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Chris' Rail Photo Tips - Lesson 3: Shooting in Low Light (6 IMG and LONG!)
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<p>[quote user="MP173"]</p> <p>So, is the ISO the same as the "speed" of old films? I used Plus X and TriX (125 and 400 speeds) which obviously affected the shutter and F stops.</p> <p>[/quote]</p> <p>Yes, ISO is a measure of the sensor's sensitivity to light, the same as film speed, film ISO, or film ASA. There are some mathematical differences but in practice, they're all exactly the same thing and the numbers correspond between film and digital.</p> <p>[quote user="MP173"]</p> <p>If so, then you are now shooting 1600 which would give incredible light gathering ability....correct? I need to get up to speed (pun intended) on all this.</p> <p>[/quote]</p> <p>Compared to the 400 speed film you used to shoot, 1600 is indeed incredible. It's now possible to shoot handheld in dark indoor spaces where film would require additional light or a tripod.</p> <p>The lead photo in <a href="http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2013/06/12/mbta-unveils-new-underground-police-training-facility/">this story</a> was shot in a subway tunnel repurposed as a first responder training facility, during a bombing simulation which "knocked out" the station's main lights. At ISO 1600 and f/2.8, my shutter speed was 1/40, handheld successfully thanks to lens stabilization technology and my own technique (which has a lot in common with marksmanship regarding breathing and trigger/shutter control). At ISO 400, that exposure time would have jumped to 1/10 and I'd have to use my knee as a tripod.</p> <p>The range of usable ISO speeds depend on the camera's sensor size and technology. Manufacturers are constantly pushing the limits upwards, so the following numbers are from a couple years ago -- the latest models may go higher. Point-and-shoot cameras generally are go to 400 or so, while most DSLRs (with sensors smaller than 35mm film) are usable at 1600. Full frame cameras, with sensors the same size as 35mm film, are moving up to incredible places. My new 6D shoots at ISO 12,800 with the same publishable quality that my 40D has at 1600 (with +3 stops of light) and boosts to 25,600 (+4 stops) in a pinch. That same shot above at ISO 12,800 would be exposed at 1/320!</p> <p>Of course, spaces are still dark and modern photography's accessibility to everyone has caused photographers like me to be hired to shoot things that are on the new edge of what cameras can do -- out of range of film and starting to get iffy for digital. 1600 is amazing, but I still have jobs where I breathe like a sniper and get hand shake blur on some images. I actually purchased my 6D when I was asked to do a job (on a night I was already booked) where I wouldn't have been able to deliver. A no-flash donor event in an incredibly dim museum gallery would've had me on a tripod! (and photos of the donors enjoying the exhibit...not happening). Easy peasy at ISO 12,800.</p> <p>So yes, new technologies have made light sensitivity absolutely AMAZING.</p>
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