Grahame Loc: Fiji

For me, when I don't want to spend additional time pressing the ISO button on the top left side of my camera and then rotating a wheel on the right side of the camera.

I will of course ALWAYS be aware of its setting in the viewfinder and aware of the implications of that value to the shot being taken.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

I would say I use it about 1/2 of the time. When using it on my DX bodies, like wildlife especially birding, I let it go from 100 to 400. On my FX bodies, 100 (64 on D850) to 800. Under controlled lighting, I set it to the camera's base setting, usually 100 (64 on D850). If shooting a still subject under poor lighting, I'll crank up the ISO to maybe 1600 or 3200, take a dozen shots, give or take, with a tripod and remote release and average them together in PS to all but eliminate the noise. I never go to the camera's top end of 25,600 or 51,200 unless I'm specifically using the noise to enhance the look of the shot.

Salo Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

I use Auto-ISO about 50% of the time, but I have my camera set to not exceed a maximum Auto-ISO of 1600. My particular camera shows little or no noise up to almost 6400, which I may occasionally have to use in a pinch or else forego getting the shot, but I prefer to stay below 1600 when on Auto-ISO.

The other 50% of the time and especially for highly desired shots, I keep ISO set to 200. During the old film days, I used mostly ASA 200 film for that extra stop of exposure without losing clarity or contrast in the final image. If your digital camera's sensor/processor can push the ISO setting when needed and still deliver a "clean" image, I see no problem with using Auto-ISO within reasonable limits. Again, for high detail or precision work, I suggest using the lowest ISO your camera "naturally" provides (i.e., no electronic trickery) usually100 or 200, but when shooting mainly for your own enjoyment, a moderately "high" Auto-ISO is convenient and perfectly acceptable. Just my personal opinion though.

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

All the time.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Many wild life photographers like to use manual settings for speed and aperture, and use auto ISO to maintain those settings. Personally I do not.

dave.m

I use auto ISO (thats 'eye-so' not 'eye-ess-oh' btw) most of the time when using aperture priority or shutter.

Effectively I'm managing the setting of most importance for that image. For example, I set Aperture for a landscape to achieve the Depth of field I want, say f/8. The Canon camera I use then automatically sets the shutter speed to suit the lens (ie around 1/50 if I'm using a 28mm but faster if a 200), and ISO is then set by the camera to achieve a balanced exposure for f/8 at 1/50. Works just fine most of the time even with exposure compensation applied.

When it doesn't I switch to manual and set Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Examples include long exposure night photography; where there is high contrast and I want to ensure exposure for the subject (eg dark bird against a near white sky); when I'm using fill-in flash and have set main exposure for the overall scene. I've set 1 parameter, the camera sets 2. I also often set 2 parameters and let the camera set 1 (ie in manual I might set Aperture and ISO, and let the camera set shutter speed)

Basically, if auto something doesn't work then switch to manual something

Note also that ISO doesn't behave like ASA of film. With film as the sensitivity increases (higher ASA) then the grains of silver media are physically larger - double the speed and the grains are 4 times bigger. With increasingly faster film the sharpness falls off rapidly (ie from 200ASA to 800ASA the grains are x16.)

This is not the case with ISO on a sensor. A 20mpx sensor is 20mpx no matter what the ISO is. The sharpness won't change but as the sensitivity increases the ability to capture sufficient data decreases. Essentially this means the sensor can't be sure of the amount of R,G,B in some pixels - resulting in noise (typically grey dots where the sensor pixel gets nothing, colour dots where perhaps the R channel triggered but the G,B didn't.

Picking up on comments by Salo: know your camera ISO range that suits you, and he obviously does. Best tested in subdued low contrast lighting such as a poorly lit room in the evening. Just take shots with auto (say P setting), but manual ISO. Increase ISO until you reach the camera limit. Then look at the shaded areas with a decent enlargement on your PC and the noise will be very apparent. You will then know how far you would prefer to go.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Any time when DOF and simultaneous shutter speed are of primary concern (almost always).

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

kdogg Loc: Gallipolis Ferry WV

I use Manual plus Auto ISO when shooting BIF. The 7DII also allows me to use EC in this mode which comes in handy when photographing birds against the sky. I also use spot metering and single point focus in AI Servo mode. I will also use this set up for wildlife depending on current conditions.

gessman Loc: Colorado

If your camera delivers as expected on the assumed promise that it will always pick the lowest ISO given the other settings you've selected, more especially if you are shooting moving subjects, there's very seldom much reason, short of shooting for a special effects shot, to not use auto ISO because in good light it will pick the best/lowest ISO just as you would in conjunction with your other settings and in bad light it will pick what it needs to way before you can in order to let you walk away with shots you wouldn't have gotten otherwise even if it requires that you apply a little noise reduction/removal software. When shooting still shots where you only want base iso used, and may even be shooting in "bulb," auto ISO certainly could serve up some undesirable results.

There's six kinds of people that I can think of offhand who don't/won't use auto ISO:

1) those who don't know about it,
2) those who don't understand how it works and its benefits,
3) those who never shoot anything but still subjects and mostly in good light,
4) those who like to shoot in early and late daylight but either shoot timed exposures and otherwise
won't start shooting 'til they can apply some variation of "Sunny 16,"
5) those who like to miss a lot of action shots due to the inability to rapidly adjust ISO on demand in
insufficient light fiddling with a special function button or users whose ISO setting is inconveniently
buried in a complex menu,
6) those who like to start shooting much later than others in the morning or have to put their camera
away well ahead of others in the evening because the light isn't "perfect," just as it used to be when
that person had 50 or 100asa film loaded and couldn't get a decent shot due to insufficient light -
those who've "by god, been doing it that way for fifty years" and ain't about to change regardless of
innovations that come along that allows them to overcome those deficiencies of fifty years ago -
those who, "if Ansel wouldn't do it, by god, neither will I."

Admittedly, some have higher standards than others, especially those who do it for "hire" who have to please customers. Those folks get special dispensation from my list above. By the way, I was around about twenty years before Ansel moved on and I don't recall there being anywhere near the fuss that's made about him now. Seems like he was just another goober running around with a big camera.

srt101fan

😊

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

"For me, never. But, that's just me.
--Bob"

That makes two of us.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

After pondering what it means to the future of UHH that an x-ray of a dental implant screw made it into one of the coveted Photo Gallery Daily Digest slots, your treatise clarified with humor and insight. Many thanks, gessman!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I prefer to set the ISO at 100, but if I'm shooting in a low light situation, I'll sometimes let it set itself. That can let the ISO go very high, but I get the shot. Using an ISO that's too low can make it difficult to get good exposure, but shooting in raw helps. It depends on the situation. For general outdoor shooting in good light, I leave it at 100.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Don't they call that the "bandwagon effect"?