srt101fan

We seem to have quite a few novice photographers who want to venture beyond the full Auto mode setting but aren’t quite sure how to get there. Aperture priority, shutter priority, and P are all reasonable modes for novices to explore and eventually adopt as their preferred shooting mode(s).

Manual + Auto ISO is a very useful shooting mode that has been mentioned frequently in UHH posts. Its value has been expertly explained by Steve Perry (https://backcountrygallery.com/manual-mode-with-auto-iso/), John Gerlach (https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-487131-1.html) and others. But I wonder if Manual + Auto ISO isn’t also the best mode to learn the use of a digital camera once you’ve decided to go beyond full Auto. We talk about “walking around” lenses; should Manual + Auto ISO be the beginner’s “walking around” shooting mode?

Sure, the M + Auto ISO mode has its limitations. But since these limitations depend on the type of photography you engage in, they can offer an opportunity to learn more about your camera and photography in general. So, here’s what I would suggest to folks on the lower rungs of the digital photography learning ladder who want to move beyond the full auto shooting mode:

> Learn the basics of the fundamental variables Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO – what are they, what do they do and how do they affect your photos (no need to go too deep into this initially, but if you don’t want to learn at least the basics, stay with full Auto mode!)

> Set your camera shooting mode to Manual (M) and turn on Auto ISO.

> Set your shutter speed based on moving/stationary subject considerations and to avoid hand-held camera shake; set your aperture based on depth of field and lens performance (image quality) considerations.

> Don’t set an upper limit on ISO initially; wait, look and learn what your camera does at high ISOs and what ISO levels you find unacceptable; learn about “noise” and “dynamic range” and how ISO affects them.

> Use Exposure Compensation as necessary; the camera will keep the shutter speed and aperture you set and adjust the ISO up or down to maintain “proper” exposure in lighting conditions that call for a deviation from the meter-selected setting.

> Always keep an eye on the ISO setting the camera selects; your chosen shutter speed and aperture might produce proper exposures in the low light levels inside a building, but the ISO might then “peg” at the lower end of its range when you go outside into bright sunshine. In that case, you need to increase your shutter speed and/or close down your aperture setting.


I would appreciate comments regarding this idea of M + Auto ISO shooting mode being a good beginner’s learning mode. I’d like to hear your views on this, pros and cons, but please, if you don’t like M + Auto ISO, give me your reasons, not just “I want to be in control”, or “I want to set my own ISO”.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I would not recommend for this solution above allowing either of the other parameters to float. I find that students don't learn well when they can make a mistake and a hidden part of the system "fixes" it for them.

In my mind, we just make it too hard. All that is needed is to pick a reasonable exposure index, maybe 200, that would reasonably be expected to make a good image. Pick a reasonable shutter speed, say 1/100. Look in the viewfinder, pick an aperture that zeroes the match needle. Notice what that aperture is...make a mental note of it. Push the button. Done. Does the exposure look OK? Too dark? Why? What should I do about that?

Later on, pick an aperture instead, say f4. Match with the shutter speed. Done. Repeat...trying F11. What did I have to do to the shutter speed to balance the meter? Faster? Slower? Repeat, but not under threat of any whip or stick.

Use the meter. Take a break. Make a few exposures on A, S, or P (or whatever the Canon equivalent is. Look at some images. Talk about them.

Expecting someone to learn from scratch to pick three values out of the air to make an exposure is unreasonable and a useless exercise. Maybe later, with some experience. Not to start out. Making this part of the learning experience excessively dull, boring, and repetitive is a sure fire way to scare off a potential new photographer. Pack patience for the trip. And if you are not willing to go beyond one session, do both of you a favor and don't even start the journey.

The fact that we may have had bad teachers is absolutely no reason for us to be poor teachers to those entrusted to us.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

The live view cameras offer, more or less by accident, a way to learn the effects of settings. Some, such as mine, also offer exposure evaluation in the display.

I'm no expert at teaching but I suspect that learning one control's effects at a time is easier than learning two at a time.

There are situations that demand a high shutter speed and there are some that demand DOF control via aperture priority. The understanding of why this is so is the important thing.

I suspect that as an intermediate step, your proposal would make a bit more sense for the true novice. I don't mean to rain on your parade as your ideas are well thought out and well stated. I'm just trying to look at it from the student's perspective.

Bipod

For new photographers wishing to go beyond Program Mode, I recommend
Aperture Priority mode plus exposure compensation.

Low-light and night photography is a specialized topic that requires quite a bit
of knowledge and skill (not just turning up the ISO). The best advice for new
photographers is: don't shoot in dim light.

Auto-ISO is for people who just need a photo to document something and
don't care about image quality. For security cameras, it's great.

Photography is about light, so learning about lighting is very important
from the beginning. First question: where is your subject and where
is the sun?

BTW, the goal isn't to be able to shoot anything with what you're carrying.
For beginner or expert alike, the goal is to photograph what you set out to
photograph, in the way that you visualized it.

And to be successful in any art, it is not necessary to do everything, but just to
do what you do well. A violinist need not also play the trombone.

There is no such thing as a "do everything" camera, or lens, or ISO mode--not
if you care about how the result looks. The sooner someone learns this,
the better.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

A few thoughts on the suggestion:

P mode might be a better first choice as toggeling the thumbwheel shows them the range of shutter speed and fstop that create the same exposure.

My camera doesn’t show the ISO it is using in the viewfinder when on auto ISO. So you have to look afterwards at an LCD image with the info to see what happened.

They first need to learn what to do with metering and focus modes and settings.

I am often surprised by how high an ISO the camera sets. In this batch from yesterday the ISO ranged up to 4000 (Mergansers) and the lowest was 500+. Had I not lazily used auto ISO I’d have backed off on the shutter speed and taken more shots to get sharp ones. The lens I used has pretty good VR so that would have worked too, and I’d have set ISO to 500. But I knew they’d be sharp with 1/640 handheld at 300mm. https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-572677-1.html

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I absolutely agree with you on that. But those situations are not for the introductory lesson(s). They are for later, after the student has developed his or her "sense of balance." The first step is to learn how to get the right amount of light to fall on the sensor. The second step is to learn that there are several ways to do that. The third step is to understand why it is important to understand the multiple choices. There is no shortcut path to Step 3 until Steps 1 & 2 are understood (not necessarily mastered...just understood).

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Probably there is no one-size-fits-all because you will have people who are intrigued by the technical aspects and people who are intimidated.

Having "grown up" with aperture priority and film (ISO is fixed), I see value in suggesting, Look at the light: is it sunny or cloudy? Choose between 200 and 400 ISO. Now, are you most interested in depth of field or in controlling blur due to motion? Select aperture priority or shutter priority.

After much practice, then we talk about exposure compensation, when and why needed, how to achieve.

While I love auto-ISO, I think it's probably not ideal for most novices because it requires you to make two settings' choices in the moment.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

By the way...I've been both to the opthalmalogist and the dentist today. Who would schedule a day like that? So I probably am at least a little bit short on the patience I'm advocating. I'll try to be better tomorrow.

srt101fan

I appreciate the responses but please note that I said the learner has to have at least a basic understanding of Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. I think that's a prerequisite for any advancement from full Auto to another shooting mode...

srt101fan

Understood, Larry. Hope your appointments went well.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Thanks.

So let me fine tune my response a little.

I think that either floating aperture or shutter speed would work equally well. The reason for this is that those are both "tangible" changes. That is, I can look into the lens and see the aperture stop down more, leaving a small hole, or stop down less, leaving a larger hole for light to pass through. Similarly, I can change shutter speed and hear the shutter stay open longer (letting in more light) or less long, letting in less light. When I float the ISO, I can't see anything visible be any different...I can't get a feel for what is no longer the same. As a result, I believe that the student can form an understanding of what is going on more easily and (maybe) quicker.

As I tutor students in math and physics, I see almost without exception that they can eventually pick up on a sequence of operations that will work (as long as the problem they are given doesn't change). What they struggle mightily with is gaining a broader conceptual view of what is going on so that they still know what to do when the problem changes a little bit. They also lack a concept of what is going on with the overall problem...they cannot distinguish between a reasonable answer and one that is obviously incorrect. Those two things are what I spend the majority of my time with them working on.

whwiden

I would give the novice an old fashioned exposure chart like appeared on the back of a film box and have them estimate exposure, using iso 100, 400 and maybe 800. With VR on a lens, it should be particularly easy to stick with a lower iso.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

A rather misleading and unconsidered statement.

There will be many of us that use 'Auto ISO' whilst being fully aware of what each parameter is at and its affect towards the finished result we want to achieve.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

If the subject you want to shoot is in low light do you walk away?
Work at a subject untill you can achieve the results you want. It may mean purchasing a bit more equipment (like a tripod etc).

What do you do when there is no sun?

Your auto ISO comment - is this from personal experience?
Auto ISO works exactly the way I want to, when shooting in aperture priority, on my currently used bodies, and I care about IQ.

My goal is be able to shoot what ever interests me, and do it well.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

I think the best way to teach depends on your objectives. Many books and courses take the approach of focusing on each feature of the hardware. While that should be accomplished by the end I doubt it is the best way to organize the teaching.

If I were designing a digital photography course I think I’d organize it around getting useful results. That might mean starting with Auto mode and first teaching rules of composition.

Then perhaps going through the other modes starting with their primary purpose; e.g. shutter priority for motion and aperture priority for depth of field. Then P to economically control both in walkaround situations. And finally manual for special situations.

Whichever non Auto mode is first requires some learning on focus and exposure modes and ISO selection, which all modes require.

I do wish cameras had an I mode (for auto ISO) and otherwise P mode,