ISO in a Digital Camera

Sensitivity becomes an issue when you are trying to do low-light photography; the higher the ISO, the more options you will have when working in dim light.

Like with film photography, though, a similar problem results when doing low-light photography with digital - as you get "grainier" results from shooting with fast ISO films (like 1600 or 3200), you get "noisier" results from shooting in the high ISO modes of digital cameras. Not usually a good thing. So what you really want to look for in this department is as many options as you can get... you want a digital camera that allows you to change the ISO and gives you many different choices.

A camera with ISO equivalents such as 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 will give you a lot more flexibility when it comes to shooting in poor light.

Look For Lower

While most digital cameras have ISO 100 as their lowest ISO setting, if you are looking for even crisper, clearer photos when you have lots of outdoor or artificial light, consider purchasing a digital camera that supports ISO 50.

Pictures with this setting have even less grain (noise) than ISO 100 photos, but they will require lots of light otherwise the image will be underexposed. Also, due to the extended exposure times, you will mostly likely need to use a tripod or other stabilizing device.