High ISO Modes in Compact Digital Cameras

Here is an interesting summary on various ISO modes in compact digital cameras by Dpreview.

There is a lot of variation in the appearance high ISO output of different cameras, but they're all crippled by the same small sensors / lack of sensitivity. (except for the 6megapixels Fujifilm models)

Do not expect to be able to produce large prints from compact camera high ISO modes.

Subject matter matters: portraits are a lot more forgiving of noise reduction than landscapes.

Once you get over ISO 400 any advantage of higher mega pixel counts is usually lost.

There is no compact camera on the market that can produce acceptable full size results at ISO 3200, and only a handful that can at ISO 800 or ISO 1600. Again the exception is the Fujifilm F30 model

Even viewed full screen on a large monitor you will see the loss of quality.

Optical image stabilization is not a replacement for high ISO - it can combat camera shake, but it doesn't allow you to increase the shutter speed and therefore cannot do anything about blur due to movement of the subject in low light.

If you intend to buy a compact for use in low light look for a fast lens (wide maximum aperture) - it's worth a lot more than a pointless ISO 1600 mode.

For small social snaps (friends in a bar, for example) high ISO modes may well produce acceptable results as long as you are aware of the quality limitations and stick with small prints.

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