Wednesday, 3 February 2016

Why is there an ISO setting when shooting raw?


Raw files are supposed to contain mostly unprocessed data from the sensor. What's the point of having an ISO setting if it doesn't affect the amount of photons counted, but only provides amplification? Couldn't everything done in the camera be done better in post-processing?


In other words, why not keep ISO at 100 and adjust exposure later (aside from in-camera previews)?


Update: The three answers given to date are complementary to each other, as is the question given by mattdm. That means I've got a hard time selecting the correct answer... Will be glad for a summary. I'll do it myself in a few days if nobody steps up.


What still isn't clear to me is ISO on a CCD vs CMOS. Guess that's a different question.




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