Auto ISO

Auto ISO or set it yourself

  • I let the camera select ISO

    Votes: 12 7.7%

  • I choose the ISO

    Votes: 95 60.9%

  • It depends on what I am shooting

    Votes: 47 30.1%

  • Maybe you should buy a P&S camera - NOOB :-)

    Votes: 2 1.3%
  • Total voters
    156
Spoony

Spoony

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What do you have your camera set to most of the time?

I have been setting my own ISO, but i was at a wedding at the weekend and I think I would have been better at setting the ISO to auto as where I was busy drinking I did not even think to change it!
 
Auto ISO is really useful on the D700 - basically you can set the exact shutter speed that will activate it - I set this at 1/125s and I set it to "max out" at 6400iso. Once this is exhausted it will then start to lower the shutter speed.
 
I've recently started using Auto ISO on my 5DII when doing indoor stuff and I've been quite happy.
 
I usually select the ISO, but the last few weeks I've started switching it to auto when the conditions are changing and I want to respond quickly. I would like to have more control of the thresholds used by the camera though (I use a 40D).
 
Thanks for the replies, just had a play on my D5000 with auto ISO

I was surprised that when I turned on the flash the camera did not lower the ISO automatically but kept it high, I wrongly presumed that when the flash was turned on it would have lowered the ISO and used the flash to help correctly expose the picture

Also I set the camera to set the highest it max out the ISO at 1600 which it did but I also set the camera not to take pictures slower then 1/60 which it ignored!

Other niggle is I can change the ISO manually in smaller increments 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200 but when choosing the auto sensitivity settings ISO maximum the choice is 1600, 3200.



boliston said:
Auto ISO is really useful on the D700 - basically you can set the exact shutter speed that will activate it - I set this at 1/125s and I set it to "max out" at 6400iso. Once this is exhausted it will then start to lower the shutter speed.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a really handy feature
 
Spoony said:
Other niggle is I can change the ISO manually in smaller increments 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200 but when choosing the auto sensitivity settings ISO maximum the choice is 1600, 3200.
Click to expand...

There should be a menu option to select ISO increments 1 stop, 1/2 stop, 1/3 stop :thumbs:
 
My approach is auto iso for hand holding and manual iso if I'm using a tripod or something else to brace the camera. Seems to work ok for me so far.
 
Spoony said:
Thanks for the replies, just had a play on my D5000 with auto ISO

I was surprised that when I turned on the flash the camera did not lower the ISO automatically but kept it high, I wrongly presumed that when the flash was turned on it would have lowered the ISO and used the flash to help correctly expose the picture

Also I set the camera to set the highest it max out the ISO at 1600 which it did but I also set the camera not to take pictures slower then 1/60 which it ignored!

Other niggle is I can change the ISO manually in smaller increments 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200 but when choosing the auto sensitivity settings ISO maximum the choice is 1600, 3200.





That sounds like a really handy feature
Click to expand...
what mode was you in.
 
Spoony said:
That sounds like a really handy feature
Click to expand...

I think the D5000 works exactly the same. On the iso sensitivity item on the menu, you should have the option to set base iso (would suggest 200) and upper iso limit (3200 should probably suffice) and then minimum shutter speed. I set this at 1/60 if using a short zoom or prime but I bump it up if I'm using telephoto although shutter priority mode also takes care of this.

If the camera can't achieve a correct exposure at iso 3200 and 1/60 it will then allow slower shutter speeds.
 
scottthehat said:
what mode was you in.
Click to expand...


Aperture Priority


gad-westy said:
I think the D5000 works exactly the same. On the iso sensitivity item on the menu, you should have the option to set base iso (would suggest 200) and upper iso limit (3200 should probably suffice) and then minimum shutter speed. I set this at 1/60 if using a short zoom or prime but I bump it up if I'm using telephoto although shutter priority mode also takes care of this.

If the camera can't achieve a correct exposure at iso 3200 and 1/60 it will then allow slower shutter speeds.
Click to expand...

Explains why the camera went to a lower shutter speed, but I don’t understand why be able to set a minimum shutter speed if it’s just going to ignore it?

I have had a look through the menu and the only thing i can set is max ISO and Min Shutter, no option the set the base ISO :|
 
Spoony said:
Aperture Priority




Explains why the camera went to a lower shutter speed, but I don’t understand why be able to set a minimum shutter speed if it’s just going to ignore it?

I have had a look through the menu and the only thing i can set is max ISO and Min Shutter, no option the set the base ISO :|
Click to expand...

The base is may be the one you have manually selected. I can't remember in all honesty but according to google page 149 of the manual covers this.

In terms of the shutter speed, it only ignores the lower limit if the light is low enough that it cannot expose correctly with the limits you have set. The alternative would be that it refuses to take a shot at all which I think would be a lot worse.
 
Last edited:
gad-westy said:
The base is may be the one you have manually selected. I can't remember in all honesty but according to google page 149 of the manual covers this.

In terms of the shutter speed, it only ignores the lower limit if the light is low enough that it cannot expose correctly with the limits you have set. The alternative would be that it refuses to take a shot at all which I think would be a lot worse.
Click to expand...

Thanks for taking the time to look that up, I have had my camera a while and still learning everyday

But having fun doing so

Cheers :thumbs:
 
Spoony said:
Thanks for taking the time to look that up, I have had my camera a while and still learning everyday

But having fun doing so

Cheers :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Glad to hear it. It's worth googling "D5000 auto iso" as by the look of it, you're certainly not the first to ask. Quite a few useful results.
 
I have always used my own iso setting,i have only ever used manual settings on my cameras,never tried anything else.:)
 
I ticked the first option with regards to using Auto-ISO but I tend to default it to auto ISO before I switch off as I don't know what I will be shooting next but in recent weeks I have been setting the ISO and shooting in manual
 
Mostly change the ISO as I like playing with settings on the camera before I take any photos...
 
On my Canon 40D I usually use auto ISO but it never goes below 400 so I have to go manual when it gives me noisy results. On the other hand my Nikon D5100 works really well with Auto ISO, keeping me at ISO 100 whenever it can and only dropping it as the light goes. Some time around sunset I switch to manual to get better control.
 
garryknight said:
On my Canon 40D I usually use auto ISO but it never goes below 400 so I have to go manual when it gives me noisy results. On the other hand my Nikon D5100 works really well with Auto ISO, keeping me at ISO 100 whenever it can and only dropping it as the light goes. Some time around sunset I switch to manual to get better control.
Click to expand...

Are you putting it on auto ISO (the Canon) when in manual mode? If so, auto iso doesn't do anything, it resets to a default 400 and stays there!
 
No, I just about always have it in Av mode. Very occasionally it's in Tv for something like fireworks, and it's only been in full manual a few times - on those very few occasions when I've done an AEB.
 
I always have to set the ISO myself as I shoot pretty much exclusively manual and the auto ISO on the 5d2 is pointless.

if a flash is being used it defaults to iso 400 anyway, so it's pointless for fill, and you can't select a range for the iso to move between
 
If using my K-5 then it's on auto ISO 90% of the time, exception being when using flash (usually macro).

Have tried using auto ISO on the 50D and it's not very good (not enough configurations) so its mainly manual.
 
For bird photography with my 400/5.6 non IS lens auto ISO is an absolute godsend. For landscapes and the like I would set the ISO myself.
 
D300s auto ISO is like how the D700 is described at the top.

I find it very useful for rugby photography during the winter... I can set it to Aperture priority (2.8) and set it so that the shutter speed is always 640 or greater... as the light fades away during the game it automatically ups the ISO so I still get a fast enough shutter speed.

Less to think about then and can concentrate more on taking the photos.

That said at the beginning or end of the season or any other time with a reasonably constant light I chose myself
 
Intresting replies, i like the sound of the features of the d700 & d300 with the auto iso.

Really wanting to upgrade my camera body now.
 
Auto ISO for 90% of what I do........:thumbs:
 
i always have it set to iso200, unless i need it to go higher when focal lengths are long and or light drops.
It doesn't take a second with the button on top rather than buried deep inside the menu's on some camera's, i'm not being a camera snob but i do like the buttons and switches on the higher end models.
 
Auto iso occasionally used, but set at a max depending on what the results are needed for. For example at an indoor venue last week with bad lighting with changing ambient light from roof windows, after half a day on manual and changing settings often, I switched to auto iso at a max of 3200 and it made my job a bit easier. Had to switch back to manual late in the afternoon though when I was needed to go to H1.0 on the d700. :eek:
 
I was using the auto iso with a max of 800 one day last week but do not like it.
 
Maybe I'm doing something wrong still, but I found it was overexposing my pictures or making them look washed out :shrug:

I also found this in aperture mode too and try and do everything manually ... with varying degrees of success :lol:
 
new2me said:
Maybe I'm doing something wrong still, but I found it was overexposing my pictures or making them look washed out :shrug:

I also found this in aperture mode too and try and do everything manually ... with varying degrees of success :lol:
Click to expand...

Are you shooting RAW and how long have you had your D200?
 
new2me said:
Maybe I'm doing something wrong still, but I found it was overexposing my pictures or making them look washed out :shrug:

I also found this in aperture mode too and try and do everything manually ... with varying degrees of success :lol:
Click to expand...
what metering mode are you using. can you post a sample.
 
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