The following is a direct copy and has been Pasted in for future reference from the Art of Photography coursework PDF Doc. (pasted in Maroon)
Minimum 12 images
For the first part of this exercise take similar shots at both normal and high sensitivity. Choose a situation which is marginal; that is, where the mixture of light level and subject movement or depth of field is only just possible, for instance, a busy street market on an overcast day. Shoot first at normal sensitivity (for example, ISO 100), then change to higher sensitivity (for example, ISO 400 or ISO 800). Did the change make shooting easier? In particular, were there photographs that you could not take successfully at the lower sensitivity but were possible at the higher setting?
Higher sensitivity is certainly a convenience, so why bother to use a setting that is slower? Compare the two kinds of image close up (enlarge the digital view on the computer to 100%). Look in two kinds of area in the picture – those that are smooth, with little detail and neither particularly bright nor dark, and also in the deep shadow areas. What is the obvious difference? Note the answer before continuing.
The high-sensitivity digital image will show a grainy, speckled texture, as would that on a fast film. Despite all the advances in technology, there is this small price to pay for the higher sensitivity. The speckled texture in a digital image is called noise, and is a sampling error due to there being a less than ideal amount of light reaching the sensor. The coarser texture in fast film is the result of bigger light-sensitive crystals in the emulsion, and is called graininess.
There is no way around this, and the question is: does noise or graininess matter? It depends first on how large you will use the picture. A wallet-sized print will show the graininess less than one printed on A4 paper. Second, the subject of the photograph may be so interesting that you hardly notice the noise. From now on, treat ISO sensitivity as an extra option in your general photography.
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Equipment
Nikon D4
24/70 f2.8 lens
Method & Approach
For this exercise I decided to photograph two series of pictures both in different places and also at different times.
- Daytime – Covered Market.
- Night time – Street Scenes. Although I took several more shoots of each scene I have only included three pictures from each scene and upon selection I have included pictures taken at –
- ISO – low.
- ISO – high.
- ISO – very high.
Each picture was taken with the camera handheld.
Please see pictures and captions below.
Note – all pictures have been compressed hence there will be a quality reduction when enlarging.
1. Daytime – Covered Market
Picture 1 • ISO 100 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/6th second
Picture 2 • ISO 6400 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/750th second
Picture 3 • ISO 12800 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/1500th second
Location
Oxford Covered market.
Picture 1
In this picture we can see motion blur, determined by the camera speed being low. The exposure is reasonable and so is the white balance.
Picture 2
Although this picture is sharp we can see the introduction of digital noise, again the exposure is reasonable and so is the white balance.
Picture 3
This picture was taken at ISO 12800 and although the image is passable, we can really see digital noise when zoomed in.
Picture 4 • ISO 100 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/15th second
Picture 5 • ISO 6400 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/750th second
Picture 6 • ISO 12800 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/1500th second
Location
Oxford Covered market.
Picture 1
Due to a slow camera we can see motion blur in the boys and girls hands. The exposure is reasonable and so is the white balance.
Picture 2
This picture is sharp but we can see digital noise in the picture especially when we zoom in, again the exposure is reasonable and so is the white balance.
Picture 3
This picture was taken at ISO 12800 and although the image is passable, we can really see digital noise when zoomed in, especially in the floor tiles.
Picture 7 • ISO 100 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/8th second
Picture 8 • ISO 6400 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/500th second
Picture 9 • ISO 12800 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/1000th second
Location
Oxford Covered market.
Picture 1
In this picture we can see motion blur in the peoples movement from the camera speed being slow, we can also see camera shake. The exposure is reasonable and so is the white balance.
Picture 2
This picture is sharp but again we can see the introduction of digital noise, the exposure is reasonable and so is the white balance.
Picture 3
This picture was taken at ISO 12800 and like the images above the picture is just passable for some applications but upon zooming in we can really see digital noise.
Picture 10 • ISO 100 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/20th second
Picture 11 • ISO 6400 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/1000th second
Picture 12 • ISO 12800 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/2000th second
Location
Oxford Covered market.
Picture 1
In this picture we can see camera shake and very slight motion blur in the peoples movement from the camera speed being slow. The white balance is reasonable but the exposure is a little under.
Picture 2
This picture is quite sharp but by increasing the ISO in exchange for a higher shutter speed we have now introduced digital noise, the exposure is reasonable and so is the white balance.
Picture 3
This picture was taken at ISO 12800 and although the image is passable, we can really see digital noise when zoomed in.
Picture 13 • ISO 100 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/15th second
Picture 14 • ISO 6400 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/1000th second
Picture 15 • ISO 12800 • White Balance – 5500 • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/2000th second
Location
Oxford Covered market.
Picture 1
In this picture we can see motion blur, from a slow camera speed. The exposure is reasonable and so is the white balance.
Picture 2
Although this picture is sharp we see an introduction of digital noise from increasing the cameras ISO, again the exposure is reasonable and so is the white balance.
Picture 3
This picture was taken at ISO 12800 and although the image is passable, we can really see digital noise look at the peoples clothing and faces when zoomed in.
2. Night time – Street Scenes.
Picture 16 • ISO 100 • White Balance – Incandescent • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1 second
Picture 17 • ISO 3200 • White Balance – Incandescent • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/45th second
Picture 18 • ISO 6400 • White Balance – Incandescent • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/90th second
Location
Witney Town, Oxfordshire, at night.
Picture 1
In this picture we can see camera shake and very slight motion blur in the distant people from the camera speed being slow. The white balance and exposure is reasonable for night time without any auxiliary lighting equipment.
Picture 2
This picture is much sharper but by increasing the ISO in exchange for a higher shutter speed we have now introduced digital noise, the exposure is reasonable and so is the white balance.
Picture 3
This picture was taken at ISO 6400 and although the image is passable, we can see digital noise when zoomed in.
Picture 19 • ISO 100 • White Balance -Incandescent • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed ½ second
Picture 20 • ISO 3200 • White Balance -Incandescent • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/60th second
Picture 21 • ISO 6400 • White Balance -Incandescent • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/125th second
Location
Witney Town, Oxfordshire, at night.
Picture 1
In this picture we can see excessive camera shake derived from the camera speed being too slow. The white balance is reasonable but the image is underexposed.
Picture 2
This picture is much sharper, by increasing the ISO it has given opportunity to use a faster shutter speed but in exchange for the higher shutter speed we now introduce digital noise. The white balance and exposure is reasonable for a night time picture taken without any auxiliary lighting equipment.
Picture 3
This picture was taken at ISO 6400 and although the image is passable, we can see digital noise when zoomed in.
Picture 22 • ISO 100 • White Balance -Incandescent • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1 second
Picture 23 • ISO 3200 • White Balance -Incandescent • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/45th second
Picture 24 • ISO 6400 • White Balance -Incandescent • Metering – Multi Segment • Aperture f 2.8 • Speed 1/90th second
Location
Witney Town, Oxfordshire, at night.
Picture 1
Again in this picture we can see excessive camera shake derived from the camera speed being too slow. The white balance and exposure is reasonable considering this was a picture taken at night with no auxiliary lighting.
Picture 2
This picture (again like above) is much sharper and by increasing the ISO it has given opportunity to use a faster shutter speed but in exchange for the higher shutter speed we now introduce digital noise. The white balance and exposure is reasonable for a night time picture taken without any auxiliary lighting equipment.
Picture 3
This picture was taken at ISO 6400 and although the image is passable, we can see digital noise when zoomed in.
What have I learnt from this exercise
I have learnt from this exercise that when using this particular camera during both night time and day time (Nikon D4) I can push the ISO limits much farther than I could on my previous cameras. My digital cameras in the past were nowhere near as flexible and would really begin to show noise especially at night as low as ISO 800.
Thoughts and Reflection
In what I stated above with regards to this particular camera compared in general to others my pictures are possibly a little unfair, this is Nikons flagship camera which is indeed advertised as having terrific high ISO performance. I am also lucky to be of a minority to actually own one of these cameras.
stingray493 