Auto ISO with manual mode. Am I making a mistake ?

[greybeard]

Hi All,

I'm using a Nikon d810, and my go-to default setting is to use auto-iso in manual mode. I can quickly change the aperture and shutter speed, which are the most common variables I change when having to quickly pick up my camera and get that moment.

Obviously, the camera then sacrifices the ISO to get a decent exposure. For more planned shots, like astro or landscapes, I'll use manual ISO as well, but it's a luxury I don't always have when the kids decide to do something funny there and then. I'm fortunate to use chunky glass f/2.8 stuff (it's good for the biceps at least ) , so it's not often it takes me past iso 3200 which the camera/lightroom can deal with.

Finally, the question....

I've read in a number of places I should be using either full manual, aperture/shutter priority and I'm really keen to hear of others experience of auto-iso and if I've overlooked something important.

Thanks!

If your pictures look properly exposed, then it is not a mistake. Keep an eye on the iso the camera selects and the exposure indicator at the bottom of the screen. There may be times when the light is too bright or dark for the shutter/aperture you have.

 

[stevet1]

I started out using manual and auto ISO, but wasn't satisfied with the result. I thought my pictures were too overexposed. I started using aperture priority with a manual ISO setting of 100. I think I am taking better pictures now.
It could be that initially, I was using a shutter speed that was too fast, and the camera was choosing a high ISO to compensate. I was routinely using a shutter speed of about 1/400th. I'll gave to experiment some more.
Steve Thomas

 

[greybeard]

It is all about control. I set all my cameras to manual, auto iso and, back button AFC. It took me a while to get use to this as I had usually used aperture priority set the iso and used AFS. I forget where I read about my present setup but it made sense. Now i have the AF-L/AE-L Button set to AF only and the shutter release to AE-L only. I press the AF-L/AE-L button to focus and half press the shutter release to lock exposure. I have AFC as long as I have my thumb pressed and exposure lock as long as I half press the shutter release. I can AFS by just holding down my thumb until I have focus and then just let off. By 1/2 pressing the shutter release at the same time, I'm locking exposure on the main subject with the aperture and shutter speed I want. The only time this doesn't work is when the subject is too bright for my minimum iso so I have to keep an eye on the exposure meter.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Do not forget dumb luck or lack of it. I was on aperture priority and shooting an outdoor model train display.
I let the camera choose the shutter speed and ISO. All was well.

I decided to try a +/- f stop test on a shaded area. So I switched to manual mode, set the shutter speed and f stop to the last aperture mode setting then I made some shots a couple of f stops over and a couple of shots under that f stop.

Well it seems with the ISO on auto the camera simply compensated for the aperture change. So once again I get reminded that I am a mere mortal.

 

[LWW]

Hi All,

I'm using a Nikon d810, and my go-to default setting is to use auto-iso in manual mode. I can quickly change the aperture and shutter speed, which are the most common variables I change when having to quickly pick up my camera and get that moment.

Obviously, the camera then sacrifices the ISO to get a decent exposure. For more planned shots, like astro or landscapes, I'll use manual ISO as well, but it's a luxury I don't always have when the kids decide to do something funny there and then. I'm fortunate to use chunky glass f/2.8 stuff (it's good for the biceps at least ) , so it's not often it takes me past iso 3200 which the camera/lightroom can deal with.

Finally, the question....

I've read in a number of places I should be using either full manual, aperture/shutter priority and I'm really keen to hear of others experience of auto-iso and if I've overlooked something important.

Thanks!

I shoot in manual mode with auto ISO most of the time. Now and then I get a shot with a bit more noise than I would like, but the less than perfect shot you get is always better than the perfect shot you missed.

I also shoot mostly with matrix metering for the same reason, the less than perfect exposure is always better than the perfect exposure you missed.

Perfect is the mortal enemy of really good, and the biggest thing I see beginner, and even experienced, photographers make is to overthink things in pursuit of perfection.

Below are three of the best, if not the best, sports photos of all time.

All have technical issues, and can be criticized by pixel peepers, but the eye is drawn to the moment that they captured and not that they lack perfection.

Copyrighted images removed. Please do not post photos to which you do not have rights. You may post a link.

Action photography is mostly what I shoot.

I've been doing this for over fifty years and am still learning.

Now, landscapes and museum shots are a different thing. Subjects don't move and lighting doesn't usually change rapidly ... but I still shoot manual with auto ISO, but I will check where the ISO is before I click the shutter.

 

[John Fantastic]

Auto ISO in Manual Mode I think is perfect in sports photography. You select the AV and TV and the camera adjust the ISO for proper exposure.

 

[greybeard]

I use Auto ISO in manual most of the time. The only screw up I've ever had with it was not paying attention to the meter and over exposing because the iso couldn't go low enough. There are times when I like to take my time and do it all manually with auto iso switched off. Reminds me of my old Minolta SRT201 and the match needle exposure system it had.