ISO
In photography, ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization. ISO is a standard that measures the sensitivity of a camera's image sensor to light. It originated from the days of film photography when film rolls were categorized based on their sensitivity to light.
In digital photography, ISO refers to the camera's sensor sensitivity to light. A higher ISO setting makes the sensor more sensitive to light, allowing for brighter exposures in low-light situations. Conversely, a lower ISO setting makes the sensor less sensitive to light, resulting in darker exposures.
However, it's important to note that adjusting the ISO setting has implications beyond just exposure. Increasing the ISO also introduces digital noise or graininess into the image, which can reduce overall image quality. Photographers often aim to strike a balance between capturing sufficient light and maintaining optimal image quality by selecting an appropriate ISO setting based on the available lighting conditions and desired outcome. When choosing which film stock to use and speed of ISO to elect it comes down to what your shooting and the conditions. Same thing comes into play with film like digital if in darker situations using a faster speed film like Portra 800 or Max 3200 will allow for better results in low light, while if its very sunny blue skies you might lean towards using a lower speed like Portra 160 or Gold 200.
In summary, ISO in photography refers to the sensitivity of the camera's image sensor to light. It allows photographers to adjust the exposure levels in different lighting situations, but it's essential to consider the trade-off between light sensitivity and image quality when selecting an ISO setting.