What are ultra-high ISO settings on DSLRs actually useful for?
Asked 11/12/2016
1 views
2 answers
0
I’m new to DSLRs and use a Nikon D5500 with the 18-55mm kit lens and a Tamron 70-300mm, usually shooting RAW and often working manually. In low light outdoors—such as handheld in the woods near sunset—I can keep going for a while by opening the lens up and raising ISO, but image quality falls apart quickly. On my camera, settings around ISO 8000 already look too noisy for my purposes, even though the camera offers much higher ISO values. Is that normal, and what practical use do these very high ISO settings have if the results are often poor?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
11
For some sort of photography high ISO is very important. At some point the picture quality does not matter as much as having at least taken a photo, even if it is very noisy.
News journalists or street photographers, who want to capture the moment do not have the time to light up the scene. Therefore they accept the noise to get the shot.
High ISO is also important in astrophotography. Depending on the focal length it is only possible to expose for a limited amount of time. (It can be extended by special mounts, but that is another topic) If the sensor is exposed to long at low ISO, one might get some star trails of the brightest objects in the sky, but most stars stay hidden the dark. With high ISO it is possible to capture the Milky Way and more. If combined with image stacking the SNR can also be enhanced.
Another use of the highest ISO settings a camera provides is to use it to adjust the camera in low light situations. If a subject is far away and the viewfinder or live view is to dark and it can not be illuminated with a flashlight, the high ISO setting can be used to make adjustments to the focus and aperture without exposing for multiple minutes, before taking the shot with low ISO and appropriate exposure settings.
Originally by user41552. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user41552
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—this is normal. Very high ISO settings are often there for situations where getting the shot matters more than getting a clean file.
On many cameras, especially entry-level bodies, image quality at very high ISO degrades enough that you may not like the results for printing or detailed work. That doesn’t mean the setting is useless; it means its value is situational.
Common uses include:
- news, documentary, and street photography, where the moment matters and you can’t add light
- low-light action or handheld shooting when a slower shutter speed would miss the shot
- astrophotography, where exposure time can be limited and higher ISO helps reveal faint stars
So the “usable” maximum ISO depends on both the camera and your standards. If ISO 8000 is beyond what you find acceptable on your D5500, that’s simply your practical limit with that camera for your intended output. Higher settings may still be useful for record shots, emergency situations, or subjects you otherwise couldn’t capture at all.
Also, some cameras genuinely perform better at high ISO than others, while some extreme top-end ISO numbers are mainly marketing.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI9y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
When can very high ISO settings still produce usable photos?
Why does a camera label some high ISO settings as “extended” when the published specs include them in the normal ISO range?
How can I photograph active children indoors in low light without blur or flash?
How can I get sharper indoor low-light photos with a Canon 450D and 18-55mm kit lens?
Why were my night lacrosse photos so dark with a Nikon D810 and 28-300mm lens?