meaning of ISO?

[travcat]

I know this is probably an incredibly dumb question, but what does ISO mean?
Thanks!
Catherine:dunno

[gus]

Its the film speed catherine. Remember back in the days when you bought a roll of 35mm film & it had number on it like 100 or 125 & you set the camera dial to that speed.

Thats why i love my 20D at ISO 3200. Makes the shutter go really fast in a dark room for example & the photo is still a keeper.

Gus ..whom really should not be answering even the most basic of tech questions.

[gus]

Or you can read Phils explanation (http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Digital_Imaging/Sensitivity_01.htm). Not as technical as mine but still good reading.

[wxwax]

Good link, Gus, but hold back on the jargon, would you? :evil

Trav, it's a way of making your camera more or less sensitive to light. A lower ISO means it's less sensitive. A higher ISO means it's more sensitive and is better suited for shooting in low-light situations.

On film cameras, as gus says, you had to change film to change ISO. On digi cameras, it's just a switch.

[colourbox]

I know this is probably an incredibly dumb question, but what does ISO mean?
Thanks!
Catherine:dunno

As far as what ISO actually means, and how it related to the old ASA, I dug up a thread (click here) (http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Canb&unified_p=1) on Google. ISO and ASA were standards bodies that defined exposure standards.

[travcat]

Thanks for the help - now I can feel like I know a little bit!!

Catherine:):

As far as what ISO actually means, and how it related to the old ASA, I dug up a thread (click here) (http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Canb&unified_p=1) on Google. ISO and ASA were standards bodies that defined exposure standards.

[luckyrwe]

I still say ASA. I guess it comes with age. I also think f/2.8 lenses are slow, and 400 speed film is fast. :D

[colourbox]

I felt old the other day when I walked into the camera store to buy a pack of storage pages for negative filmstrips!