitable with increased sensitivity and sometimes the introduction of grain may help the overall composition, a la Film Noir.

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