Is now the time for auto ISO?

[tim_klimowicz]

"They can give us back manual aperture control on lenses too."

 

You're probably joking about that, but my god how I wish that was the case. There is something very unintuitive about

changing the aperture on the camera body (especially when Canon switches the buttons all around on you as you switch

from M to Av to Tv).

 

At the same time, though having both dials accessible on the body DOES make one-handed shooting much easier...

[jamie_robertson2]

Auto ISO is something I welcome greatly. I am awaiting my 5D2 and I can forsee many situations when i will use it. When photographing action or using a long lens I could use Tv mode set at 1/500 shutter speed and let the camera do the rest knowing that I won't get a blurred shot due to slow shutter speed. Sounds great. I just hope the camera has the option to cap the ISO at a set level (say 1600 or so). I disagree that it is a wimp mode (like fully auto or program mode). You still have full control over your aperture, focusing and shutter speed so the creativity is still there.

 

The feature is something I thought manufacturers would have incorporated years ago.

[oistrakh]

"Is it feasible now that we can just lock our cameras in (for the most part) @ auto iso, 1/125, and f/2.8 and let it rip? "

 

Um, 1/125s and f/2.8 at ISO100 is EV 10. If you are shooting outdoors on a sunny day, your camera will need to have an ISO 2 or ISO 5 setting to be able to handle how bright it is. I'm not aware of any digital camera that comes close to that. In the film days, you would have to switch to paper in order to get ISO speeds that low. So your answer is no.

[oistrakh]

"Is it feasible now that we can just lock our cameras in (for the most part) @ auto iso, 1/125, and f/2.8 and let it rip? "

 

1/125s and f/2.8 at ISO100 is EV 10. A typical indoor flourescently lit room is about EV 6, four stops slower. So your auto ISO would boost the ISO to 1600. Is the amount of noise you're going to get acceptable to you for a shot in a well-lit flourescent room? If not, the answer to your question is no.

[savan_thongvanh]

Bummer on the party pooper response.

 

I did say:

 

"I will still change these settings to suit my creative desire."

 

not often has it been my creative desire to completely blow everything out (but once in a while).

 

Aside from creativity I'd also change the settings based on the limits of the physics for a desirable exposure.

[stevenseelig]

One reason why I purchased the D700 was to use auto ISO in manual format so I control shutter speed and aperture.

And I really like it, particularly when I am shooting quickly and with varying light situations. The exposures tend to be

either right on or require minimal adjustment post shoot. You can see a few images in my on location portraits here. I

typically set the max at 1600 or 2400.

 

On other occasions, I set the ISO fixed, particularly when the shooting is not quick or the lighting is reasonably constant.

 

So far I am very happy with the auto ISO capability and the quality of the images.

 

My D200 is now a back up.

Steven

[Sanford]

Steven - If you use auto ISO in manual exposure, you aren't really using manual exposure anymore are you? You set the aperture

and shutter speed you need for correct exposure for a given situation and the camera, all on its own, changes the ISO, giving a

different exposure. I don't usually meter in manual but use the "sunny sixteen" rule, at least when it's sunny, and when I set the F

stop and shutter speed, that's what I want. I wish auto ISO was disabled in manual exposure. Ken Rockwell, calls this a major

design flaw, and for once I agree with him.

[eric_bowles]

When the D3 was released, Nikon pro Dave Black reported using a D3 on full auto for an entire football game and had great results. That's Auto ISO and Auto AF. He used the Auto ISO because of huge changes in lighting - a running back going from full sun to a shadow on a single play. Rapid changes in shooting conditions - particularly from bight sun to full shade - make Auto ISO an important tool. Black indicated that some of his images would not have been possible without Auto ISO - he simply could not have reacted quickly enough to change camera settings. With full auto, he was able to put his shooting emphasis on framing the shot and getting the "right" image rather than trying to get a proper exposure or focus.

 

The D3 and D700 have much better high ISO performance than the D300. I do use my D300 with Auto ISO, but you don't have the latitude to shoot at the extremely high ISO levels of the D3/D700.

 

I'm not sure you can put your camera in Point and Shoot Mode and forget it completely, but that is a viable option that is getting better.

[bmm]

I tend to agree with most people here that AutoISO has its uses but is not the answer to everything.

 

My D80 in its most common configuration is in "A" mode with Auto ISO limited to 800 with minimum shutter speed at 1/60. This setting - for me, because it is different for everyone - allows the right balance between automation and creative control (my main controls used are aperture, EV and white balance) and therefore results in me getting a decent ration of "keeper" shots given my primarily candid/urban preference for shooting.

 

However it does frustrate the hell out of me, as it does many others I note, that AutoISO is not disabled in full manual mode.

 

Another thought I have regularly had is that when AutoISO is on, the floor ISO should 'reset' to 100 (or whatever the floor ISO is for the model - on some it is 200). This means that the automation has available the full range from 100 to whatever limit I have set. Obviously this is a hedge against forgetting to revert back to 100 after manually inputting a higher ISO for a particular shot.

[elliot1]

A 'fun' way to use Auto ISO is to shoot in manual mode selecting the exact shutter speed and aperture you want and letting the camera adjust the ISO as necessary.