The Enthusiast's Guide to Night and Low-Light Photography

13. WHAT IS DIGITAL NOISE AND HOW NOISY IS YOUR CAMERA?

WHEN YOU USE FILM for photography, it’s important to know how sensitive the film is to light. The more sensitive the film, the less light needed to create a proper exposure. Photographic film is made up of light-sensitive silver halide particles. The larger the particles, the less light needed and the higher the sensitivity (ISO). The downside to films that have a higher sensitivity is that the larger silver halide particles are visible in the prints created. This is called film grain and it becomes more noticeable in the images as the film sensitivity increases. Each roll of film is labeled ...