How are film speed (ISO) and shutter speed related?
Asked 4/4/2013
3 views
2 answers
0
I’m learning film photography and want to understand how film speed/ISO relates to shutter speed. Are they independent settings, or does changing one affect the other when making an exposure?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
3
There are three things that affect the overall exposure of your image (how light or dark the image turns out): shutter speed, aperture and film speed (ISO).
This question What is the exposure triangle? covers the relationship of those three very well, so suggest you read that. But basically if you have some combination of those three settings which results in a good, well exposed image, and then you change one of the settings, you need to change one or both of the other settings to compensate.
The film speed, or ISO, tells how sensitive the film is to light. Lower ISO numbers like 100 are films less sensitive to light. Higher ISO ratings like 400 or 800 are more sensitive to light, so they require less light to expose the film. Meaning you can have a smaller aperture (lens opening) or you can speed up the shutter, because your faster film needs less light.
So if you keep the aperture fixed, then as you increase the film speed, you can also increase the shutter speed (more sensitive to light, so need less time to expose).
But if you increase the film speed and use a smaller aperture, you could leave the shutter speed alone.
So they do affect each other, but just not in lock step because you have that third adjustment of aperture which also comes into play.
Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4191
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Film speed (ISO), shutter speed, and aperture work together to determine exposure. They aren’t directly linked mechanically, but they are related in practice because changing one usually means adjusting one or both of the others to keep the same brightness.
Film speed/ISO describes how sensitive the film is to light. Lower ISO film, such as ISO 100, is less sensitive and needs more light. Higher ISO film, such as ISO 400 or 800, is more sensitive and needs less light.
Shutter speed controls how long light reaches the film. A faster shutter lets in less light; a slower shutter lets in more.
So, if you use a faster film (higher ISO), you can use a faster shutter speed or a smaller aperture and still get a proper exposure. If you use a slower film (lower ISO), you may need a slower shutter speed or a wider aperture.
This is part of the “exposure triangle”: ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI13y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Why use ISO if aperture and shutter speed also control exposure?
How does focal length affect the shutter speed you need?
What is aperture, and how does it affect exposure and depth of field?
How do you adjust exposure in aperture priority mode?
How does TTL flash behave when the camera is in Manual exposure mode?