When to/not to use Auto ISO?

bigrob

bigrob

Suspended / Banned
Messages
4,225
Name
Robin
Edit My Images
Yes
Personally I never use auto ISO........

I'll usually set aperture and shutter speed to what I want and then set the ISO to something that gives me the correct exposure.

For instance, if I'm shooting a cricket match I need a decent shutter speed so I'll tend to shoot wide open in Av mode and will adjust the ISO until I get a shutter speed of 1/1000+

Unless you deleberately want to go for the grainy/noisey look it's best to use the lowest ISO possible (even then I think I'd still shoot at low ISO and add grain/noise in PP).

By not using auto ISO you're keeping as much as possible under your control and giving the camera less opportunity to think for itself and effectively guess what you're trying to acheive ;)
 
Never

Im not going get get drawn into this but 'Never' is my answer because any tog will know what iso to use and when to use it.

The brain if far better at this then Canon or any other make. Never :)
 
Russ77 said:
Personally I never use auto ISO........
Click to expand...

Tokkelossi said:
'Never' is my answer because any tog will know what iso to use and when to use it.
Click to expand...


Football match (or rugby or whatever) nice clear day....But the pitch has very large areas of shadows from the stands... maybe a third of the pitch down one side and one penralty area... Players are runnign in and out of the shadows and theres a massive stop difference between the two

auto iso would be perfect for this... how would you handle it better ? The difference is like night and day...
 
Last edited:
Tony that is the one situation that seems to come up with Auto ISO as per previous posts by yourself and Tobers.

When else do you use it?
 
Works fantanstically on the D3. Set the minimum shutter speed you want to use and the max ISO - but keep the camera ISO set to the minimum. I use it on manual I can set the shutter speed and the aperture I want - and that is much more important than the ISO. As above great for sport - but also any conditions where the light is constantly changing.
 
bigrob said:
When else do you use it?
Click to expand...

Personally I dont... I use it if the lighting has a dramataic change as per above (i dont mean changing light i mean very big set changes) .. it might only be one situation for me personaly.. might be more for others... auto iso is a tool..its on my mkIV camera.. its there as a tool to be used... anyone saying never because the photogrpaher should know... well they just simply havent found a use for it yet... should never say never :)
 
Thanks chaps.

Anyone else for any more?
 
As I do a lot of outside "lifestyle shoots" I use mine a lot and in manual.
The only time I turn it off is when the light is consistent say when shooting in the shade or on a nice sunny day and the light is even. If its cloudy or we are moving between areas of light and shade then its just so much easier to set it and forget it, One of the things i love about my D700 and its very customizable :)

Cheers
Joel
 
Or put it another way. When shooting a game in full sun or even cloud why wouldn't you use it?
 
I avoid it where possible, but if you have rapidly changing light (sun/cloud for example) it can catch you out - especially if you want a particular shot/effect. In those situations Auto ISO is a bit of an insurance policy so you can concentrate on your shutter / aperture settings when in manual.

I wouldn't see the need if you use aperture or shutter priority modes.
 
Sorry but I wouldnt even use it for rapid changing lights... it not the changing light that bothers me... AV is safer with only a small fluctuation of shutter speed between clouds and non clouds... But if the area your shooting in has bright sunlight and dark shadows then its perfect for the sudden change players run into thats far too much for shutter speed H/L paramaeters to handle

Still waiting for the two "never" use it posters to tell me how they would handle that? :)
 
KIPAX said:
Sorry but I wouldnt even use it for rapid changing lights... it not the changing light that bothers me... AV is safer with only a small fluctuation of shutter speed between clouds and non clouds... But if the area your shooting in has bright sunlight and dark shadows then its perfect for the sudden change players run into thats far too much for shutter speed H/L paramaeters to handle

Still waiting for the two "never" use it posters to tell me how they would handle that? :)
Click to expand...

I suppose that's a situation I've never shot in Tony, although to counter it I may be inclined to see if I can set the ISO so I still get a good shutter speed in the shadows and doesn't max out the shutter speed in the sun (if you get what I mean?), if this wasn't possible, which I doubt if would be if you're shooting at f2.8 (which I can't as my 100-400 doesn't do f2.8 :lol: ) then it's probably a different ball game (pardoning the pun).
 
Russ77 said:
I suppose that's a situation I've never shot in Tony, although to counter it I may be inclined to see if I can set the ISO so I still get a good shutter speed in the shadows and doesn't max out the shutter speed in the sun (if you get what I mean?), if this wasn't possible, which I doubt if would be if you're shooting at f2.8 (which I can't as my 100-400 doesn't do f2.8 :lol: ) then it's probably a different ball game (pardoning the pun).
Click to expand...

So... as I am pointing out... you may find yourself in a position one day.. so "never" ?

I agree I would go for the shutter that works in both areas at my max/min .. but believe me I ahve been to grounds (its worse in bright sunshine) where the difference between the bright sunshine and dark shadows is too much for the shutter to handle.. you mention f2.8? in bright sunshine? so auto changing the aperture might work but I really do want to control that

its a matter of deciding whats important.. for me the shutter is most important.. then the aperture then the iso.. so the least important is what i would ahve on auto if i required a semi auto mode..

All I am saying is.. that like av and tv modes.. like manual.. like continuous shooting and like P mode.. they are all tools to be used... to say never simply means you ahvent found a need for it... when the day comes where auto iso is the perfect answer... what then?
 
Last edited:
KIPAX said:
Sorry but I wouldnt even use it for rapid changing lights... it not the changing light that bothers me... AV is safer with only a small fluctuation of shutter speed between clouds and non clouds... But if the area your shooting in has bright sunlight and dark shadows then its perfect for the sudden change players run into thats far too much for shutter speed H/L paramaeters to handle

Still waiting for the two "never" use it posters to tell me how they would handle that? :)
Click to expand...

I change iso on the fly if i need it. I make the choice of iso i want not the camera. 100, 200 now and then 400 and almost never above.

Take your auto iso away and your left with a tog that is stuck for the shot. Why not just auto everything and let canon/nikon decide for you.

My cameras are always reset to 100 iso 125th f8. You can then blindfold me, give me any setting and i will change it to that, then put it back.

Music photography in dark stadiums and then strobes. spots etc teaches you very quickly that you need to be getting the shot right all the time.

I cant think of one magazine that would accept a centre page at 800 iso in a red spot light. Most of the big publications balk at 200 iso.

So maybe you are right, football stadium and light one end shade the other would fit auto iso but not where i work and not the publications that want my shots.

To sum up, in my work and play I would never use auto iso. However, if you can get away with using it and the client is happy ... hey .... get stuck in.

Its not for me, I like the challenge of being better then the camera at making a decision :D
 
Tokkelossi said:
Its not for me, I like the challenge of being better then the camera at making a decision :D
Click to expand...

yeagh we are all idiots who have no idea how to use a camera.. we let the camera do it for us..

I really do despair some days :(
 
Don't let it get you down because some people are stuck in the past.
 
KIPAX said:
So... as I am pointing out... you may find yourself in a position one day.. so "never" ?

I agree I would go for the shutter that works in both areas at my max/min .. but believe me I ahve been to grounds (its worse in bright sunshine) where the difference between the bright sunshine and dark shadows is too much for the shutter to handle.. you mention f2.8? in bright sunshine? so auto changing the aperture might work but I really do want to control that

its a matter of deciding whats important.. for me the shutter is most important.. then the aperture then the iso.. so the least important is what i would ahve on auto if i required a semi auto mode..

All I am saying is.. that like av and tv modes.. like manual.. like continuous shooting and like P mode.. they are all tools to be used... to say never simply means you ahvent found a need for it... when the day comes where auto iso is the perfect answer... what then?
Click to expand...

And that's all fair enough but I didn't say I'll never use auto ISO, my statement was past/present tense ;) :lol: (although I admit I could have been a little more explicit ;) )

As Tokkelossi said, I prefer to try and get everything right myself and only let the camera "take control" when I can't get it right..... at least that way I can only blame myself :lol:
 
Russ77 said:
As Tokkelossi said, I prefer to try and get everything right myself and only let the camera "take control" when I can't get it right..... at least that way I can only blame myself :lol:
Click to expand...

lets presume for a minute that we all know how our cameras work and we all can use them ...

the point isnt making a better decision than the camera.. the point is that in certain situations the camera can make the changes quicker than you can.. the difference between getting or not getting the shot.. if a player runs in and out of the shaded area as per example..you will miss the shot while trying to change settings..... you need the camera to do it.. its important that you ahve the right shutter and aperture.. so in order to get the

in fact sod it..........
 
KIPAX said:
yeagh we are all idiots who have no idea how to use a camera.. we let the camera do it for us..

I really do despair some days :(
Click to expand...

Please dont put those words into my mouth. I never called anyone an idiot. at no point did i say you have no idea about using a camera.

What i did say is that I know my kit inside out. What I also said was my clients wont put up with high iso.

I also said use it if you can get away with it .... i cant.

Please go ahead and despair all you want ..... but dont do it over or for me.

Give my rantings no further thought ;)
 
Two things - auto iSO does not necessarily mean high ISO - it means the correct ISO in the blink of an eye. Secondly some clients do live in the past and need educating about how fantastic high ISO is in modern cameras. Luckily, perhaps - my clients don't care about ISO - most don't even know about it - what they care about is that I get the picture - every time - whatever the situation.
 
Tokkelossi said:
What I also said was my clients wont put up with high iso.
Click to expand...

And mine wont put up with masses of motion blur simply because i wasn't quick enough to manually change the ISO as the player i was tracking ran to score a try in the corner where there was rubbish floodlight coverage in the blink of an eye.

You might not need to shoot at ISO 3200-6400 and still retain a very fast shutter speed but some of us do
 
Last edited:
Tokkelossi said:
Please dont put those words into my mouth. I never called anyone an idiot. at no point did i say you have no idea about using a camera.

What i did say is that I know my kit inside out. What I also said was my clients wont put up with high iso.

I also said use it if you can get away with it .... i cant.

Please go ahead and despair all you want ..... but dont do it over or for me.

Give my rantings no further thought ;)
Click to expand...

If that's your point, and you'd never go above ISO 400, why are you handing advice out in the Sports forum?

It's not the first time that you've given completely tonk advice in here.

Your first post stated that any photographer that knew what they were doing would never use Auto ISO, so when Kipax implied that you'd called us all idiots, guess what? That's exactly what you did do.

By all means express an opinion, but at least temper it with the caveat 'I don't understand sports photography', then we all know what level we are talking at.
 
Never:

Commercial product stuff,Landscape.

Always:

Wildlife,Shooting,Sports (don`t do much of that TBH), Weddings and anything else not mentioned.

The high ISO on the D700 is superb, so rather than fart about setting ISO to get a sharp shot, I use auto ISO, there is not always time to change settings. I accept that some don`t use this feature of the camera, but don`t denigrate those that do.
 
fracster said:
The high ISO on the D700 is superb, so rather than fart about setting ISO to get a sharp shot, I use auto ISO, there is not always time to change settings. I accept that some don`t use this feature of the camera, but don`t denigrate those that do.
Click to expand...

I have to say that the Auto ISO facility on Nikons in M is something that I'd really like Canon to take on board properly, rather than the bodge that we're forced into.
 
DemiLion said:
I have to say that the Auto ISO facility on Nikons in M is something that I'd really like Canon to take on board properly, rather than the bodge that we're forced into.
Click to expand...


I can`t comment on the Canon system mate, never used it. But ,for example, photographing a shoot on a cold winters day, the auto ISO is a bloody Godsend. Beaters in woods, guns in sunshine, black labs in dark rivers all within seconds of each other etc etc etc.
 
bigrob said:
Setting up a 1D Mk III to use auto ISO has been mentioned a few times.

I eventually set it up yesterday & I remember Tobers doing a blog on it here

http://slikimages.com/2010/03/techniques/handling-a-sports-pitch-divided-by-sunshine-and-shadow/

What I wondered is; what other situations would it be useful in & why and when is it best avoided & why?

Simples.
Click to expand...


Hi Rob,

I'm not a pro and I don't shoot 'sports' per se, though I like to shoot most everything that I can that is outside. I don't need to have shot to shot consistency for 'look' as if I was shooting a set for a client. I don't mind if one is at ISO 200 and one is at 1600 as the D90 is fine to me at both.

For me, I see no reason NOT to use auto ISO. I shoot aperture priority mostly, with some manual or shutter at times. Think about it this way. If I'm shooting in aperture (usually wide open or nearly so), I've set one corner of the exposure triangle. I then have to decide on shutter speed and ISO. I want SS as high as possible and ISO as low as possible. So I set ISO 200 (base) and let the computer work out the shutter speed. If the shutter speed isn't high enough then my only recourse would be to up the ISO. I can tell the camera what 'high enough' means with a minimum shutter speed. If my SS meets my high enough criteria, then I'm as base ISO. If I need to bump ISO as I would manually, then the camera does it for me to the minimum required to get my SS I want. Sure I could set ISO 1600 from the start, but then if the light gets better I have to think to turn it back down. The camera is doing the thinking just as I would with auto ISO.

Thanks,
Rick
 
fracster said:
I can`t comment on the Canon system mate, never used it. But ,for example, photographing a shoot on a cold winters day, the auto ISO is a bloody Godsend. Beaters in woods, guns in sunshine, black labs in dark rivers all within seconds of each other etc etc etc.
Click to expand...

The main difference is that you can set up Auto ISO (including set parameters) in any camera mode (inc M) and it just works, whereas with Canon you need to jury rig it and even then it won't play at all in manual.

That's reminds me to sort out some shooting shoots for this season, only a few weeks left - although I'm unlikely to be doing the short fat things in August! :D
 
I'm not a pro either (please don't shout at me) and only little experience of shooting sports so I have found this thread very useful as I've had conflicting advice from different sources about this. I used to use Auto ISO but then was laughed at for this so went on to changing it manually

I shall now go back to using Auto


And for previous posts, let keep this thread helpful and pleasant
 
kelack said:
(please don't shout at me)
Click to expand...

a) I'm not brave enough
b) You are too nice to shout at
c) You're a lot better photographer than you make out at times


(can I have that Jaffa crumb now please? :lol: )
 
DemiLion said:
I have to say that the Auto ISO facility on Nikons in M is something that I'd really like Canon to take on board properly, rather than the bodge that we're forced into.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more.
The 7D has the Auto Iso implemented but I think it still needs to go one further and allow us to nudge when required to compensate.

Don't understand why on the 5DMKII the AUTO iso on M just sticks to 400. I am still searching to see if there is a way around it
 
DemiLion said:
a) I'm not brave enough
b) You are too nice to shout at
c) You're a lot better photographer than you make out at times


(can I have that Jaffa crumb now please? :lol: )
Click to expand...

I don't think I said I didn't think I was good, just not that much experience in shooting sports. It's only over the past 18 months I've really done any other than rugby
 
scottthehat said:
love the auto iso on the nikons in m mode, also pentax have it but call it tav mode which lets you change the apature and shutter speed and the iso is auto, and m is full manual.
Click to expand...

Why can't Canon do the same? :thinking:
 
scottthehat said:
dont know and i found it hard using a canon 7d, also in manual you can use the ev button can you as it does nothing.
Click to expand...

Yes you can, it does bracketing when you use it in M mode.
Actually I find the 7D fantastic to use. Not having the ability to nudge a bit exposure compensation when in M mode and auto ISO is the only thing that bugs me, but otherwise its just fantastic. I wouldn't know how to live without my 7D ;)
 
kelack said:
I'm not a pro either (please don't shout at me) and only little experience of shooting sports so I have found this thread very useful as I've had conflicting advice from different sources about this. I used to use Auto ISO but then was laughed at for this so went on to changing it manually

I shall now go back to using Auto


And for previous posts, let keep this thread helpful and pleasant
Click to expand...

To be honest, I read lots of how other people do things. I try some of thier habits/settings/methods. Some I like and use, some I don`t like and forget about. Basically I try differing things but use what works for me.

For example, Andrew raves about 3D tracking, I have tried it on numerous occasions,for what I shoot mainly it is not up to the job. So I don`t use it, but it works for Andrew,if you get what I mean.
 
zulupentax said:
Yes you can, it does bracketing when you use it in M mode.
Actually I find the 7D fantastic to use. Not having the ability to nudge a bit exposure compensation when in M mode and auto ISO is the only thing that bugs me, but otherwise its just fantastic. I wouldn't know how to live without my 7D ;)
Click to expand...
suppose its waht you get used to, as for not living without it try a nikon:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top