Why I don’t use ISO 100.
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- Опубліковано 29 січ 2025
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This week I'm talking briefly ISO, and why I rarely shoot at base 100 on my Sony A7R5.
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Because of you, my wife and I planned a trip to Wales. We completed that trip about 10 days ago. We did not see another American the whole time we were there, but I was pleasantly surprised of the number of British travelers even in September that choose Wales as a getaway from the lives in England. We had a wonderful time exploring castles and the Snowdonia region of northern Wales. Thank you for your inspiration.
Hence why keep hinting for James to do some workshops in or near Wales to be more affordable and accessible than those he goes on halfway round the planet 😊
Exacrly where I am right now, English man in north Wales 😂
@@sh8736 WOW, I totally agree. I would sign up in a minute. I like landscape photography as much as the next guy, but in the end I find photos of trees, rocks or icebergs only so interesting after the first couple. For me, I much prefer "human nature", as James so aptly puts it, so Wales is perfect for that. Hopefully he will see these comments and come up with a local workshop. I'll still have to fly in from upstate New York, but it will be a lot easer for me to get to Wales than Antartica. All the best.
Another American here. I spent five weeks in the United Kingdom and only two or three days in Wales, but Cardiff and the coastline in the people were remarkable.
Idea: Make a video where you try to completely break your own style principles. I'm thinking tilted horizons, lack of symmetry, motion blur, black and white, weird angles, tons of grain, etc. etc. Would be interesting to see what you end up with and what you thought of the experience.
Tilted horizons, especially ones in which the perspective is markedly off to the human eye. I’ve taken a few and they’re such interesting shots!
@@KashDesai-i9o Have you captured Batman, or any of his notorious villains, in your photos using this technique? (You can tell I grew up in the 60s!)
@@mikejankowski6321 haha I would never contain Adam West, American Treasure 😃
I love James but I've noticed this with his photography -- it's always very bright, kinda flat, never dark, never long exposure. His style is just kinda... meh
@@ATF_CA "Kinda"?! They all look the same!
As someone who is still reletively new to photography the iso explanation was long enough to make sense, but short enough to not become boring. Plus having it a video where you are out taking shots and seeing the images too worked great.
Another enjoyable video.
Dear James, I did not find this topic boring at all. I was not aware of this soft reset at certain ISO values and will have a look if that is the case on my camera as well. Thanks a lot for your videos!
This is the only channel that I ALWAYS go full screen for.
Great feeling to see a new James video when opening UA-cam
He's my favorite youtuber
On my X100V I shoot at 640 no matter what so that I can use the DR400 setting. And yes, it helps dynamic range. And if it's too bright? ND filter built in, what a great camera.
madness!!
Same here on X-T4, but I just set DR=400% all the time and leave the camera to choose an ISO which is 640 minimum. This is the best way to concentrate on the moment not on DR, ISO and stuff. I also put a M+E shutter mode when there is to much light the shutter speed will always go faster with wide aperture
@@snoooozerNo, sometimes its necessary
@@rick-deckard DR400 is a sickness
I appreciate just how many of these videos are shot with the same camera and lens setup. It moves people to consider more their own style and philosophy, rather than gear.
That being said, I see that you list the Sigma 90mm f2.8 as a lens you use. It would be nice to see a video on this since I don't think you have one already.
Keep up the good work!
Well that made perfect sense to me! I do like how you always(intentionally) get bright exposures, this ensures excellent image quality!
A good explanation of a useful technique if your camera has dual-gain. I have found that a photo must be sharp first and foremost, ie. in-focus and without motion blur. I've definitely had to cull some great shots because of pushing shutter speed too far but I can't recall having to discard any for noise alone.
On Fujis, the gain resets again on the second A/D converter at ISO 640 so ISO 640 has the same noise as ISO 320.
I find that really interesting; perhaps it explains Fuji's algorithms when using DR above 100.
@@cbimage yes, I think there is something to that.
That‘s a thing with most cameras that use Sony made sensors these days. You also have that in basically all Nikon, Sony and Panasonic cameras that were made in the last couple of years. Not sure though if Canon also has dual gain sensors, too.
Which sensors does this apply to? Is this different with the newest sensors that have a slightly lower base iso? I think it’s 125 vs 160
Interesting, makes sense that F-Log requires ISO640
Just received “Human Nature” in good shape, now unboxed and waiting in my Sugar Land, TX home for leisurely enjoyment. Thank you very much!
With modern sensors and de-noising software, I am happy to use manual shutter speed and aperture with autoISO, even if this is far from base ISO.
Bingo.
This video was incredibly useful. I've only recently begun to understand that I've been doing exactly what you describe; trading sharpness for less noise and more dynamic range. I've tried to be more mindful of it, but this was a lightbulb moment when you explained your "speed of shooting" approach. It's diabolically simple, and I'm going to change my camera settings right now.
One of the rare dudes who really know their gear ❤
Hi James, bit off topic but i've been camping in the Llyn Peninsula, right at the tip opposite Bardsey Island and the area is stunning. Never forget one morning the fog came in and not exaggerating it was so thick i couldn't see 2 metres in front of me, and the silence, amazing, a beautiful part of the country.
Very much looking forward to the new book.
At last! I found someone who shoots at my settings. Kudos! I usually do 1/250th during the day. Around sunset it's 1/60th.
I'm so glad I was taught not to worry about sharp photos
Love your videos James. You always make me smile as well as teaching some great tips. Great images on the beach, every one a winner! Thank you.
Great video! I love the soft-bright-light feel of your photos! I'll be fantastic to see a video about how you achieve this look in editing 🙏 :)
As an Australian I laughed when you talked about not going out to shoot because it was too sunny. If we did that we'd never shoot anything. Our sunlight is more powerful too. 🌞
Thanks ozone hole!
Thanks James! I learned something today. I had never paid attention to the noise graphs, but learned my z7ii has lower noise at 400 and my z6 has lower noise at 800. Very useful.
I don't use Sony, but do enjoy looking at the pictures. Carry on. 👍🥂
hello james, there is a setting on sony through which you can quickly change your exposure and focus settings, its called register custom shoot, suppose youre in aperture mode and you wanna quickly move to shutter priority or afs to afc, you can assign it to ael button for quick change of settings instead of rotating the dial.
I love watching your videos, I find it very informative and inspiring. Also, your vlogs give me like a peaceful vibe. It’s kinda funny that I watch a lot of your videos even though I don’t own a camera lol. I love taking pictures.. I dream of owning a Ricoh GR IIIx someday ✨📸
Believe it or not - very well explained!
When I bought a DSLR a few years ago, it took me 2 years to discover auto ISO. I was constantly trying to keep everything at 100, I felt like I was living on the edge when I went up to 400, I learned a lot about composition and color and editing but my photos from those first two years are awfully dark.
So cool seeing Abersoch, we’ve taken the same family holiday there every year for about 30 years 😂
I prefer to control the shutter and aperture and let the ISO be whatever, The only thing I will do sometimes is to use exposure compensation if I think the camera has picked the wrong ISO
I always love your photography, and videos. keep up the good work!
So many of your shots I would have done differently or not at all - and every week you show that I SHOULD look at taking those shots. Keep up the great work; it makes me question why I do what I do - and maybe I should expand my skill set and style a bit more. Especially when you consider magic hour is such a small slice of the day.
Personally ISO is about the last thing I worry about. Certainly after wondering if the battery is charged. More folks should join you to "devalue" it somewhat.
Quick update from North Wales, it's still sunny up here and there are a few days of summer still left. It is very strange for us too. 😊🏴
Thanks, James. I've found that chart and values for my X100VI and X-T5
Hi:D could you provide a link to that source please? I was not very lucky with my own research 🫠 Thank you very much in advance!:)
Hi please do share
@@Gorabe @Kids11111 It's from a site called Photons to Photos ^_^
@@GorabeJust look up photons to photos
Helpful information concerning ISO
Looking forward to the book 👍
Loved that shot or shots of that house 😊
I pretty much always have my camera in aperture priority mode with ISOASS turned on so my shutter speed never drops low enough that it will cause a blurry image, even in low light. I've found this a winning recipe for shooting on the go because as you say, I never want a blurry pic. I'd rather have a more noisy image which I can control in editing over a blurry pic which is cooked. I never considered that it would be better to set a min ISO at the 2nd base level though. Thats especially useful in low light shooting. Always get good tips here :) I even tend to edit my images similarly
iso ass lol
I legitimately wondered "wow, how's he recording the sound? Hearing those footsteps at the beach is quite immersive" haha. Then again I'm only watching on the phone atm..
Can’t wait to hear what you have to say about lens flare
What am I missing? I looked up my chart (Sony A7C) and it says I get an ISO reset at 640 ISO. But in my tests, there's absolutely more noise and less DR at 640 than at 320.
It was helpful hearing about your custom settings. It's something I haven't yet done on my camera, and I should. But the bit about choosing iso 320 over 200 is not a deal breaker. Charts may say one thing, but in practical terms I bet one would be hard-pressed to find a difference.
Great video as always James, love the information you impart, the subject matter you shoot and the style of you processing, all sublime. It’s only video where you called the Q3 the most hated camera in the world that I thought you were bat shit crazy 😂
I've always found it easiest to just stick to manual ISO. It isn't a setting I need to touch as often, so it's best to leave it on manual. I usually tend to shoot either 100 or 400+, just naturally. If it's light enough for 100, I don't need 200. If it's dark enough that I can't shoot 100 or I need a lot of shutter speed, I might as well jump up to 400 and not need to fiddle with it more if I need to turn up exposure compensation. I quite liked the chart of ISO read noise though, that was pretty helpful.
Great explanation 👍👏
Standard intro to James Popsys videos: "I forgot..." 😂
9:46 The most valuable purchase I recently did for photography is a foldable ladder. So I don't have to raise my arm uncomfortably for a shot like this haha.
I’ve been pushing the limits of my higher iso photography lately as well. I do think it’s something that comes with time.
ISO can be like playing within the safety of your front yard some times.
Beautiful!!
Is there a best iso for dynamic range for a7iv?
Hi James - I am considring getting the A7r5 but am a little concerned about the large file sizes in uncompressed Raw - dont think my computer will manage processing Uncompresed RAW 100% of the time - not to mention the storage issues.
I am wondering if you have ever used the alternative file types to Uncompressed RAW available in the camera - namely Compressed RAW, lossless RAW L /M / S,
Is there noticeable signifiant degredation of the image if using the smaller file types?
Many Thanks
I was wondering why do you cover a sony logo with a tape?
I’m not a fan of paying thousands for a product, and then doing the marketing too for them too. I hate logos!
I've been caught out with too slow a shutter a few times, recently found though that on Sony you can also program one of your buttons to jump straight to a pre-programmed setting - I've set my AEL button so when I hold it down my settings immediately jump to 1/1000th f2.8 & auto iso
Similar here (AEL hold recall custom settings) but with 1/250 SS - fast enough for day-to-day stuff, and much slower than when in eg. sport mode (1/2000 SS). Assigned small spot focus area also acts as a fast way to frame the shot precisely (eg. focus on a single person in the crowd) when you are in say zone focus area. Also the focus mode is DMF.
There's no such thing as 'too sunny' or too anything.Unless it's the end of times and it's showering us with fire and brimstone,we make the most of what we're given regardless of anything else.
The sharp shots Ninja!😂
Hahaha, Oh man, when you said let’s look at some more photos after the 320 explanation I fully expected to look at my phone and see iso 100, iso 100, iso 100
Are the camera settings at the back of the book adjusted for full-frame equivalency?
Interesting topic!
how do i know if that reset thing happens?
How do you find what the base & extended ISO's are on a dual gain sensor?
How would ISO have any effect on RAW other than for metering? The RAW file has no changes made through the electronics of the camera
I remember seeing an in depth video on UA-cam when I bought a Sony A7r4 a couple of years ago. It was far too long & technical but he proved better results on 320 than 100. I believed him because he had a white lab coat on & loads of pens in his top pocket.
Love your vids & soundtracks, thank you
Interesting about the dual-gain impact on ISO 320. Anyone know where I could find out if similar applies to my EOS R?
Great Video
Hi James, wondering where you got that noise chart from? I'm stumped what to google to find that info for my camera which is a nikon..
He replied to it in a really early comment, but for quick ease: it's the site Photons to Photos. I was able to find it by googling the chart title (before I realized the answer was deeper in the comments 😅)
@@OfficialCharcuterie you're a legend, thanks!
Your video is making me realise I should pay more attention to this stuff ahah
I have a question to ask: If I want to better retain highlight, would it be better to shoot in higher ISO?
So you don't set your auto ISO to start at ISO 100 because you don't think your average lighting conditions will ever drop that low. Got it. And on your Sony 200 produces a less sharp photo than 320, so you set it at 320. Seems a little like a Sony problem, but I get it (after watching it twice).
James, did you happen to found out what the "sweet spot" ISO values were for our trusty G9?
I'm playing with with an old E-M1 gen.1 and it seems that some high ISO values (like ISO 10.000) are more acceptable than the lower ones (like ISO 3200 or 6400). Not that the noise is less, it's "prettier", less "smeared"... Just my impression. The right thing would be to conduct tests from the tripod under controlled light conditions. But I'm too lazy for that.
I wish i could assign ISO AUTO Min. SS to a dial to change it as if i'm changing shutterspeed.
Where did the ISO graph come from or did you make it?
Photons to photos website 👍🏻
@@JamesPopsysPhoto thanks
Really cool video dude!! But omg love the camera strap 😍 where did you get it , been looking for a decent leather strap for a while now , that one looks perfect 🥰
Methinks you may be overthinking the ISO thing. Have you looked at photos taken at ISO 250 vs 320 and really been able to detect a difference with your eyes? Call me skeptical, but I suspect they would be indistinguishable.
Normally not, but actually the difference from ISO 250 to 320 on some Sony Cameras can be visible, because of dual gain, fx Sony A7RIV and A7RV have a boost at ISO 320, so you should not use ISO 250 but jump ti ISO 320.
Methinks not. Watch the video.
I pretty much never think about it nowadays, except when I make a video about it. And while you’re right that the difference between 250 and 320 is small, the added bonus of a faster shutter speed is sometimes crucial 😃
And when you print say at the size that your book looks like it will be , will you really notice a bit of noise ? I think not ! 😊
Every camera manufacturer sets up iso slightly different. There’s a great web site, photons to photos that has all the charts for cameras iso noise levels. I don’t think it’s about whether we can detect the difference between iso settings, it’s about setting your camera to capture the most information it can. Can you tell the difference between 8bit and 14bit with the naked eye? Probably not, but why not shoot at 14bit with all that color range.
Latest lightroom can clean up wires and other distractions
Could anyone suggest a good camera for beginners. I’m 17 and working but I’m looking for something on the cheaper side. I have a Sony digital camera but I want to upgrade to one I can properly shoot on, any advice is much appreciated!!
Would this idea of using ISO 320 apply to Fujifilm X cameras?
On Sony, I shoot all manual. It’s so easy. The wheel on the back for iso and you can spin it all the way back to auto if you need the camera to take over iso - and you can as easily set it to 320 with a quick rotation. Shutter speed on the back thumb wheel, aperture front wheel. Let the zebras do everything else. And don’t tell me it’s slow, I shoot wildlife. It takes practice to master but it’s the most adaptable way to shoot in always changing conditions. You can do it in canon too but without zebras in the viewfinder. Nikon doesn’t give you 3 wheels or zebras so it’s really not an option to shoot that way.
Does this depend on the sensor size? I only have a Sony Xperia Pro-I, until I can afford a real camera, so will ISO 320 also be a useful setting with its small sensor?
Nothing to do with size, just the architecture of the sensor chip itself.
I got a Nikon Df last week and the high ISO performance is crazy, and this a ten year old camera.
James, if ISO 320 works best for your Sony according to an ISO graph, how do find the correct graph for our cameras? Sounds like a can or worms. Thanks.
photonstophotos
Can anyone tell me why on the A7r5 the two iso numbers iso 64 and 32 (only) are written on screen with two vertical lines either side of them? They are written like “ |64| “ and. “ |32| “ ? What does this mean?
Expanded ISO outside of the native range. Potentially lowers dynamic range in certain models.
@@jasontaycs7195Ah, OK. Thank you. I thought it would be something like that but wasn’t sure.
I often shoot at 800 for the same reason. In low light, I go up to 1600. Its only when i do photos of still people that i set it to 200 (the lowest on my camera)
While I appreciate the in-depth answer on ISO 320, it seems to me that you are over-thinking the whole noise+DR thing. 🙂 The absolute noise level or loss of dynamic range at such low ISOs aren't really that big in modern cameras. The A7R5 has 0.2 stops less DR on ISO 200 vs 320... now someone tell me that this really matters anywhere. I would argue we should better spend our time on quality photos than on perfect image quality. 🙂
So, if I were you, I'd take my chances and leave it at ISO 100 as minimum because you might also end up having some shots at base ISO with best DR and lowest noise for a change. ;)
I think yes, but also, no :) - the DR, as you mention, isn't really all that different but I think James is still concerned about the SS - at ISO 100 the camera might still decide to use 1/200, which could be tricky for a fast-moving dog, for example. Forcing ISO 320 means SS will in that case not drop to lower than what, 1/640? With a much higher chance of getting a sharp photo. (edit: actually James indeed says this in a reply further down "the added bonus of a faster shutter speed is sometimes crucial")
@@MarcelVolker Perhaps you're right. That is precisely why I would just set minimum SS, not minimum ISO, and let the camera figure out the ISO. But each to their own 🙂
PS: I do believe Sony supports this in combination... I don't own one anymore, but as far as I recall, you could set minimum SS for Auto ISO together with min+max ISO. That is also what I know from other manufacturers such as Olympus.
@@jonastruemper637 You can with Sony's yea, at least on my a6000, so I'd assume all tiers upwards too.
@@jonastruemper637 Yes, entirely possible - I do think this is one thing that Sony has nailed with their cameras, almost endless options to set it as we like.
Hey James, amazing videos! Was wondering what are those camera straps you use on your A7RV? I’m looking for something similar to get. Thanks.
Hiya, the orange/brown strap is from Matt's Leather Goods. I'd add a link but I think the comments are moderated to remove links. Not sure about the strap James is using on the beach.
Thank you!
because I use older compact cameras, I HAVE to use base ISO or else the "sharpness" is lost due to horrible noise. anything above ISO400 is too noisy. so im okay using the flash, or staying still.. mainly because noise just ruins the image, and moving objects are kinda nicer blurry anyways, they tell a story.
I also need to be using full manual, as my cameras do not have any settings to set limits. also because they pick odd settings.
Lovely colors! Are there any presets we can buy? ;) P.S.: found them!
where?)
Very similar to how I do it - I shoot micro 4/3s which tends to mean I have tons of depth of field unless I'm at super-wide apertures. Because of that I often shoot in shutter priority and auto iso (200-6400). That wayI can always make sure I have control over sharpness/motion blur; I can handle high iso issues in post if I need to but a blurry shot I can't
Hello James, another fun, interesting video. Thanks. I have a question. In one of the scenes, you describe 'the powerline' as a problem. You probably also know that these days you can remove it with one click. Looking at your photos, I get the impression that you want to capture scenes truthfully. That is noble. But apart from people familiar with the location, no one would know that a power line is normally hanging there. So the problem is solvable. Why did you decide not to manipulate the photo a little bit?
Isn’t mode 2 just S？
This is why I wish my camera had a way to block out certain ISO settings so that it jumps from 100-320. That would require Sony to acknowledge that their cameras have dual-gain, and for some reason they don't wanna do that.
I wish the same, even more important on my cameras where the magic happens at iso 640. Let us pick multiple auto-iso intervals that the camera can pick from!
Sony sensors are almost all ISO invariant. So it doesn't matter if you shot at 100 or 320. Just move the sliders in post.
I actually shoot on my A1 at 320iso mostly even studio
Another pleasant bit of waffling on, I particularly liked the chart (being an engineer). Good point about your settings, but I take issue with the title of this post. It should be "The Problem with ISO 100 for Sonys and Other Unnamed Cameras". I don't believe any of mine have this dual-sensitivity feature, so your technique is irrelevant for me. But you present nice photos again, so there's that.
Have you compared the actual image degradation at ISO 250 to 320 to quantify the recovery doing this? In your fast-shooting custom setting do you use Shutter Speed priority at, say, 1/500 or Manual at 1/500 and f8 for more control? I suppose I ought to sit down and think of some custom settings for myself.
James Popsys, Dogs and Senior Citizens stalker! 😂Joking, love the video mate!
my camera lives on auto ISO 99% of the time. i set my shutter speed i want, my aperture for the look i want and forget about it. if need be, i use exposure compensation if i want to under/overexpose. Mode 1 is for single shot everyday day stuff, mode 2 almost the same but with compressed raw and Hi+ burst, and mode 3 for action/wildlife. Best thing since sliced bread
On my camera, the dynamic range is limited on ISO lower than 400 so I just set that as the minimum.
im pretty sure the best way to get teh full dynamic range is to shoot at the native iso not the base the lower the iso from the native you start loosing detail in the shadows and same for going higher than the native iso. for example for my fuji xh1 the native iso is 800, should be the same with sony but i might be wrong.
granted the lower the iso the lower the noise but that about it. you loose dynamic range tho.
I shoot on ISO 800 95% of the time on fuji
Same noise as 400 and better Dynamic range from 400 up.
I've thought it was the end of summer like four times now.... but this time I really do think it's the end of summer. (not that we had much of one)
So the question must be, why have they designed that step in ISO performance rather than linear; what's the advantage?
I don’t believe you…I think the weather is going to stay warm at least until mid October.