Silverman Loc: Michigan

Just looking for advice, suggestions, Ideas concerning the use of Auto-ISO with my Nikon D3300 Camera, Please.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

It's a very useful setting for photographing moving subjects such as flying birds.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Get familiar with Exposure Compensation.
Get familiar with Program, Apeture and / or Shutter priority.
Get familiar with your camera meter display in the viewfinder display. Use your EC to 'position' the meter slightly to the right of the 0-mark on the meter, try +2/3 as a start, this biases the camera's metering solution to a brighter overall exposure. Really, once you set the EC to +2/3, you can forget it. You just adjust the shutter speed and / or aperture in the other semi-auto explosures, letting the camera react with the ISO and / or other settings.

Silverman Loc: Michigan

In this scenario, might you share your thoughts on the Aperture & Shutter-Speed settings, those two items are fixed settings, then you add AUTO-ISO, I am still attempting to Grasp how & when to use this exposure setting.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You probably want to remember to use <quote reply> if you want to have a conversion.

Aperture is typically an artistic decision. Depending on how wide your lens can open, how much depth of field do you desire?

Shutterspeed is typically a question of freezing action, and this mode is used in rather specific situations. How fast do you have to shoot to 'freeze' a bird in flight, a passing jet, similiar?

There's plenty of learning materials on the internet to discuss these issues in more detail, with demonstration images / videos, if desired.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

I'll share my thoughts relating specifically to what you ask here. These are based upon practical experience and are an example that may help explain things.

I shoot running events and at one specific location last week was capturing runners coming from two different directions with very different backgrounds. One background was in partial shade and the other consisted of much bright sky. There was roughly a 1.5 to 2 stops difference between exposures needed for best results.

Aperture and Shutter speed were decided on experience and artistic intent, I wanted max subject separation so f/2.8 and I knew a speed of 1/1250s would be adequate to freeze head/torso movement so these settings were 'fixed' manually. The ISO was in 'Auto ISO' allowing it to float. In determining the speed used account was taken of the ISO range that I would have between the darkest and brightest 'scenes', which ranged between approx. ISO 250 to 1000.

The reason for allowing ISO to float was simply because it is then one less thing to have to adjust whilst within a few seconds you are repositioning, moving focus points, adjusting FL and framing.

Warning - As with any 'Auto' mode you need to be aware of what is happening, today that info is all within your viewfinder. Be cautious of those that suggest Auto ISO always gives you high ISO values and those that say they want to be in control of everything, you can be in control if you use the info you have wisely.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

What? You can’t just set +2/3rds EC and expect to magically achieve good exposure no matter what your other settings are. I use EC all the time but it is almost always in the minus direction, correcting for the meter reading the background wrong. Keep it at zero most of the time then use it to bring the exposure into line as needed usually in the minus direction.
…Cam

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Several comments:

1, I forgot to mention the +2/3 suggestion is based on the use of Matrix Metering, the setting that uses the entire frame, the Nikon metering mode that typically trys to balance bringing the brightest down toward grey and the darkest up toward grey. This +EC suggestion is to tell the camera to keep the brightest bright. Canon calls this 'Evaluative' metering.

2, Cam, you gave us ZERO informative details about your exposure mode while dismissing a default positive +2/3 EC. So, we don't know what you're doing wrong that requires so frequenct negative EC. The EC default idea is matrix metering and a semi-auto exposure mode of P / A / Tv and AUTO ISO. These automated camera settings come together wonderfully with a modest amount of input from the human in adjusting the aperture and / or shutterspeed and properly setting the focus.

3, I shoot RAW with an EOS camera. I consistently position the Meter in the +2/3 to +1 1/3 position to the right of the 0-mark. I come away with 'white' whites and richly detailed shadows that need the overall exposure adjusted in LR, as any ETTR RAW-shooter is expected to do.

4, I shoot RAW with a Sony Camera. I consistently position the Meter in the +1/3 to +1 position to the right of the 0-mark. I come away with 'white' whites and richly detailed shadows that need the overall exposure adjusted in LR, as any ETTR RAW-shooter is expected to do.

5, If consistently better SOOC (straight out of camera) results are desired from the OP's D3300 in JPEG, maybe +1/3 EC 'default' is a better approach than +2/3. I still stand by +2/3 based on my experience with recommendation from item #6.

6, Long ago, I shot a Nikon D7100. I took from Ken Rockwell the idea of the +2/3 default EC. I thought he 'said' it on his site, but maybe it was embedded in a configuration BIN file you can download from his site. Obviously, that is a different camera model and age, but the ETTR - Expose to the Right - approach is consistent with my current and relevent experiences with my current cameras in RAW. Rockwell's suggestion was JPEG shooting.

As a reminder, Exposing to the Right is discussed with examples in:

ETTR in Practice

ETTR in Practice II

Bayou

The D3300 is pretty good as high as 6400 ISO. I'd cap the auto ISO at that. I've even had some usable success at 12,800, both with a bit of post processing of RAW files, of course.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

1). All summer, every summer, I shoot thousands of pictures of humpback whales. Dark waters, dark animals. Bright white blows and splashes from the frolicking they do. No metering mode gets this right, and I try them all every year. Camera reads dark, brightens exposure, blows out blows and splashes every time. I plan for those highlights to fall to the right by dialing down the exposure before they occur.

2). I’m sure you know digital tends to see green as dark and shoots forest views to brightly. Cameras, any brand, any model, will blow out all details on an Eagles head that is sitting in those trees or flying across the face of a spruce forest. -1.5 EC as a starting point.

3). Walking through those dark woods, every metering mode try’s to brighten them. Not at all what you see. -1 EC to start with.

4) an eagle flying through a cloudy sky finally needs a + EC as the camera wants that white sky to be gray. So I do use plus once in a while.

We must shoot really different things for you to need the settings you do but you shouldn’t preach one way to do it, to get the best exposure. Your approach certainly wouldn’t work for my subjects.
And of course I shoot raw and of course I shoot to the right.
…Cam

Siemienczuk

I use a D7200 and have gradually moved from App Pref (from analog days) to Manual with floating ISO. Not always, but 90%. I agree with +2/3 EC as a default, with exceptions. And finally, Silverman, when looking for accurate, easy to understand advice, CHG_Canon can be your default.

John O.

Do not use Auto ISO unless you are very proficient with Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority! With Shutter Priority your aperture changes automatically and in Aperture Priority your shutter speed floats as the lighting changes. If you have Auto ISO that will also float. Why have two variables float or change. Only very experienced and advanced photographers use Auto ISO under special conditions.

Learn your camera settings before you consider adding in Auto ISO. Otherwise, just use Automatic Mode and let your camera adjust itself.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

But the op has asked for info regarding 'Auto ISO' used with a 'fixed' aperture and speed.



There is only one variable, ISO.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

I is old and lazy and I do this (auto iso) a lot.
I van set the aperture, then the focus, the the camera works.
On my D3200 and my D600.
Unless I want to do something "odd" like blurring movement, it works.

Silverman Loc: Michigan

thanks for your input on understanding Auto ISO, although I meant to ask about AUTO ISO & MANUAL MODE, might you add this to your present explanation?

Also, I am not yet clear about EC requirement in the AUTO ISO & MANUAL MODE.

Thank you in advance for your Knowledge of the many aspects of Digital Photography.