Is ISO 800 enough for photographing drawings indoors with room light?
Asked 1/5/2018
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I want to photograph pencil drawings on white paper indoors using room light, and I’m looking at a Canon SX430 IS point-and-shoot. Some friends told me this type of camera is only good in daylight.
If I’m shooting my drawings in my room with the lights on, is ISO 800 enough for clear photos, or would I need a higher ISO? I’m also confused about whether one brand’s ISO 800 is somehow better than another’s on similar point-and-shoot cameras, such as Canon vs Nikon.
My main use is photographing my drawings, so I want to know whether this kind of camera can work well indoors without needing to take everything outside.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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Vikas, we cannot tell you if 800 is the proper ISO setting for the amount light in your room because we do not know how much light is in your room.
You would need to set you camera's ISO to 800 and use the meter in the camera to tell you what settings are required to get a proper exposure. The issue will be if the amount of light is so low that the shutter speed needed to get the proper exposure is so slow that you will get a blurry photo from camera movement while taking the photo. IF the shutter speed is slow or long you will not get a sharp clear photo unless you use a tripod or increase the ISO until the the shutter speed required is fast enough.
The ISO setting on a camera is simply a way to increase or decrease how sensitive the cameras sensor is to light. Increasing or decreasing the shutter speed or aperture (fstop) is the way you adjust the AMOUNT of light you are allowing to enter the camera and fall on the sensor.
Using a tripod would be your best bet because you can then use a LOW ISO. A low iso will give you a better photo ( IE: less digital noise ) than a higher iso. ( newer cameras perform better with less digital noise at higher ISO's ) The amount of acceptable digital noise for you is dependent on what you intend to do with the photos and your own personal preference. If you cannot buy or borrow a tripod than try adding as much light as you can into your room. Using the same kind of light will be much better than using two different kinds, Meaning that different kinds of light bulbs emit light rays of different colors (kelvin temperature ).
Originally by user50217. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user50217
8y ago
0
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ISO 800 is not automatically “enough” or “too low” indoors—it depends on how bright your room is. ISO only controls sensor sensitivity; if the light is low, the camera may need a slow shutter speed, which can cause blur from camera shake.
For photographing drawings, the good news is that your subject does not move. That means almost any camera can work well indoors if you either:
- add more light, or
- keep the camera very steady with a tripod or stable surface.
Using a tripod is usually better than simply raising ISO, because higher ISO often adds more noise and reduces image quality. A brighter lamp aimed at the drawing can also help a lot.
ISO numbers are not a brand feature in the way you describe. Canon does not inherently “use less ISO” than Nikon; ISO 800 on one compact camera is not automatically better just because of the brand. What matters more is the actual light, lens, sensor, and whether you can avoid camera shake.
So yes, a point-and-shoot can photograph your drawings indoors, especially with good lighting and a stable setup.
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