ISO settings

rjbell said:
You are forced anyway, except you have to waste time change iso.
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Learn where the ISO button is on your camera, then a quick press of the button and a twiddle of the knob and Robert is a sibling of one of your parents (unless in Norfolk, in which case he could be the sibling of both your parents!!! :p;):whistling::exit:
 
Scarecrow said:
As ISO is largely responsible for the amount of noise that you see in an image, I never use auto ISO but will instead opt for the lowest I can get away with commensurate with achieving the required shutter and aperture settings. In brightly lit situations this invariably means I will be shooting at 100 ISO. In dull conditions I will push this to 200 or 400. In very dim conditions I will just crank it up to whatever is required, and if that means images becoming noisy, I just accept that.
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+1 this! ^^^^

i dont like to use auto i prefer doing it my self, just my 2 pence worth :)
 
Nod said:
Learn where the ISO button is on your camera, then a quick press of the button and a twiddle of the knob and Robert is a sibling of one of your parents (unless in Norfolk, in which case he could be the sibling of both your parents!!! :p;):whistling::exit:
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I know where it is thanks! You are missing the point i'm trying to get at but i give up.
 
Your point came over as being that a quick button press and a twiddle of the control wheel was too much effort or faff! If you feel my answer was unhelpful, I'm sorry. I was merely trying to help. Just leave everything set to fully auto and you should get 1/2 decent results - put in just a little effort and thought and the results should improve!
 
Nod said:
Your point came over as being that a quick button press and a twiddle of the control wheel was too much effort or faff! If you feel my answer was unhelpful, I'm sorry. I was merely trying to help. Just leave everything set to fully auto and you should get 1/2 decent results - put in just a little effort and thought and the results should improve!
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Its more than unhelpful its patronising and argumentative.

My point obviously hasn't come across as shooting in manual with auto iso is the same as shooting in priority mode, which most photographers are doing for 90% of there shots. If your arguing that everyone should shoot fully manually then fair enough that a different argument all together, and you are entitled to your opinion, but if by your patronising comments, you think shooting in priority modes, you have taken any more control of the camera you are sadly mistaken.
 
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As a man who shoots almost exclusively in P mode, you have me all wrong! I can (and on occasions that demand it) do use fully manual as well as (again, when the situation demands it) S and A modes. :) I agree 100% that basically A and S modes are barely one step up from fully auto. ;)

It was YOU who said changing ISO was too much of a faff.

I will admit that my last post was a little patronising - as a gentleman, I try to never be unintentionally rude - lets just say that it wasn't unintentional! :p
 
Nod said:
As a man who shoots almost exclusively in P mode, you have me all wrong! I can (and on occasions that demand it) do use fully manual as well as (again, when the situation demands it) S and A modes. :) I agree 100% that basically A and S modes are barely one step up from fully auto. ;)

It was YOU who said changing ISO was too much of a faff.

I will admit that my last post was a little patronising - as a gentleman, I try to never be unintentionally rude - lets just say that it wasn't unintentional! :p
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What i said was without the faff. If that faff is needed then i do it. But in situations of low light where we are all trying to keep our iso as low as possible, the difference with my way of doing it is i can set the aperture as wide as i can go, then the shutter speed as low as i can go, then the camera sets iso as low as it can go. In P,AV,S you will have to scroll through until you fare happy with the aperture and shutter speed you can shoot at, then adjust your iso until you are exposed properly. No doubt your settings will be exactly the same as mine but I've already got the shot and on to the next one.

You have set 2 of the 3 points of the exposure triangle, and so have I, there is no difference.
 
On most cameras, the ISO has the greatest effect on image quality, with many, quality dropping off (through high noise levels) at ISO 800 or above. I'm lucky in that I have a D700 which allows me to go up to at least ISO 1600 with little or no visible noise (unless pixel peeping). Whenever possible, I try to keep my aperture near the sweet spot rather than as wide as it'll go, often at closer to f/8 than f/2.8 then adjust the ISO to get a hand holdable shutter speed. Most often though, I use P mode, set the ISO to an appropriate level before setting off shooting and twiddle the knob to get the shutter speed I need. If I see the aperture getting too wide or too narrow, I'll tweak the ISO to a level more suitable.

Let me please apologise for my earlier post - I'm never at my best before 8am! I was intentionally rude etc (which I never normally am these days) but I hope the smileys defused the situation a little.
 
Nod said:
On most cameras, the ISO has the greatest effect on image quality, with many, quality dropping off (through high noise levels) at ISO 800 or above. I'm lucky in that I have a D700 which allows me to go up to at least ISO 1600 with little or no visible noise (unless pixel peeping). Whenever possible, I try to keep my aperture near the sweet spot rather than as wide as it'll go, often at closer to f/8 than f/2.8 then adjust the ISO to get a hand holdable shutter speed. Most often though, I use P mode, set the ISO to an appropriate level before setting off shooting and twiddle the knob to get the shutter speed I need. If I see the aperture getting too wide or too narrow, I'll tweak the ISO to a level more suitable.

Let me please apologise for my earlier post - I'm never at my best before 8am! I was intentionally rude etc (which I never normally am these days) but I hope the smileys defused the situation a little.
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Yes its ok i've forgiven you.

I'm fully aware that iso effects IQ, but what's that got to do with a price of eggs? If you had 2 identical cameras and set one camera's shutter and aperture is the same as the others, they are both going to need the same ISO setting. Your cameras not miraculously going to expose correctly at a lower iso because you set the iso manually.
 
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I think it comes from a misplaced fear of thinking the camera will make some wild choice for ISO. In my experience with cameras I have owned this doesn't happen.

There is a mininum default shutter speed that has to be reached before ISO is increased so it is just a case of knowing what that is or setting it manually if possible.
You then know exactly what the camera will do and why and can use manual ISO setting on those times where it is not doing what you want it to.
99% of the shots I do it does what I want it to...
 
Robert, I like big (A3+) prints, and at that sort of size, noise can really ruin a picture. I know you can use NR software to reduce the impact but that tends to be at the expense of fine detail, one of the reasons for printing big!

Chris, I'm not scared of using high ISO, there's no need for me to be with the D700! I just like to be in control of the parameter that has the largest impact on image quality - IMO, the aperture is for controlling DoF and the shutter speed is to eliminate camera shake and subject movement (or increase it, although I personally think fluffy water is overdone these days!)
 
Hi all, I love auto ISO, but only when shooting wildlife or other action.

I'm on a budget lens wise and still using a 70 - 300 usm is non L as my long lens.

It has to be stopped down to at least F8 at the long end and shooting wild life or other action you need to set a sutter speed to cope with "anything". That little presss of the ISO button and twiddle of the wheel is more than long enought to miss any number of shots.

So M + auto ISO is a must under certain circumstances, and an absolute no-no under others.

High ISO noise can be a pain but motion blur or softness from a budget lens wide open is even worse.

Darren
 
Are you sure that setting the shutter speed and aperture is quicker than changing the ISO? After using film for many years and not having the option to change ISO mid stream, I've got pretty good at judging what ISO I'll need for a given set of circumstances - I even used to be able to guess what shutter speed/aperture combination would be best, without using a meter (within a stop or so - close enough using B&W and printing myself).

(BTW, no final e in lens...)
 
Nod said:
Are you sure that setting the shutter speed and aperture is quicker than changing the ISO?
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I think in the scenario described above nothing would have to be set as such. Shutter speed and aperture fixed, camera using iso to balance the exposure no matter what direction you waft the camera about in. I'd be amazed if any human could work that quickly.
 
Personally, I would rather have control of ISO and one of the other variables (probably shutter speed, to keep it fast enough for hand holding) than leave ISO choice to the camera. It is the variable with the largest effect on IQ, after all!

As I say in my signature, that's just MY opinion and isn't necessarily right!
 
Nod said:
Robert, I like big (A3+) prints, and at that sort of size, noise can really ruin a picture. I know you can use NR software to reduce the impact but that tends to be at the expense of fine detail, one of the reasons for printing big!
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You keep talking like by shooting with manual iso you are some how going to be shooting at a lower iso? Everything you are saying about high iso and noise etc... i'm fully aware of, but this has nothing to so with shooting auto or manual iso? Exposure is exposure. If for example you were shooting f8 the sweet spot as you mentioned earlier and 1/250 you then needed to adjust your iso to 400 for correct exposure, auto iso would have choose the same iso for correct exposure. I'm really struggling to get my point across. You are not getting a lower iso by shooting manual.
 
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Nod said:
Chris, I'm not scared of using high ISO, there's no need for me to be with the D700! I just like to be in control of the parameter that has the largest impact on image quality - IMO, the aperture is for controlling DoF and the shutter speed is to eliminate camera shake and subject movement (or increase it, although I personally think fluffy water is overdone these days!)
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Can't you see its me who has the control of DoF and camera shake by shooting in manual not you in P,AV,S?
 
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Nod said:
Personally, I would rather have control of ISO and one of the other variables (probably shutter speed, to keep it fast enough for hand holding) than leave ISO choice to the camera. It is the variable with the largest effect on IQ, after all!

As I say in my signature, that's just MY opinion and isn't necessarily right!
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You still have control of the iso! You set your shutter speed and aperture it gives you a reading of the iso, if you don't how high it is make your aperture or shutter speed adjustments until you do. Shooting in manual with auto iso is the most control you can have from your camera bar shooting completely manually.
 
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Let me point out that NOWHERE have I suggested that the way I do things is either the right way or the only way! In fact, my signature points out that my opinion is just that, MY opinion and way of working. Sometimes, the ISO displayed in the VF can be overlooked, potentially giving a hugely noisy image when a clean one is needed. PERSONALLY, I would rather be able to chose the level of noise I was happy with and work around the shutter speed and aperture I wanted/needed. :)

By all means (in fact, please do!) carry on as you are - just as I will carry on as I am. ;)

No real point in carrying on this discussion - we just work in different ways! :p
 
Nod said:
Let me point out that NOWHERE have I suggested that the way I do things is either the right way or the only way! In fact, my signature points out that my opinion is just that, MY opinion and way of working. Sometimes, the ISO displayed in the VF can be overlooked, potentially giving a hugely noisy image when a clean one is needed. PERSONALLY, I would rather be able to chose the level of noise I was happy with and work around the shutter speed and aperture I wanted/needed. :)

By all means (in fact, please do!) carry on as you are - just as I will carry on as I am. ;)

No real point in carrying on this discussion - we just work in different ways! :p
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Yes we can end the discussion. I know you wasn't suggesting your way was the only way to work, i was trying to explain you will not get a low iso shooting the same shutter and aperture shooting in manual iso which your post seem to suggest.

We can just agree to disagree. :)
 
Good man!

Keep shooting! (Or should that be Keeeeeeeeeep shooting in best Brucie/Tess voice?)
 
I like to use every thing in manual that way i know what,s going on and have full control
of my exposure
 
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