I use a gimbal and ball head about like everyone else has mentioned, but I keep wondering why I do that. The gimbal is, I think, better at the ball head things than the ball head is. It only draw back is that it's bigger and bulkier, which I guess is why I still mostly use ball heads. If I get the gimbal head out though, I pretty much use it universally as the gimbal movement is far more natural and smooth -- even with smaller, lighter lenses and static shooting that would normally be the domain of a ball head.

The second question is pretty easy. Use 'Fine' as it produces the least number of compression artifacts (although even 'basic' isn't too bad).

The first question is best answered by first asking whether or not you prefer to be part of the common mass delusion. Photosites or sensels are not the same thing as pixels. Photosites have information for 1 color. Pixels have all 3 RGB colors. It takes 4 photosites from a Bayer sensor to make a pixel. Marketing departments deceive their customers by trying to equate photosites with pixels.* On your D7100, the 'small' size gives you all the pixels the camera can produce. 'Large' (and 'medium') give you an extrapolation.

So, or those prone to self delusion and/or gullibility, the answer is 'large-fine'. For reality-based individuals, 'small-fine', where 'small' is 1/4 the photosite count.

* When digital cameras were starting out, companies like Nikon who advertized true pixels rather than the photosite counts (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_D1>) couldn't compete with other less honest companies who misrepresented photosites as pixels. The more honest companies had little choice but to join in.

What don't you like about the 70d? I don't own one, but it looks like a great camera to me.

Don't they all? I haven't seen a mirrorless that doesn't do that.

You understand. As has been established in this thread, the NEX-7, Alphas, RX100, and perhaps other Sonys do meter while changing ISO, as do the Fuji X-T1, and Olympus u4/3 cameras.

Very clever. Nice work.

Lighthouse, we're all aware of the relationship between ISO and noise thank you.

If that's the way you like to do it, fine. Have at it.

I guess that shouldn't be too surprising since the NEX-7 and Alphas do.

Thanks.

It can? I have a G15 and in manual mode when the ISO is set, the meter disappears until after the ISO is chosen and set. If Canon has changed that, it is certainly welcome.

You are being silly of course as film had a fixed ISO that was set first, not metered last.



It's not another strategy, but the same. Since the camera can't read your mind and know what you want to meter on, it's not possible for it to select the idea ISO. So when you can, you choose the exposure appropriate to what you trying to achieve, thereby not giving the camera a chance to screw up the exposure by metering off the wrong thing(s).

When the lighting is changing too fast for a person to keep up with or you are feeling lucky (or lazy) however, you set the camera to autoISO in manual mode. The camera won't choose the ideal ISO because it can't, but will almost certainly do a better job than a person can.



If you've already set the aperture and shutter speed, you need to remove the limits as ISO is the only exposure variable. ISO limits are useful if you are in a non-manual (P,A,S or other auto) mode where there are other variables.

Yeah, I have an E-P2 which work the same. Sadly, not useful. Too bad. :-(

That is helpful. So count the a7 series in. (Boy, it sure is hard to get that from the user manual. Does anyone like Sony's new manual format?) Thanks.

It does? It shows the meter in the viewfinder as you adjust ISO? I had spent a fair amount of time looking at the a7 and a7s manual trying to see if they did, but couldn't get enough information.

Do the a7's have an ISO button? From the manual, it looks like you have to dive into a menu or program a function button. Is that right?

Yeah, that's a good candidate to check. Thanks.

Any others?

Mostly because I see what most people do (and I used to do before I figured it out) -- setting ISO first -- as a backwards holdover from film days when than was the only way you could do it.

If I want a shutter speed for some effect and also want an aperture for some effect -- which is typical for me (and like it or not, for most everyone else), the only way I can set the exposure is via ISO. It's sort of silly to go through the typical trial-and-error or having to do the math in your head, when you could just meter it directly and quickly.

Even if you don't get it yet and want to continue doing it the old way, then fine, but at least a few of us shoot this way, so I'd like to find any mirrorless cameras that allow it.