What is ISO? Easily explained

The term ISO is often associated with the subject of exposure in photography. In this practical tip, we explain what is meant by this technical term and what relevance the ISO has.

What is ISO - simply explained

In photography, the image quality depends not only on the exposure time and the aperture, but also on the respective ISO value. We explain what the ISO number indicates and how to set it correctly on your camera.

• Generally the term "ISO" stands for International Standard Organization and is the typical term for the light sensitivity of the sensor of your camera.
• Depending on the lighting situation, the light sensitivity of the camera sensor must be set individually. The lower the lighting conditions for a photo, the greater the sensitivity to light and thus the ISO value. The sensitivity of the sensor to light is therefore comparable to that of a human eye. When the light is switched off in the evening, the eyes need a certain amount of time to adapt to the lighting conditions and to recognize something again. With the camera, the adaptation to the lighting environment is set via the ISO number.
• ISO values ​​of 100 or 200 are therefore suitable on sunny and cloud-free days with enough light because the light sensitivity in this area is relatively low. Good lighting conditions - small ISO value
• When dusk sets in slowly and the lighting conditions deteriorate, the aperture must be opened further and a tripod is required for shake-free images due to a longer exposure time with a low ISO value. Alternatively, the ISO value and thus the sensitivity of the sensor to light can be carefully increased. On cloudy days or in the interior with less light, ISO values ​​of 400 to 800 are suitable. In this way, pictures can be taken without any problems even in rooms with no flash.
• Please note that the sharpness level and image quality can decrease sharply with increasing ISO values ​​and details can be lost due to image noise. In SLR cameras with larger camera sensors, image noise only begins slowly at ISO numbers of 1600.
• Tip: Try to use a low ISO value for your desired motif whenever possible in order to achieve the maximum image quality. If necessary, try different settings. Basically, the lower the ISO value, the higher the image quality. Sufficient exposure is therefore always preferable to a high ISO value.