Get to grips with some basics of ISO techniques to use with your camera
How you control ISO is important. There is much to be said for using Auto ISO with a limited range of ISO 400 to 6400 rather than the full range, but another way of controlling ISO is to go manual, adjusting the ISO as you go from one scenario to another. It’s not a method that will suit everyone but it is a great way to learn more about light and how ISO combines with aperture and shutter speed.
Noise reduction For cleaner jpegs, use the camera’s noise reduction settings. Different levels are available, so start with standard or normal and experiment from there.
Upgrade your camera If you own an older digital camera and are unhappy with its high ISO performance, the quickest remedy is to invest in a more up-to-date camera.
Push ISO higher Don’t be afraid to use high ISOs.
Digital cameras of recent years are remarkably good when it comes to high ISO performance and noise is only an issue if you print large photos.
Frame up Fill the frame with the subject. Cropping in and over-enlarging will make any digital noise present much more obvious and negatively impact on quality. Image upscaling software such as Topaz Gigapixel AI can help.
Software denoise The latest versions of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom have excellent Denoise features so if you are a Creative Cloud subscriber, that is great news. If not, consider investing in software such as DxO PureRaw 3 or Topaz Photo AI.
Get creative effects Shoot at a super-high ISO (or even use an expanded speed) for creative effects. The grainy, desaturated look can work for reportage and gritty character studies. But remember that noise smears fine detail, so it’s not ideal for architecture or scenics and also looks unflattering for portraits.
Larger format cameras Generally, smaller camera formats such as Micro Four Thirds and APS-C show more noise than larger formats like full-frame and medium-format.
Shop around Cameras with back-side-illuminated sensors (BSI) have a design that allows more light to be detected. This often gives a higher signal-tonoise ratio for a better high ISO performance than front-sideilluminated (FSI) sensors. If you’re shopping around for a new camera, this could be a feature to look out for.
Very long exposures While high ISO NR is worth using, long exposure NR is not so useful. It can benefit the image by removing ‘hot’ pixels, but the camera takes a ‘dark frame’ which takes as long as the exposure and the camera is inoperable during this period. This isn’t always practical, especially when you are taking very long exposures.
Don’t over-dehaze Too much noise reduction, either in-camera or in post-processing, can result in an oddly smooth and slightly artificial-looking image, so don’t be too aggressive with NR. Also, when editing, ta
