cahale Loc: San Angelo, TX

Short answer; run from it as fast as you can.

neillaubenthal

I long ago shifted to Manual + Auto ISO per Steve Perry's recommendation for U1 on my D7500 (and also my Z7II when I bought it) for action/BIF/wildlife/general walking around images. U2 I have set at base ISO with bracketing on for landscapes and waterfalls.

To my eye…6400 is starting to get noisy on the D7500 but is fine on the Z. I'll still use it if needed, and have the limit set to that…but since I'm setting shutter and aperture manually for shots I'll adjust if I can to get the ISO down q bit.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I use Auto ISO frequently... more and more, in fact.

I only use Auto ISO with Manual... which makes it another form of auto exposure.

I never use Auto ISO in conjunction with any of the other auto exposure modes (A, S, P). It just makes no sense to me why that would ever be needed.

It's funny though, that often people say "I only shoot manual mode", then I find out they have Auto ISO enabled. That's no longer manual. The photographer is selecting an aperture and a shutter speed, but the camera is deciding what ISO to use... a form of auto exposure. It's just a new form of AE... It wasn't possible with film cameras, but is with digital.

Only M without Auto ISO is truly manual mode. (Also B or "bulb" on cameras that have it, which is used for long exposures... usually over 30 seconds.)

A or Av is Aperture Priority AE... the photographer sets an ISO and selects an aperture, the camera then chooses a shutter speed it thinks will make a correct exposure.

S or Tv is Shutter Priority AE... the photographer sets an ISO and selects a shutter speed, leaving it to the camera to select an aperture it thinks will make a correct exposure.

P is Program AE... the photographer sets the ISO and lets the camera choose both shutter speed and aperture. How it does this varies from camera to camera. Some take into account focal length or other factors when choosing the settings. Others don't.

And now there is M + Auto ISO AE.... the photographer sets both the aperture and the shutter speed, leaving it to the camera to choose an ISO it thinks will make a correct exposure.

All these modes have their uses. Someone shooting sports and wanting to freeze (or deliberately blur) fast movements might choose Shutter Priority or M + Auto ISO, so that they can control the shutter speed. Someone shooting macro or portraits or landscape might select Aperture Priority or M + Auto ISO so they can choose an extra large or extra small aperture to render shallower or deeper depth of field effects. M without Auto ISO is great when you can really lock in your exposures... when the light isn't changing... when subjects aren't moving in and out of different lighting conditions... when you are slowing down and shooting deliberately and carefully.

All the AE modes may need Exposure Compensation, which allows the photographer to override the automation to some extent. This is because the camera doesn't have any idea what it's pointed at and because it's light meter can be "fooled" by unusually light or unusually dark scenes or subjects, causing the camera to make incorrect exposures in the AE modes. On the cameras I use there's a dial on the back that makes it easy to adjust Exposure Compensation while keeping my eye to the viewfinder while using Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Program AE modes. However, that dial is used to adjust the shutter speed when using M + Auto ISO... so the only way to dial in any E.C. is to go into the menu. This is about the only drawback to Auto ISO that I've noticed, though it's not all that big a deal and some other cameras might handle it differently (for example, the Canon R-series mirrorless lenses have an extra "control ring" that can be programmed to serve different purposes... and it might be used for Exposure Compensation or to free up a dial on the camera that can be used for that purpose).

hrblaine

I set my ISO as low as I think that I can get away with, usually 100. If it's really sunny and bright, 50; cloudy and dark, maybe 200. YMMV but works for me. I shot 35mm for years and got in the habit of low ISOs there. I shot dance for many years and on a really dark stage I might have to go to 400 but I was seldom satisfied with the result. Harry

The Capt.

On my D850 I shoot nature and wildlife, in manual. Normally ISO is set to auto. When I have time to set it up correctly, the lowest ISO possible and a tripod if possible, I do so.

Beenthere

He said "Aperture Priority" That's A

Ralf11 Loc: PNW

I always use Auto ISO as my default and carry the camera in that and "P" mode. If I want to modify things for an effect, I do so (usually "A").

Nikon also has a nice feature in the menus to limit Auto ISO settings under particular conditions (been a while since I used it so can't recall the name of it).

gessman Loc: Colorado

Yep, he knows already - you missed it. It pays to read before you write. Makes it look like you ain't really "Beenthere."

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

An advantage of a mirrorless camera is that "What you see is what you get". I shoot exclusively in the Manual Mode and I keep the ISO at 100 which is the base value of the Nikon Z6. I use the front and rear dial wheel to change the shutter speed and the aperture knowing that the ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed form the triangle where one affects the other and by watching the light meter as I turn the dial it performs as I want it to.

I change shutter speed based on the action or inaction of the subject and I change the aperture to change the depth of field that I want for the subject needs such as to isolate the subject from the background.

Jerrymuller1947 Loc: Massachusetts

I do not use auto ISO but choose the ISO I want. I try to keep the ISO to the lowest setting that I can. Depending on the type of picture I am shooting I use either A or Tv on my Canon.

gessman Loc: Colorado

If I understand you right, I hear that cameras are programmed to use the lowest ISO for the situation given the aperture and shutter speed you have selected, basically what you say you do. So what do you do if a scene can't be shot with 100 ISO and a shutter speed too low to capture the scene or an aperture too open for enough depth of field? Do you just not take the shot or look for a scene that matches your preferred settings, or what? Do you pretend you're shooting film and are stuck with 100asa and helpless or do shoot anyway and accept a badly exposed image or do you start cranking up the ISO as the camera would until you can see you're getting a useable exposure? If so, why bother if that's what the camera does? What satisfaction are you getting from knowing you're doing what the camera does, that you paid big bucks for, only a lot slower?

Beenthere

Funny!.., I like a good sense of humor

User ID

Well, you could get a Lumix.

srt101fan

A reasonable question....🤔

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

I use Auto ISO almost all of the time except when using flash. I can set the parameter for each of my Nikons according to my tastes. Steve Perry’s video is excellent.