In the olden days, and for those of us who still use film, image graininess was something we tried our best to reduce. If it was impossible, then you tried to integrate the grain into the picture so it added a certain feel to the final composition. Sometimes, the grain was even a planned part of the composition, much like modern film makers use the “8mm” look when they want to achieve that certain edgy and grainy feel to their films. In the digital age we still have this “problem” but it is generally refered to as noise.

Just like with film, the amount of grain/noise is dependent upon the ISO of the camera. In analog (aka film cameras) this was/is determined by the actual film’s ISO, and in digital it is determined by an ISO setting which varies the sensitivity of the sensor. Read more…