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Should ISO always be set to 320?

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dr stilly

I heard this from my DOP. He says the image is less grainier for some reason than at the lowest on my cam which is 160. Can anyone validate this? I have run a quick test and can't tell but really I cannot see the logic.
 
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Depends on the camera. On the 5DmkII 160/320/640/1250 are slightly less noisy than 100/200/400/800 etc. It's not a huge difference though, and I'm not aware of 320 being less noisy than 160. In my experience anything up to 1250 is fine with little noticeable noise, 1600 works but the noise will start becoming more visible depending on the lighting, and higher than that you'll definitely see the noise.
 
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Multiples of 160 yield cleaner results as tests have shown. But get a clean enough image on DSLR's up to 800 ISO so why give up one of the three basic things you can manipulate in the camera itself to get your exposure?

Especially in circumstances where you do not have total control over lighting.
 
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I have seen this whole line of thinking (multiples of 160) disputed on another board as well (with charts and graphs aplenty). In the camera 320 is actually 400 pulled to 320.

That being said, I still shoot in multiples of 160.
 
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Gonzo_Entertainment said:
I have seen this whole line of thinking (multiples of 160) disputed on another board as well (with charts and graphs aplenty). In the camera 320 is actually 400 pulled to 320.

That being said, I still shoot in multiples of 160.
Click to expand...

Yeah. It's based on some popular tests but like i was trying to say, there isn't too big of a difference and you can manipulate ISO in a relatively safe range to correct your exposure.

And i use 160 multiples when i can as well :lol:
 
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I see what he means, multiples of 160 is best and the cleanest of them all is 320. I have seen a canon chart and its quite obviously true. Not by much though. I am a gh2 owner so need to check again not forgetting the iso glitch on this cam.

and yes I use ISO adjustments when light is an issue but if it is controlled lighting then fixed ISO for the cleanest image is a safe bet for me.
 
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In photography it's a triangle (ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed). In video one leg is gone because shutter speed is largely off the table. Lighting is huge of course, but sometimes if you want a certain aperture (I try to shoot at 5.6 indoors when possible unless I want extra shallow DOF) it's just easier to bump the ISO (withing reason of course) rather than up the lighting.
 
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