Langford's Starting Photography, 7th Edition

Appendix G ISO settings and their uses

Table G.1 summarizes the benefits and disadvantages of different ISO settings. Use it as a guide when selecting which value to use for your own work.

Table G.1 Benefits and disadvantages of different ISO settings

ISO and ISO equivalent setting
100	200	800
Benefits	•Low noise (fine grain) •Good color saturation •Good tonal gradation	•Good noise/sensitivity balance •Good sharpness, color and tone •Can be used with a good range of apertures and shutter speeds	•Very sensitive •Can be used with fast shutter speeds, large aperture numbers or long lenses •Good depth of field
Disadvantages	•Not very sensitive •Needs to be used with fast lens or tripod	•Not the absolute best quality ...