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ISO is good for something else, too, besides low light shooting, and that's for fast-moving subjects. Due to the relationship between your camera's ISO setting and its shutter speed, it is easier to freeze action if you increase your ISO setting first, even in bright sunlight. Upping your ISO from 100 to 200 will increase your camera's shutter speed, and thus improve the clarity (focus) of your shot.

Another reason to increase your camera's ISO setting is to enable you to shoot without using your onboard flash. The light from your flash can be very unflattering when photographing people, for instance, because it can overexpose parts of your subject, resulting in a loss of important details, especially in the shadows. With a slightly higher ISO, you will be able to "suppress" your flash, and shoot your portrait or macro shots with natural light only, which is far more efficient in capturing true color tones.

Don't be surprised if you see your camera's resolution setting (image quality) reduced when you select a higher ISO setting. Because of the potential for digital noise, your digital camera will automatically reduce your image's resolution to a smaller pixel memory setting. This is normal.

Use your camera's ISO settings liberally. If in doubt about the most desirable setting, take the same shot using several different ISO values. When you review your pictures later, delete the ones you don't like. Unlike the expense incurred by yesterday's film photographers when they experimented with different settings, experimenting with your digital camera's ISO settings will cost you nothing but a few extra seconds of your time, and could ensure the capture of that perfect shot.

Learn more about this author, Sheree Zielke.
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