I’ll even take a (quick) moment to chimp afterward to make sure I have a few completely sharp images written to the card. Despite the wide open lens and slow shutter speed, I was still at ISO 2200! Had I used a safer speed of, say, 1/500th, I would have been at ISO 6400 (approx).įirst, even if it requires a high ISO, I take a series of images at my “safe” shutter speed so I know I have the shot. This bi-colored ant bird was captured at just 1/125th of a second with my D5, 600mm and 1.4TC (850mm, F/5.6). However, when the light is low and demanding a higher ISO than you really want, it may be time to take out an ISO insurance policy. Sometimes we’re hand-holding, other times we’re a monopod, and still other times we’re using a tripod with a loose gimbal or ball head.Īnd for every support setup you use, there’s typically a “safe” shutter speed that will net you consistently sharp images with very little chance of motion blur introduced from your photographic technique.
Often, when faced with a subject in low light, we still want to be at a “safe” shutter speed for arresting our own movement. The benefit of course is that you capture closer and closer shots with each successive move. In the process, there are some more distant images that are destined to help to fill up the trash bin in favor of the closer ones. Yup, they move up a little, take another “insurance shot” and repeat the process until they are either at the range they wanted in the first place or the animal wanders off in search of more secluded pastures. You know how when you’re trolling along for wildlife and off in the distance you spot a relatively rare critter with a reputation for skittishness? How do most experienced wildlife photographers handle the situation?Įxactly – they take a distant shot as “insurance” in case their jittery subject decides to flee.
Probably the easiest way to explain it is to grab a crayon and draw an analogy. So, let’s dive in – what do I mean by ISO Insurance?
Not so much, but I didn’t really know how else to describe what I’m about to explain 🙂 I know what you’re thinking, “What the heck – is Steve trying to peddle some kind of ‘photo insurance’ now”?
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