High ISO - who needs it

With the release of the Leica M9, I came across some discussion threads debating the performace of the said camera and its nominal weakness in maintaining good image quality when shooting in low light (at least as compared to the Nikon D3/D700 sensor). Someone was making the point that the benefit of low light high IQ is not for everybody. After all, people went a long time shooting comparatively slow film for all these years and still created good images.

My take on this is that everybody needs a camera with the highest low light performance they can afford. Sensor light sensitivity (also know as ISO, after the organization that used to rate film 'speed') is just another lever to pull for a photographer. Everybody will encounter some low light at some point or another. Why? Because that's just the nature of available light. Having good low light performance equipment will make you pull the camera and shoot in situations that you would not have considered suitable for capturing before. Even in 'good' light, long telephoto focal lengths and optimal lens apertures usually require longer exposures, so having the ability to change the ISO to shorten the exposure time with no significant hit to image quality is very desirable.

Digital photography is all about controlling the way the light hits the sensor. The more levers we have at our disposal to accomplish that control, the more artistic freedom we have to do more with our equipment. There are tradeoffs with good low light performance - usually camera bulk, which in itself is a compelling argument for giving up some low light ability. However, with today's technology, a take everywhere, shoot in every light condition camera is not available (pocket cameras just can't gather enough light in less than perfect light). Which side of the tradeoff one takes is a matter of personal preference and shooting habit.

The image attached to this post was shot at ISO 3200 with a Nikon D700 camera. The choice of ISO was part of a decision making process that allowed me to handhold the shot (ultra wide angle of view helped as well). The quality of the image is not perfect (there's some noise, especially in the darker areas), but it is much better than what could have been accomplished by pushing film.