ISO and Picture graininess?

[Pghpooh]

Bought myself a DSLR.
I am used to old film cameras. Yup, I am old!!! LOL
In old film cameras I used asa 100 film, and sometimes used asa 400.
Asa 100 gave a fine grain in pictures and asa 400 was more grainer. Sometimes I shot asa 1000 B&W and the graininess was there.
When using a DSLR I am using the iso setting of 100. Grand daughter is playing basketball and to get a higher shutter speed to prevent any blurring, etc, I want to bump the iso up to 800 or 1600.
What kind of print will I get when doing that??? My camera is a Nikon D3200 and I am using the zoom telephoto of 55 to 200.

 

[Paladin3]

On a digital camera it's referred to as "noise" rather than grain. Some cameras handle high iso setting better than others based on the quality and type of sensor. Check out the review on dpreview for test shots at high iso with the D3200. There is also noise reduction software built into most cameras, or that can be applied in post processing of the image.

From the link regarding the D3200:

-Good detail at low ISOs (with good lenses)
-Well-balanced noise reduction at higher sensitivities, decent noise levels
-Relatively low raw noise levels allow for custom processing in raw conversion

I think you will get pretty good results with the D3200 at 800 or 1600, and probably up at least to 3200 if you expose well.

 

[CuriousMike]

The D3200 uses 1/2 generation sensor behind the very best APS-C sensors out there.

I'd set that D3200 to AF-C (auto-focus continuous ), spot focus, ISO 3200 and let it rip.

Because you're likely in a gym ( basketball ), you will get your absolute best results if you can post-edit the photos to adjust white-balance.
An example would be Lightroom.

 

[ElFenix]

The D3200 uses 1/2 generation sensor behind the very best APS-C sensors out there.

I'd set that D3200 to AF-C (auto-focus continuous ), spot focus, ISO 3200 and let it rip.

Because you're likely in a gym ( basketball ), you will get your absolute best results if you can post-edit the photos to adjust white-balance.
An example would be Lightroom. set your white balance properly to beginw with using a gray card or other neutral tone.

fixed



anyway, photos from a modern DSLR will come out much cleaner at the same ISO/ASA than the best FSLR. as smaller print sizes you might not even notice the noise.

 

[biostud]

The good thing is that you can do all the test you need before going into "battle". Just fire away with different iso settings under low/indoor lightning and compare the pictures on your computer before printing. I use the D5200 and I use 3200 as max, but 1600 is definitely better.

 

[Berliner]

Push the camera as far as you need to to get clear pictures, you will get great (moderately sized) prints with ISO 3200.

A better (faster) telephoto might be a good next purchase though. f/5.6 indoors is terrible.

 

[twistedlogic]

What kind of print will I get when doing that???

Should be much better than your film days, if that is what your worried about.

 

[bigi]

OP, you will be more than fine for up to ISO 1600. Even ISO 3200 prints will be fine from D3200.

You may want to get Nikon 35 f/1.8 which is very cheap and performs well.

I recommend reading FM forum for more info.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Just try it out and see what you get!

High ISO on DSLR's is much much improved over high ISO on film cameras. In film you could usually only get B&W film at 800 or above. Color film at that speed would simply have humongous grains. With modern DSLR's, shooting at 800 or 1600 is a regular activity and the photos are stunning compared to the film equivalents.

You should have fine results at ISO 800, and very usable results at 1600 and 3200.

You will definitely want a faster lens though. On your 55-200, try keeping it at 55mm to keep the aperture larger. Picking up a 50mm f/1.8 ($100 or less) would be a good option. The 35mm f/1.8 that people are recommending is a good lens as well, but it will not get you into the action like the 50mm will. Even the 50mm is a little short for indoor sports; I would recommend something in the 85mm-100mm range, but then you are getting pretty pricy compared to your current equipment.