A. T.

Thanks, Linda sent a video by Steve Perry who addresses my original question; he uses manual mode with auto ISO. I set the parameters and took a few test shots in my low lit din and was very pleased with the results.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

I feel my photography is a art form (maybe not good enough) but we are now deep into a discussion in the best brush to use. Each shot depends on what you want your picture to look like. Is a great focused and lighted picture more important than the subject, NO. The picture is the thing and no one way to get to that point is the thing or the camera mfg would not give us the choices.

Photocraig

On my EOS cameras for the last 25 years my index finger and thumb for the top and back wheels control all I need for Manual. Auto ISO is still hard for my mind to encompass. Ain't that the number on the box end stuck in the back of the camera? I can change ISO with another finger easily, if I feel the need--still a foreign concept to this old Film learned shooter.

The Aperture/shutter priority automation is a big help in changeable light, though.

And I guess if Linda and Steve Perry use it, I'll have to have an Auto ISO project day.
Happy New Year,
C

A. T.

Well, I set my parameters and took some sample photos in a dimly lit den and was very impressed with the results.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

My link to a quote by Steve Perry is on page 1 of this topic and within his comments is the link to his video.

Auto ISO works best in rapidly changing lighting conditions, such as tracking a bird in flight from shadows to light, or when shooting in "normal" conditions when you want to concentrate solely on depth of field (aperture) and/or controlling motion (shutter speed). I consider it a variation of the priority modes.

My kitty on page 1 is in full sunlight with auto ISO. For the below I took control of my ISO so I could deliberately under-expose. As I pointed out on page 6, people who achieve success doing things "their way" have no need to try someone else's, so these types of discussion topics are best for those who are still exploring the options.

John Gerlach Loc: Island Park, Idaho

Although I have used all the exposure modes during my forty year photo career, I now only use manual exposure (80%) and Auto ISO (20%) with manual aperture and shutter speed along with EC on my Canon cameras as newer models now offer EC with Auto ISO. I use manual most because it locks the exposure controls which is highly effective for a subject that remains in the same amount of ambient light. And manual is best for wildlife when you are panning with them and the background or foreground brightness is changing. For example, proper exposure for a bald eagle against a blue sky would not be proper if the eagle's background suddenly becomes a white cloud as the increase in white would cause underexposure with an auto exposure mode unless you locked it somehow. And if a light or dark animal is moving and changes its relative size in the image quite a bit, you are better off on manual. Auto ISO is king when the ambient light changes quickly, and especially if that is unexpected. While any exposure mode can get you an ideal exposure if you adjust it just right, when time is short, then auto trumps manual. Many here stress they use aperture-priority because depth of field is their most crucial factor in many of their images, and that is true for me too. But, keep in mind that both full manual exposure and the Auto ISO with manual A & S also lock in the depth of field, so aperture-priority offers me nothing I don't already have. Indeed, I have to work hard to get clients not to use aperture-priority on my Kenya photo safaris as it will cost them a few key shots. How? The big problem with aperture-priority is the shutter speeds varies. If you are out in the sun photographing elephants using aperture-priority at the camera selects a shutter speed of 1/250 second after you set ISO 400 at f/11, the problem arises when we drive from the elephants into a small shaded woods and suddenly a leopard is spotted walking along the path across the creek. You only have seconds before it fades into the brush, so you throw the lens up, put the AF point on the leopard and fire away. The focus is right, auto exposure gives a decent exposure even though you had no time to check the histogram or highlight alert, but the images fail because the light is 4 stops darker. Since your aperture is locked at f/11, ISO at 400, the shutter slows to 1/15 second and nothing is sharp. Auto ISO would save your images here, as the ISO would merely rise to ISO 6400. I agree that is higher than I want to use, but at least I can get a sharp image. (And since I use Auto ISO a bunch, I would turn my aperture dial quickly by touch to open up the lens to lower the ISO being used.) If the leopard isn't sharp in any of the images using aperture-priority, then they are easy to edit. Select all and hit delete. And by the way, Auto ISO with manual A and S is an automatic exposure mode. I realize aperture and shutter speed are manually set, but the exposure is ultimately determined automatically when the camera sets the ISO. As for shutter-priority, that is the mode I once used in Kenya until Canon (finally) made cameras where you can easily use EC with Auto ISO and manual A and S. The problem with shutter-priority is sometimes it would lead to underexposed images when the camera needed to open up the lens more than it could. And, finally, I did have that happen to one client using Auto ISO as I suggested. He locked in ISO 3200 as the highest ISO the camera could use. Then when trying to photograph monkey's right at dark as we were driving to the lodge, all of a sudden he got black images. Of course, he had limited the ISO so much that with his chosen aperture and shutter speed, there was no way for the camera to increase the ISO enough with the limitation. Hope this sheds some light on things.

joderale Loc: Pensacola, Florida

I checked out Linda's link to Steve Perry's discussion. Wow, what a body of work he has. He obviously spends a lot of time in the field. I'm super impressed by his compositions and the effort that goes into finding the shots.
Back to the subject, I have been using Manual with auto-iso a lot. It's convenient and not really manual It's nice to set the shutter speed and aperture for your conditions and let the iso change as needed. But there are times that it's not appropriate. Sometimes you want low ISO for maximum dynamic range and lowest noise. Sometimes your aperture and shutter speed parameters make it impossible to set an auto iso that works.

John Gerlach Loc: Island Park, Idaho

Well said! Manual is often easier to use than continually fussing with exposure compensation dials.

A. T.

I guess my only dilemma would be knowing how high to set my ISO max. I know it depends on the camera and what my noise tolerances are. My D500 tolerates higher ISOs than I do, LOL.

Big Yankee Fan

Interesting issue. I mostly use shutter priority. Not sure why except I'm usually thinking about motion rather than DOF. But not always.

Assuming all things being equal which allows for brighter and more vivid colors....1) having the shutter open for a shorter period of time with a larger opening or 2) having the shutter open for a longer period of time with a smaller opening?

Thanks.

DanielB Loc: San Diego, Ca

Manual for single shot use like portraiture and Landscape and in conditions where the lighting is consistent. On the fly in good lighting - Aperture Value. I rarely use Tv and when I'm shooting sports I'll shoot in Priority mode.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

Set it high, because all the time you are looking through the viewfinder you will be able to instantly see what it's doing and make quick appropriate adjustments to meet your shot priorities.

A. T.

Okay, thanks I kinda figured that but didn't have the nerve to try that. I'll play with some high ISO settings to see how high I can go without sacrificing picture quality.