pecohen Loc: Central Maine

Why is this better than just using auto-ISO and Program mode? In other words, just let the camera decide what is best.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

I couldn't agree more with you SS. The idea is to keep the ISO as low as possible. 100,000?

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

I have two favorites on my D7000 no matter in travel mode or not. For good light I use Program mode. For poor light indoors or out I set up one of my User modes for Program with Auto-ISO. Also, matrix metering works for me for most all subject matter. In Prgram mode, I can quickly dial in a different f stop or shutter speed as needed - shutter changes to accomodate f stop and vice versa.

DRG777 Loc: Metro Detroit

I would not use the suggestion. I like to keep the ISO as low as possible for image quality, and to set the aperture for depth of field.

Acountry330 Loc: Dothan,Ala USA

Have you ever wondered why there is so many different settings on your camera that will produce a decent picture. It is so we wii argue about which setting is the best. Happy shooting.

Marionsho Loc: Kansas

I hadn't thought of that. LOL.
The main thing with me is to remember to LOOK at the camera. DUH. I like A priority. When I turned my camera on last Sunday, I did a bone head thing and accidentally moved the control dial to Tv. Shot at 1/50 sec. most of the day. Lots of duds for any action shots.

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

My approach here is three fold. If timing is not a factor, I like to shoot manual, my control over all the settings. If timing is a factor, I like to set ISO as appropriate, then shoot in "P" mode. If I don't have any requirements, then I shoot in "full auto." A mod to full maual, I shoot in Aperture priority, after selecting ISO. I don't see how the procedure described is going to be very effective except udner very narrowly defined perimeters. Just my thoughts.

kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

That’s what I do with my D7100. Mostly use it in Aperture Priority mode with the ISO set at either 100 or 200.

I also used “Sunny 16” when shooting the “super moon” last week.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Not necessarily.



Because the camera metering system is wrong almost as often as it's right. (Especially if using Auto ISO [i]and[i] Program mode at the same time... that's two different auto exposure modes, and using them together is just asking for all sorts of trouble.)

Cameras are just "dumb machines" that have no idea what they're being pointed at or how it should be "correctly" exposed. So leaving it up to the camera is like rolling the dice and hoping the automation works correctly (it actually does work okay surprisingly often). The photographer needs to make exposure decisions, then control the camera to make expose the image properly.

Any auto exposure mode is strongly influenced by the tonalities of the subject and/or backlighting or other odd lighting situations. The light meter used to set auto exposures can only "assume" everything in front of it is "medium gray". If your entire world is medium gray, you're all set using auto exposure. But most peoples' world is a mix of tonalities, so they need to override what their camera wants to do in a lot of situations, with Exposure Compensation or other techniques.

I don't know exactly what "IA or IA+" refer to, but those sound like "super auto" modes that not only give auto exposure, but also dictate what focus mode you're "allowed" to use, what type file will be saved (usually JPEG only), and even prevent you from using Exposure Compensation and might only work with limited ISOs.

OP, what that travel photographer is referring to is the "Sunny 16 Rule".... and works pretty darned well outdoors on normally sunlit days.

With "Sunny 16" you set the aperture to f16 and the shutter speed to the reciprocal of the ISO you've set... so to have 1/125 shutter you need to set ISO to 125. In other words, SS is correct... you have to set all three exposure factors: shutter, aperture and ISO. (If, for some reason, you want to use an aperture other than f16 - such as a larger aperture for shallower depth of field - you can adjust the shutter speed and/or ISO to still arrive at the same exposure.)

Except for the early and late hours of of the day, "Sunny 16" will give you a fairly accurate exposure... out in broad daylight. You have to adjust for shooting in the shade... or for cloudy days... or for indoors.... or for flash. There are some other rules of thumb similar to Sunny 16 you can learn, that will allow you to make pretty accurate exposures in all sorts of situations.

Remember, cameras didn't always have meters built into them (and built in meters can be "fooled" by a lot of situations). For that matter, a lot of photos were taken without any meter at all, for about 100 years or so... setting exposure by eye or referring to a chart. Kodak film used to come with a list of common situations and recommended exposures printed on a sheet of paper in the box. A lot of fully manual cameras had a metal plate on the top or rear printed or engraved with similar info. Or photographers made carried their own "cheat sheets". Meters started gaining popularity in the 1940s and 1950s, and some cameras started to come with them built-in in the 1950s. But it wasn't until the mid-1960s that cameras offered auto exposure modes, and the late 1960s/early 1970s that they started to meter through the lens the way modern cameras do. Initially auto exposure was one mode or another... either shutter priority or aperture priority. The first cameras with both, plus program mode, came in the 1970s.

So millions of photos were taken without meters or with metering methods pretty primitive compared to what you can do today. With digital cameras you can even check the exposure immediately after a shot is taken, with the histogram. Then you can decide if some adjustment is needed.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Since you shoot 4/3rds, I suspect you are shooting Olympus or Panasonic. Assuming Olympus, you might want to set a hard ISO and shoot P mode. The top dials can be setup in different combinations and rotation directions to your liking to change the shutter speed or aperture opening without taking your finger off the shutter release. It is not that much different than what you are doing now, but it does allow for quickly changing the DOF or shutter speed to meet the scene's requirements without taking your eye away from the viewfinder. If you should choose aperture priority mode, I would suggest setting no higher than f8 or f11. Most 4/3rds lenses start suffering diffraction at f11 or above whether they be Olympus, Panasonic, or an independent lense manufacturer.

pecohen Loc: Central Maine

Some probably are. I have a Sony A6000 that generally seems to do a pretty good job in automatic modes. Not perfect all the time of course but neither am I.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Presuming we are shooting digital, the right exposure is not always immediately recognizable in camera, I often prefer a bit more or less than the correct exposure, that's why I shoot RAW and bracket most shots, fill up cards faster? yes, more options in processing? yes, bob.

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

If I consider the chances of getting further good shots may rapidly change, I shoot the first pic using the camera Auto function. Then go on to use other features of the camera to get what I hope will be better, or different, versions of the pic. That way, if the circumstances of the setting do change at least I have that first shot which generally will turn out satisfactorily.

As an aside, I always carry my camera set to the Auto option just specifically to get those fleeting possible shots.

dickwilber Loc: Indiana (currently)

Many years ago, I would set out with my camera loaded with Kodachrome 64, my aperture at f/8, shutter speed at 1/250, and lens focus at the hyperfocal distance, and I'd be ready - as long as a cloud didn't come along, or my intended target be in the shade, or too close. But that was a very long time ago! Today, I depend on auto exposure and auto focus, particularly for that first quick shot, then if time permits I refine all my settings. You will get many more usable images with today's electronic cameras shooting automatic than with yesterday's "Sunny 16" rule! But learn to shoot manual, then making the necessary adjustments will come easily.

Shel B

That's kinda the old "sunny 16" rule. Set shutter speed to number closest to your ASA..er...ISO number...set at f16 and you're ready to shoot....if the sun's out. Why not just use the "P" setting, get the initial shot, then worry about the other stuff?