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Steve-- a friend of mine told me today that he shoots this way and it's all the rage in his photo club (largely because he's a board member and people listen to him). It's Aug 2023 and when doing a RUclips search found this video (and by the way I've subscribed to your channel for a while and love your content). You do caveat that this method isn't for everyone, and I would say it's not for me, and I think there's a compelling reason why. First of all, I think we can all agree that the primary result of settings choice is proper exposure. Beyond that, the specific choices of the exposure triangle are a function of creative/technical choices...i.e. shutter speed--motion control, aperture--depth of field control, and ISO--noise control. I'm a BIG fan of shooting in Auto ISO, so we agree on that much. But rather than shoot in Manual, I think it's wiser to shoot in Aperture priority or Shutter priority depending on the creative choice you're prioritizing for the particular shot. Why? In your method, if you happened to have taken a shot of a stationary subject and used a small aperture, say f/11. And then you're getting ready to take another shot where you're concerned about freezing motion (e.g. a bird getting ready to take flight), your first instinct will be to adjust your shutter speed to a faster setting....but if you forget, are inattentive, or simply don't have time to also adjust your aperture, you'll end up with a much higher ISO than you likely need because your aperture is still at f/11. If however you're shooting in Shutter priority, and you do the same thing (dial in a fast shutter speed), the camera will automatically give you a proper exposure with the LOWEST possible ISO (achieved by opening the lens aperture automatically). And if you were to suggest that you also wanted to control the depth of field, you would notice while you're dialing in shutter speed what the corresponding aperture being chosen by the camera is--and if you're being intentional, attentive, and have time, you can fiddle with the shutter speed until you're satisfied with both settings...by focusing on just choosing the shutter speed. Bottom line, I think your method is prone to error in a faster-paced shooting scenario where you either have limited time to dial in all the settings, and/or your attention is consumed either by the subject/scene or by the intentional creative control you're trying to affect. Great respect, and a great fan Steve, so I'm not throwing shade. And by the way for those familiar with Nikon (which I know you're intimately familiar with), if you choose the Program automatic mode, you can see what shutter speed AND aperture the camera is deciding to use for a shot...and if you don't like it, you simply pivot the command dial to affect the shutter/aperture combination...in some ways it's the best of both world between Aperture priority and Shutter priority. (and of course using Auto ISO the whole time)
Funny thing, I remember going back 20 years with the first digital cameras I actually said "why don't they have auto iso" as a variable. I remember getting weird looks but it always made sense. When I got back into photography a few years ago I was delighted to see modern cameras now embrace this, it's really just "gain" like we have in video but it works out really well. On another note now some cameras offer custom shoot settings so at a button press you can get a whole new set of shutter speed, aperture, iso, focus mode, etc at the press of a button making those surprise bird moments where they fly off appropriate settings instantly at your fingertips. I have a lot of respect for photographers who captured images in the days of 35mm film and generally a max iso of 1000, manual focus, etc.. We sure have come a long since then making excellent wildlife images attainable for the masses.
I remember back the iso modes were pretty bad. Pretty much anything above the minimum was only acceptable if you absolutely had to use it. By iso 400 noise would be an issue and above 800 the image was pretty much garbage. I'd always assumed that this was why auto iso wasn't really a thing. My newest dSLR has auto-iso and the ability to restrict the values that it will use to ones that I expect to be reasonable.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade Yes, I had a Canon D60 that was like that, pretty much only the base ISO was good, also a Coolpix before that and a Kodak really early vintage digital. Also shot film and on 35mm format 400 iso was grainy but of course medium and large format was a great option. I still think large format view cameras could edge out even the largest sensors today in resolution but lenses have gotten so much better across the board.
Awesome tip steve. One thing which people normally overlook in the auto iso menu is that min. shutter speed is a preferred setting and not a locked setting i.e. when the camera meters to the max. iso set and still cannot achieve desired exposure, it reduces the shutter speed to attain proper exposure.
I've been using Manual with auto-iso as my standard setting for quite some time now regardless of what I'm shooting. So long as you keep an eye on the ISO you can adjust shutter speed and aperture without taking your eye from the viewfinder and for everyday outdoor photography where you're not doing much more than taking ''snapshots' it's brilliant and a kind of 'super-auto'.
Steve; I know this video was done in 2014 but just a note to let you know it is still helping people. I have a new Panasonic G9 and the suggestion you made worked well for shooting videos in manual mode with the ISO controlled by the camera. The G9 also has the exposure reading in the EVF so if necessary the exposure setting can also be adjusted while under Auto ISO control. I could not find any other information on this and its possible to more experienced users how this can be done but your video addressed it directly. Thanks again.
Thanks for sharing. This is so helpful for a newbie like myself. I understand how the ISO works, but I don’t want to constantly have to adjust it. All of your videos are great and to the point. Thank you for not making us watch you frolic through the woods for 12 minutes before teaching us something.
I figuered this one out myself shortly after buying my first DSLR 3100 and when I explained this in forums I got laughed at and people didn't fully understand how it works and questioned this method. I still use this all the time!
This technique is perfect for using my 40 year old film SLR Contax 139 Vintage lenses with my new Sony A7 full frame that I just bought the body only. I set the shutter speed and the F-stop and the camera sets the ISO. I can watch and if the ISO goes too high I can also adjust my shutter speed or F-stop. It worked tonight taking light trails of cars on the street and on the highway. It also worked indoors. I bought a $40 lens adapter C/Y to E-mount. It takes more adjusting however I get to use my 4 old lenses and teleconverters and filters and hoods instead of spending $2,000 to buy new ones.
I have used this technique with my Nikon D7500 and have noticed that it attracts digital noise more. If the auto iso setting is off there is concern about shutter speed going down but with extra care and keeping the shooter alert, the problem of attracting heavy noise could be manageable.
This is very helpful for me. Thank you. I'm an amature who just upgraded from an old Nikon D40x to a Z50. This Auto ISO appears to be standard now and I love it, but it was totally new to me. The old D40 didn't have this. One thing that I think it worth noting is something that took me a really long time to figure out (the manual didn't help) is the function of the ISO button when in Manual Mode. When in manual mode with Auto iso turned OFF, holding the ISO button and rotating the dial turns the ISO value yellow and changes the ISO as you would expect. When Auto ISO is turned ON, holding the ISO button and rotating the back dial changes the max allowable ISO (instead of just changing the ISO like in a priority mode). Note that the manual ISO value and the max Auto ISO value are two completely independent values. For example, let's say you have Auto ISO turned ON. If you are in P mode and the ISO is set to 200, you can then switch to M mode, and the iso will change automatically up to the max Auto ISO setting (let's say 4000). Let's say you then hold the ISO button and rotate the dial, this changes the max Auto ISO from 4000 to, let's say 3200. If you then switch back to P mode, the ISO will go back to 200 where you left it. This is kind of a funky behavior if you switch between modes and expect the iso setting to persist between them.
it makes sense. i thought about this when i first got my Canon 40D and shooting birds in flight and having a tough time choosing whether AV or TV mode with Auto ISO. Been using this Manual Mode with Auto ISO ever since. You explained it beautifully.
I first used this Auto ISO feature in manual mode with my Canon EOS 6D camera. I was photographing vintage automobiles in an indoor car museum. The lighting in the museum was all over the place. Some type of commercial lighting, like the lights used in a warehouse. The chrome, the different color paint on the vehicles, and the auto glass were either in the dark, or they were blowing up with reflected light from the ceiling lights. 90 out of 100 shots were spot on for a proper exposure. It's an incredible and little known camera function.
Thank you for the tip about using manual mode with auto ISO. I just purchased a Nikon D5500 and am using my old Tamron 28-300 macro zoom lens. I know it isn't the best of equipment, but it's what I can afford. Anyway, with the Tamron lens I have to use the manual setting on the camera. I've done very little manual mode shooting, but have played with it some. I just came in from practicing in my neighborhood and fell on this video. How great this is!!! I can get used to setting the shutter and F-stop. I do a lot of hiking and shooting in the Great Smoky Mountains. I know how quickly a shot can be lost when coming across wildlife. Thank you again. This is going to make things so much better for me. Can't wait to view your other videos.
I've only had my D810 for about three months. When I discovered how to set this up I'm almost always in manual mode. I don't think I've had a technically bad photo since then. D810, is my second digital camera and likely the last camera I'll buy. I love this camera! Great video BTW, I've been wondering if anyone else shoots like this.
Thank you very much for taking the time to post this setup, I recently purchased a Nikon D500 and I'm a complete novice at manual photography, I've been using a colony of feral cats that we feed as my practice subjects, for the most part I set my shutter to 1/100 to 1/250 - f2.8 - ISO 100 which provides me with some truly amazing pictures but is less than useless when the kittens break into full out blasting around mode, I found by the time I changed my shutter speed, f-stop for more depth of field then ISO to suit I was way too slow and missing some truly hilarious action, this setup has helped me very much and I really appreciate you providing this information...!
I just picked up Sigma's new 150-600. I had started playing with auto-iso for wildlife, thanks for the full explanation on this method. Helps a lot! And thanks Nikon Rumors for linking it!
I love this for action/sports/wildlife photography for the exact reasons you mention. I get to set my shutter and aperture as I want for my creative vision, but the camera makes sure my exposure is spot on (assuming light allows with my max ISO setting). Some people give you funny looks when you say you shoot with auto-iso, but I love it. It is the only "auto" mode I use on a consistent basis.
I have tried this method and fell in love with it. Then I realised that my Canon 7d won't accept exposure compensation in this mode. I believe that the 7d mkII will though. Great video as always Steve, really well explained and entertaining. Keep up the great work
@@usernamemykel Newer midrange bodies like the 80D and 77D do as well, but the 760D does not. It's annoying because I find there is a tendency to overexpose and blow out the highlights. Thus I use different custom modes, I usually keep one capped at ISO 3200 with AI focus, which I use for low-light birds, and another capped at ISO 1600 or 800 with AI Servo, which I use for birds in flight.
I am using the Auto ISO feature + manual mode in my Sony RX10 IV. The camera only displays, regardless of which screen output, "Auto ISO" and NOT the actual ISO value as I look at a dark and well lighted subject but it does work. I had to check the properties of two sample shots to see that the F-stop and shutter speed remained unchanged but the ISO value did change. It works but not apparent on the view screen as it was in your Nikon example
Watched your video last night and tried it today and realized I’ve been shooting wrong forever. I always used aperture priority and my success rate was not very good. With this method it’s quite clear(pardon the pun) that this is the way to go. Thank you for this video!
Cool video. 2 things though... 1 if it's too bright the iso won't be able to go low enough and you'll get an over exposed image. 2 you can enable/disable auto iso by holding the iso button and turning the opposite control wheel to that which sets the iso. It's a great function that i use all the time!
This tip has been extremely helpful. I have used it for several weeks now, and it has allowed me to be in changing lighting situations and still capture the shot! Thanks Steve
Hey Steve, I only recently discovered your videos, and they are among the best I've seen on photography. I've been using this Manual/Auto ISO option almost exclusively for years on my Nikons; you're the first reviewer that mentions this as an advantage for having total control over shutter and aperture in combination with the speed of auto exposure. It truly is a fantastic shooting option. Rather than see the advantage, the few other reviewers who mention it will simply criticize it for not being true manual. If folks really want 'true' manual, then all they have to do is turn off auto ISO when they use the Manual mode. What more can we ask of a camera, and it's one of the reasons I originally got hooked on Nikon; but as you say, other cameras have begun offering the feature.
As far as I have found to date, Steve's videos are the best of their kind PERIOD. On camera and lens reviews, I really, really appreciate how wisely Steve skips past the sort of information that is tediously redundant in other video reviews, avoids all the clowning around, and gets right to the point on the details broadly MISSED elsewhere... and I mean, the important stuff! If you see a twenty minute plus review from Steve, don't hesitate -- WATCH IT, if you have the time. It will be packed... and worth your while. --> Thanks, Steve!
10 лет назад+3
Thanks for the video, now i get how that auto iso works on Nikon. One downside of this method is that on entry level Nikons with only one dial you can't set the exposure comp via button in manual mode and have to go quick settings for that.
Thanks very much, good video. Manual with Auto ISO has been my go to setting since taking digital photography seriously. Im mostly street and city based in Hong Kong, one minute your in a very sunny environment, next in a shaded alley, so this is perfect.. To be honest I dont really understand why this setting is not promoted more on RUclips. Once again, great video.
This is definitely not for everyone but I use it when I need to and it works a charm. It is very useful for bird photography as they move rapidly between light and dark areas in trees, or when the weather is partly cloudy and the light changes rapidly.
I figured out how to do this on my own and realised it's a good way of keeping control of your settings without losing control of the exposure. Only problem is in my D7100 the over-under-exposure indicator in the viewfinder is really small and easy to miss, so sometimes I find that I've maxed out the ISO at either end of the exposure scale without realising, and resulted in poorly exposed photos. I must admit, I thought this was a bit cheating, since I thought real photographers were supposed to do everything manually, but your video has given me confidence that this is a great way of operating and it's really encouraging. Thanks.
Revisiting this video as it was in my feed. Nikon cameras are well engineered. And I'm not sure if it's due to a firmware update but the D810 now displays the exposure compensation in my view finder so I'm reminded to reset it after I've captured the exposure. Another feature I find useful is to use the live view to make the D810 behave as a pseudo mirrorless camera. That is I can see what my image will look like before I release the shutter. As far as the not amazing video performance due to focus lock issues. I'm personally not interested in videography so so it's a non-issue for me. Once again, thanks for this great video!
Steve, you're a genius! Thanks very much for this tip. I'm learning to use my Nikon D750, and this secret 'ISO Priority' mode you uncovered is the best of both worlds. My D750 does support the Auto ISO in the 'M' mode, however when I looked up EXPOSURE COMPENSATION, the camera manual said "In mode M, exposure compensation affects only the exposure indicator; shutter speed and aperture do not change." What the manual conveniently left out is that when the ISO is set to AUTO in the M mode, the Exposure Compensation does work but it changes the ISO only. The shutter speed and aperture remain the same.. I tried using the Exp. Comp. as you said, and it WORKED: there was no exposure metering ruler in the viewfinder anymore, but the window on the top of the camera showed the values as they were dialled in, '+0.3, +0.7' etc. And if I want to see if I have any compensation set up, all I have to do is press the Exposure Compensation button and the value shows up on the camera's top screen. So, it does work on D750! THANKS AGAIN!
I use a Sony a6000, and this also works on that camera. I have started photography 8 months ago. Before that didn't even know the exposure triangle :) For the last couple of months I have been using this technique to drop my ISO levels in low light but also have auto exposure. In M mode I open my lens aperture (f1.8) than choose manually the minimum shutter speed I need for a scene. The ISO and exposure are than auto calculated according to the cameras metering. I can also alter the exposure using exposure-compensation. Great to find out that my self derived technique is also a viable one used by professional people :) On the Sony a6000: Set to M mode Select Shutter Speed Select F-Stop Select Auto ISO (Min:100 - Max:3200) Use Exposure Compensation to fine tune the exposure.
Great video, and refresher course for me. Really like, in manual mode, aperture and shutter speed, and ISO in auto mode. THen for tweaking, you have exposure compensation. Excellent!
Thank you for all your great videos. One thing I noticed with the Nikon D5300 is auto ISO works in live mode when set to (A)ppeture, (S)hutter, (P)rogram and even Auto but does not work in (M)anual. To use it in manual you need Live turned off and looking thru the view finder. Then it works perfectly. I don't know why this is but it drove me nuts for several days until I realized what was happening.
I used Auto ISO for a long time photographing field sports at night such as high school football or soccer. I figured this would be best since the field is brighter in some parts of the field depending on the position of the lights. But the camera was always giving me very high ISO. I realized that while the players were bright since the were under the lights, the background (parking lot or trees in the distance) was very dark. By using Auto ISO the camera was trying to brighten the entire scene including the dark background. I set the ISO to an averaged fixed value such that the players were exposed correctly and didn't care about the dark trees in the background. I could make slight adjustments in post for exposure variations on the field. I still use Auto ISO for indoor sports but set the ISO outside at night.
Great tip. Thanks. I did it on my D7000 and saved it as a USER setting, and then went back to M mode and turned auto ISO back off. Now on U2, that auto ISO is always there. Cheers 🍺
I remember when I got into photography, asking myself why camera manufacturers don't make a camera where you control aperture and shutter and camera adjusting iso... It is so natural to me, while you adjust A and S according to your idea of how image should look like (depth of field, freezing or not subject movement...) ISO is only there to adjust exposure after you set up what you want so it is natural that is done automatically. No other way for me. Nobody wants high ISO, it's THE only thing you always want as low as possible while aperture you sometimes want large sometimes small, shutter speed also, sometimes high sometimes low. So why would you bother with ISO - decide what image you want and let camera adjust ISO for proper exposure.
you are right setting the ISO auto is one of the best trick but that also depends on how and where you point your metering mode. Most of the times I use center mode metering and point it on shadow or highlight spot to get the kind of effect I want. Mostly I expose for the shadow.
Yep. I use this mode all the time when taking photos of speedway riders from the in-field. They are travelling at 60/70 MPH. Can track them in the viewfinder and snap away.
Hi Steve. I have never used Auto ISO because I thought you had to use it in Program mode. I didn't like the results so I told my friends not to ever use Auto ISO. Thanks for this video seminar. Now I finally realize that I can use Auto ISO in Manual mode. This opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. Thanks for the information.
I have long been a fan of using the camera's meter to set the exposure, and of using exp comp to darken or lighten an image, but with this new trick, I'll be saving time by not having to set and reset the ISO! Thanks a lot! I've just read the comment by Steve Mason. Well said! I'll test it out tomorrow! I'll let you know how I got on. Limitations aside; I absolutely love shooting film! I'm subscribing to your channel now!
I never used this before until this past weekend. I was always on AV or TV mode using my Canon...Worked most of the time, but the way some photos turn out when the Ap or Sh speed compensates... Just wrongly exposed although usable after post editing... I was surprised how good this M + auto ISO worked. Personally I always thought M mode would be too difficult to use, because everything was in manual, until I remembered the ISO could be set on auto. And then waw my new photos have turned out great, some with better contrast, more punch! I just need to set a max ISO value and try again!
Pentax cameras (I have a KS2) have a Tav mode that gives you control of both shutter speed and aperture while ISO is automatically adjusted based on exposure. You can also set an ISO range based on the noise levels.
I realized this setting by myself when I used the g9x mark ii, and I LOVED this setting. I thought it was so good that I questioned why everyone is talking about that Av is so good. BUT this dont work with my LX5 and my G12 camera which is a REAAAL bummer. Now I need to find a camera that I like that have this "feature"... Great video:)
HELLO STEVE! I really enjoyed your video and what you do! Recently took your advice and did an experiment, we shoot with an Olympus E-500 with External Flash 1/250 f.8 at 400 ISO. EV Compensation is +2 points. Picture was nice, the Histogram showed image exposed properly! Did the same experiment with Auto ISO and the picture came out dark! So in my situation where we Photograph Rock Bands that are pretty much stationary with a little bit of movement by the drummer and colored LCD Stage Lights everywhere! Manual 400 ISO is the preferred setting!
What a great tuition video. This changed my photography overnight. I have been struggling with manual for months on my Nikon, particularly with poor exposure where I wanted faster shutter. I still have lots to learn but, my results today are really encouraging. Thank you!
This is awesome. I am not sure how I never thought of it but it is perfect for taking pictures of my boys. One minute they can be on a couch indoors and I want a shot of them actually getting along... the next minute we can be outside on scooters or tossing a football. I have often switched between A or S .. but I like this MUCH better as I dial in my tolerance and go. Thank you!!
As best as I can tell, Auto ISO is evaluating the scene based on what the meter sees at shutter-press, so it's mostly fine - unless you're using the zone system (and so center/spot metering mode) for exposure - because you've reframed and your center/spot is pointing somewhere other than the zone you wanted to calculate off of. Not a biggie: it's easy enough to turn off and adjust manually without moving your eye: press and hold the ISO button, and then: - front dial for Auto ISO on/off - rear dial to set ISO once you've turned auto off Works on D7nnn, Dnnn, Dn Nikons One option is to switch back to matrix or center-weight mode, and yes, you can change metering mode without moving your eye from the VF, but it's hard to press the right button.
Hey Steve, I just found your page while searching google on why my camera wouldn't fire rapidly while using back button focus and single servo mode. Your video on AF-on and back button focus cleared up all of my problems by switching to continuous servo! Subscribed, and would just like to say thanks for the great videos!! I will definitely continue to watch religiously as I venture to become a respectable photographer!
Hi Steve, I thought I already commented but couldn't find it. I know this is an old post but it's still relevant. I just recently found you on RUclips and glad I did. I have subscribed. Concerning this tip, I use Sony SLTs specifically A99II and A77II. Both will show the exposure meter but it doesn't move because in auto iso the exposure is constantly adjusted to maintain proper exposure but, the iso will blink to indicate if the maximum has been reached, (which can be set in auto iso), in which case I can either adjust the other variables or set a higher iso max. At any rate I can't believe I never thought of the technique before. I've been shooting with a slr and dslr for over 30 years. Just goes to show you CAN teach an old (I'm 69) dog new tricks. LOL The problem I have especially with the A99II which has a more sophisticated AF system, is that I can't get AF to lock and track. When I use AF Lock-on: spot; extended spot; zone; wide, the AF will jump to different spots that may be similar to the intended focus point. This especially happens in low light and with the Sony 70-400mm G SSMII. I know you don't shoot Sony but can you offer any reasons why this may be happening? I have asked Sony but even they don't know why.
thanks very much for this video , I have been in manual mode only because i always wanted control over shutter and aperture and other modes didn't make sense- I always wondered why was there not the mode discussed here !! now i can use it, cheers
This is the most useful mode I have ever found on my camera few years ago. I mostly used aperture priority mode all the time and set iso to 100. This caused shutter speed to go down and get blurry images during low light. I had to bump the iso to have more shutter speed. This consumed extra time and loss of opportunity. Nowadays shooting at high iso is not an issue, we have great de-noising softwares. That said, if we use auto ISO, then we can stop worrying which iso to use. Camera automatically does this calculation for you. Keep shutter speed reasonably high and adjust aperture for desired depth of field. ISO will adjust itself to minimum level possible.
OK....Now you have me thinking. I shoot auto ISO all the time but doubt my other settings are right. Gonna check it. Quickly becoming my favorite photo channel. Feel some binge watching coming on.
One powerful tip in addition to this is to have Image Preview On, and have AEL mapped to a button. You can then point your camera where you want to meter, hold AEL, and then when you recompose, the body will not try to change its exposure. I map AEL to my depth of field preview button since it's easier to hold down, and depth of field preview is mapped to my Fn button on my D600. If you have Image Preview On while holding AEL, you can chimp and briefly see the result of the shot without letting go of the locked exposure setting. While still holding AEL, you can also easily use your index finger to hold the Exposure Comp button and dial in exposure comp. This will automatically modify the ISO, even though you have the exposure "locked" with AEL, thus your next shot while holding AEL will actually have the exposure comp baked in. Furthermore, if you manipulate the aperture or shutter speed, this will also modify the ISO automatically to maintain exposure. Thus, you can point the camera around, find your midpoint, AEL, and shoot. If you want it to go brighter, say, you hold Exposure Comp and dial in a +1, and reshoot. You like it, but it costs more noise, and you think you can retake the shot with a lower shutter speed. Half the shutter speed, all the while holding AEL, and the ISO will return to what it was before, but now with the shutter speed halved. Pair this with back button focusing, and it kind of feels like cheating sometimes versus the film days.
Steve, Great Great video. I've been struggling with Auto iso for years on my Nikon. I finally feel I'm in command of my camera. Love the examples. Not just theory but actual hands on way to use your camera. Thanks again.
I’m new here.... I’m a street photographer coming from a film background. Shooting manual at a fixed 800 ISO to start is the norm for me but adjusting ISO on the street is crucial. Experimenting with a Nikon D750 and landscapes, the auto ISO threw me. I really wanted to stop the auto and control it myself. However, you really helped me understand that for this kind of photography, it’s totally ok to let go and allow the camera to decide ISO. The other manual settings of shutter speed and f-stop help control problems of noise, etc. Thank you!
Wow Steve. I am probably not even an amateur photographer, but I do have a Canon 60D & 80D. I just listened to your concept of applying Automatic ISO and can visualize how it should work. Robwas realized it 20 years back. I have yet to try it on my cameras, but I think I could mimic the system in one of them. Being self-taught in many areas including IT, listening to interesting videos like yours suddenly gives that "eureka" surge of energy and understanding of the concept. I will try it out and hopefully be able to give further feedback. Thanks for sharing. Cheers
Something to share. I'm testing out an idea I have on how the below option might help out beginners, like myself, to take better photos with the Canon SX50. Currently testing this out under the Tv mode but it also applies to the Av setting. In Tv, I set the shutter speed on a high value, say 1250. Then I set the ISO to a best image quality setting, say 80 or 100, etc. When I press the shutter half way down, the camera will adjust the shutter speed down and the aperture as needed, leaving the ISO setting alone. The end result is getting a image with a better ISO quality, and a faster shutter speed, that addresses issues like camera shake and a subject moving. Needs more testing but it could also be used as an alternative to Sports mode, which uses a shutter speed of 1250 a lot, but also raises the ISO to values 800 or higher, hurting the image quality. Here's that option for you to check out for yourselves: Safety Shift, On. This means to avoid exposure problems in AV or TV, the camera will automatically adjust the shutter speed or aperture value, even when standard exposure cannot otherwise be obtained. Press the Menu button and set [Safety Shift] on the tab to [On] If you try it out as well, let me know whether it works or doesn't work for you. Thanks!
I really quickly watched the video, just to get the gist of it, went to my D7000 and tried to do it and it would not let me enable Auto ISO unless the camera was set to "Auto" mode. Figured it just wasn't able to do it, being a lower-end DSLR and all. BUT then I watched the video again, more closely and realized how to do it. Thanks for the video!
I found this video last night, tried it today and was amazed with the simplicity of it and how well it works. I am also amazed, if disappointed that I hadn't thought of it!!!! Thank you so much Steve!!!
This is a great idea, thank you so much! 🙏🏼 I just got the Nikon Z fc, and found that while the ISO dial looks nice n retro, it's difficult to use b/c the left hand is busy supporting the camera. I was hoping to assign ISO to one of the right-hand dials, but that wasn't an option. Thank you again!
Great video and better personality! So many angry know it all photographers out there and you provide useful information and a friendly "hey this may not work for everyone" disclaimer =)
I do nature photography mostly and I've been using this method for some time now because my camera is always set to stop action/wing movement at any moment and I usually get the results I want. With a big tele zoom lens things can get tricky with less light coming in. That's where a monopod in the field can come in real handy to reduce the shutter and increase the light. Tripods work well but they're much heavier and cumbersome and put a strain on my beer hand. That's a no-no in my world!
Using this method now with my D500 and 200-500 combo instead of Aperture settings and transformed my shooting! Thank you for the great tips, reviews and channel! 😃🇬🇧🇺🇸
I have been using this technique since I am not yet confident in playing with all the three yet. I am always shooting in Manual, but the ISO is always set to auto, then my aperture to the biggest opening depending on the lens I am using. Then my shutter speed on variable depending on the lighting and the subject if stationary or moving.
FYI you can sort-of pull this off EVEN in the entry-level D3500. I say sort of because there is one downfall: since there is only one command dial (no sub-command dial), and ExComp button+dial combo in M mode is reserved for changing the aperture, the only way to set your desired exposure compensation is to either fiddle with the "i" menu, or - which I personally prefer - quickly jump to one of the semi-manual modes to dial in compensation using the said combo and then switch back to M mode. Even the latter option still takes a bit of time that's why I prefer to use S mode + Auto ISO instead, but if you have time (like in this wading egret example) and you need to change the F-stop from wide-open for some reason, this is the way to go.
It's called TAv exposure mode on Pentax cameras. It's been a Pentax feature for years. The other Pentax feature that is better than other camera manufacturer's conventional exposure modes is Hyper Program mode--which makes explicit Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority exposure modes on the mode dial obsolete. With Hyper Program, you can switch to Aperture Priority by moving the front dial, or switch to Shutter Priority by moving the rear dial, or press the Pentax green button to reset back to Program mode again. In my opinion, Pentax cameras should only have Program mode, TAv mode (manual mode with auto iso), and Manual exposure mode (fixed iso); I guess that TAv mode and Manual exposure modes can also be merged together as well if Pentax would allow the option to switch between auto iso and fixed iso in Manual mode, in that case, then you only need Program mode and Manual modes on exposure dial. The last feature that is unique to Pentax cameras is that in Manual mode, once you select the Aperture and Shutter speed that you want, you can lock these values together with the AE lock button, and then rotating the front or rear dial will cycle through different aperture and Shutter speed combinations that maintain the same EV (exposure value), which is very useful or if you want to cheat while in manual mode, you can press the green button and the camera will select the correct shutter speed with your current aperture selection. I'm glad a have a Pentax camera, makes life so much easier, while everyone else is going through menus.
Right on Bro. For Steves benefit.... This feature is a Pentax first, was around on Pentax cameras circa 2009 without jumping through menu hoops. In the intro he even makes a graphic exhibiting his ignorance or his bias against Pentax. Nikon (big tick mark) Canon (50-50) Everyone Else (Big question mark) ? How absurd.
Awesome tip, thanks. Been using auto ISO and the back button auto focus. Exposure compensation does not work in manual mode on D5000. However if I am anticipating a need for compensation, I go to program mode, set up my exposure compensation and return to manual mode. The camera retains the value, I previously dialed in, even after I turn off the camera.
You really need to mention the interaction of auto ISO with flash. - Older Nikon bodies (D90, D300...anything released before the D300S) continue to work as you describe with flash. That worked brilliantly as a safety net where the flash exposure was your primary exposure. - Newer bodies raise the ISO as high as they can and use minimal flash as fill. That means that your camera behaves more like it would have with no flash attached. In other words the ambient exposure is preferred, and in situations where the flash is acting as more than fill you can guarantee you hit the top of the auto range for ISO (which means more noise).There are also subtle differences between the bodies I'm not going to go into. Canon cameras are even nuttier. They just set the ISO to 400 when flash is up and auto ISO selected, then you have to use an undocumented exposure compensation trick to get the camera to adjust that ISO. I do wish camera manufacturers would give us more control and clearer control.
The only drawback with M mode + autoISO is that if you don't keep an eye on the exposure indicator, you might blow the exposure when there is too much light and your A & S manual settings let too much light in... What would be nice would be an Mmode + autoISO where A or S could still be automatically adjusted by the camera to maintain proper exposure when autoISO has already hit the min threshold (64ISO on the D810 for instance (i'm not even considering the LowISO modes)) or the max threshold (which can already be set in the autoISO settings pane). This essentially boils done to enabling the camera to behave with the A setting toning down in Mmode+AutoISO as it would in Ap+AutoISO when overexposure at AutoISO=ISOmin occurs.
I shoot high school football games at night. I have a Canon 5D Mk IV with a 70-200mm F/2.8 lens. My settings : F/2.8, 1/1000th, ISO Auto. Noise will always be there at night games but it can be remove by Adobe Lightroom luminance adjustments.
Thanks, Steve. I've been using Aperture priority with auto-ISO for years and it works well in bright situations. In dark situations, it was a pain to dive into the menus to change my minimum shutter speed for a stationary subject and back again when the subject moved. This manual technique solves that issue. I recently used it when shooting great gray owls in very dark light and during Red Bull Crashed Ice when I needed a fast shutter (high ISO) and needed to quickly shift to a slower shutter for tight shots of faces.
I've started doing this with my t6i Canon, and love it!! I'm too inept (and afraid) to go full manual, this is a great way to get better shots without being overloaded.
Robert, I have a t7i and shot in Shutter priority for the past year. I felt the same way you did about Manual mode- inept and afraid. Three weeks ago I started shooting in manual mode. I've gotten shots I couldn't have before, including one I cherish of a young bald eagle flying through the trees after sunset. I say, go for it! You'll gain so much.
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This works at high frame rates on the Z9 (Manual Mode) unlike Aperture priority Auto ISO at high frae rates (30,60,120) on the Z9
Q0
Steve-- a friend of mine told me today that he shoots this way and it's all the rage in his photo club (largely because he's a board member and people listen to him). It's Aug 2023 and when doing a RUclips search found this video (and by the way I've subscribed to your channel for a while and love your content). You do caveat that this method isn't for everyone, and I would say it's not for me, and I think there's a compelling reason why.
First of all, I think we can all agree that the primary result of settings choice is proper exposure. Beyond that, the specific choices of the exposure triangle are a function of creative/technical choices...i.e. shutter speed--motion control, aperture--depth of field control, and ISO--noise control. I'm a BIG fan of shooting in Auto ISO, so we agree on that much. But rather than shoot in Manual, I think it's wiser to shoot in Aperture priority or Shutter priority depending on the creative choice you're prioritizing for the particular shot. Why?
In your method, if you happened to have taken a shot of a stationary subject and used a small aperture, say f/11. And then you're getting ready to take another shot where you're concerned about freezing motion (e.g. a bird getting ready to take flight), your first instinct will be to adjust your shutter speed to a faster setting....but if you forget, are inattentive, or simply don't have time to also adjust your aperture, you'll end up with a much higher ISO than you likely need because your aperture is still at f/11. If however you're shooting in Shutter priority, and you do the same thing (dial in a fast shutter speed), the camera will automatically give you a proper exposure with the LOWEST possible ISO (achieved by opening the lens aperture automatically). And if you were to suggest that you also wanted to control the depth of field, you would notice while you're dialing in shutter speed what the corresponding aperture being chosen by the camera is--and if you're being intentional, attentive, and have time, you can fiddle with the shutter speed until you're satisfied with both settings...by focusing on just choosing the shutter speed.
Bottom line, I think your method is prone to error in a faster-paced shooting scenario where you either have limited time to dial in all the settings, and/or your attention is consumed either by the subject/scene or by the intentional creative control you're trying to affect.
Great respect, and a great fan Steve, so I'm not throwing shade. And by the way for those familiar with Nikon (which I know you're intimately familiar with), if you choose the Program automatic mode, you can see what shutter speed AND aperture the camera is deciding to use for a shot...and if you don't like it, you simply pivot the command dial to affect the shutter/aperture combination...in some ways it's the best of both world between Aperture priority and Shutter priority. (and of course using Auto ISO the whole time)
thanks out of 100 videos i could watch this one means something
Funny thing, I remember going back 20 years with the first digital cameras I actually said "why don't they have auto iso" as a variable. I remember getting weird looks but it always made sense. When I got back into photography a few years ago I was delighted to see modern cameras now embrace this, it's really just "gain" like we have in video but it works out really well. On another note now some cameras offer custom shoot settings so at a button press you can get a whole new set of shutter speed, aperture, iso, focus mode, etc at the press of a button making those surprise bird moments where they fly off appropriate settings instantly at your fingertips. I have a lot of respect for photographers who captured images in the days of 35mm film and generally a max iso of 1000, manual focus, etc.. We sure have come a long since then making excellent wildlife images attainable for the masses.
I remember back the iso modes were pretty bad. Pretty much anything above the minimum was only acceptable if you absolutely had to use it. By iso 400 noise would be an issue and above 800 the image was pretty much garbage. I'd always assumed that this was why auto iso wasn't really a thing. My newest dSLR has auto-iso and the ability to restrict the values that it will use to ones that I expect to be reasonable.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade Yes, I had a Canon D60 that was like that, pretty much only the base ISO was good, also a Coolpix before that and a Kodak really early vintage digital. Also shot film and on 35mm format 400 iso was grainy but of course medium and large format was a great option. I still think large format view cameras could edge out even the largest sensors today in resolution but lenses have gotten so much better across the board.
Awesome tip steve.
One thing which people normally overlook in the auto iso menu is that min. shutter speed is a preferred setting and not a locked setting i.e. when the camera meters to the max. iso set and still cannot achieve desired exposure, it reduces the shutter speed to attain proper exposure.
I've been using Manual with auto-iso as my standard setting for quite some time now regardless of what I'm shooting. So long as you keep an eye on the ISO you can adjust shutter speed and aperture without taking your eye from the viewfinder and for everyday outdoor photography where you're not doing much more than taking ''snapshots' it's brilliant and a kind of 'super-auto'.
Steve; I know this video was done in 2014 but just a note to let you know it is still helping people. I have a new Panasonic G9 and the suggestion you made worked well for shooting videos in manual mode with the ISO controlled by the camera. The G9 also has the exposure reading in the EVF so if necessary the exposure setting can also be adjusted while under Auto ISO control. I could not find any other information on this and its possible to more experienced users how this can be done but your video addressed it directly. Thanks again.
Thanks for sharing. This is so helpful for a newbie like myself. I understand how the ISO works, but I don’t want to constantly have to adjust it. All of your videos are great and to the point. Thank you for not making us watch you frolic through the woods for 12 minutes before teaching us something.
I figuered this one out myself shortly after buying my first DSLR 3100 and when I explained this in forums I got laughed at and people didn't fully understand how it works and questioned this method. I still use this all the time!
This technique is perfect for using my 40 year old film SLR Contax 139 Vintage lenses with my new Sony A7 full frame that I just bought the body only. I set the shutter speed and the F-stop and the camera sets the ISO. I can watch and if the ISO goes too high I can also adjust my shutter speed or F-stop. It worked tonight taking light trails of cars on the street and on the highway. It also worked indoors. I bought a $40 lens adapter C/Y to E-mount. It takes more adjusting however I get to use my 4 old lenses and teleconverters and filters and hoods instead of spending $2,000 to buy new ones.
I have used this technique with my Nikon D7500 and have noticed that it attracts digital noise more.
If the auto iso setting is off there is concern about shutter speed going down but with extra care and keeping the shooter alert, the problem of attracting heavy noise could be manageable.
This is very helpful for me. Thank you. I'm an amature who just upgraded from an old Nikon D40x to a Z50. This Auto ISO appears to be standard now and I love it, but it was totally new to me. The old D40 didn't have this.
One thing that I think it worth noting is something that took me a really long time to figure out (the manual didn't help) is the function of the ISO button when in Manual Mode. When in manual mode with Auto iso turned OFF, holding the ISO button and rotating the dial turns the ISO value yellow and changes the ISO as you would expect.
When Auto ISO is turned ON, holding the ISO button and rotating the back dial changes the max allowable ISO (instead of just changing the ISO like in a priority mode). Note that the manual ISO value and the max Auto ISO value are two completely independent values.
For example, let's say you have Auto ISO turned ON. If you are in P mode and the ISO is set to 200, you can then switch to M mode, and the iso will change automatically up to the max Auto ISO setting (let's say 4000). Let's say you then hold the ISO button and rotate the dial, this changes the max Auto ISO from 4000 to, let's say 3200. If you then switch back to P mode, the ISO will go back to 200 where you left it.
This is kind of a funky behavior if you switch between modes and expect the iso setting to persist between them.
it makes sense. i thought about this when i first got my Canon 40D and shooting birds in flight and having a tough time choosing whether AV or TV mode with Auto ISO. Been using this Manual Mode with Auto ISO ever since. You explained it beautifully.
I first used this Auto ISO feature in manual mode with my Canon EOS 6D camera. I was photographing vintage automobiles in an indoor car museum. The lighting in the museum was all over the place. Some type of commercial lighting, like the lights used in a warehouse. The chrome, the different color paint on the vehicles, and the auto glass were either in the dark, or they were blowing up with reflected light from the ceiling lights. 90 out of 100 shots were spot on for a proper exposure. It's an incredible and little known camera function.
You sir make THE BEST camera related videos there is!!!!! Awesome job!!!!
Thank you for the tip about using manual mode with auto ISO. I just purchased a Nikon D5500 and am using my old Tamron 28-300 macro zoom lens. I know it isn't the best of equipment, but it's what I can afford. Anyway, with the Tamron lens I have to use the manual setting on the camera. I've done very little manual mode shooting, but have played with it some. I just came in from practicing in my neighborhood and fell on this video. How great this is!!! I can get used to setting the shutter and F-stop. I do a lot of hiking and shooting in the Great Smoky Mountains. I know how quickly a shot can be lost when coming across wildlife. Thank you again. This is going to make things so much better for me. Can't wait to view your other videos.
I've only had my D810 for about three months. When I discovered how to set this up I'm almost always in manual mode. I don't think I've had a technically bad photo since then. D810, is my second digital camera and likely the last camera I'll buy. I love this camera!
Great video BTW, I've been wondering if anyone else shoots like this.
Charles Edwards I love mine too.
Thank you very much for taking the time to post this setup, I recently purchased a Nikon D500 and I'm a complete novice at manual photography, I've been using a colony of feral cats that we feed as my practice subjects, for the most part I set my shutter to 1/100 to 1/250 - f2.8 - ISO 100 which provides me with some truly amazing pictures but is less than useless when the kittens break into full out blasting around mode, I found by the time I changed my shutter speed, f-stop for more depth of field then ISO to suit I was way too slow and missing some truly hilarious action, this setup has helped me very much and I really appreciate you providing this information...!
I have said this before and I'll say it again. Steve is "Da Man"! I have both of his books, and love his videos. One day, I'll go on one of his tours.
I just picked up Sigma's new 150-600. I had started playing with auto-iso for wildlife, thanks for the full explanation on this method. Helps a lot!
And thanks Nikon Rumors for linking it!
Nikon users, Set one of the user positions on the top dial up for this and you can switch from manual to manual with auto ISO very quickly.
I love this for action/sports/wildlife photography for the exact reasons you mention. I get to set my shutter and aperture as I want for my creative vision, but the camera makes sure my exposure is spot on (assuming light allows with my max ISO setting). Some people give you funny looks when you say you shoot with auto-iso, but I love it. It is the only "auto" mode I use on a consistent basis.
I have tried this method and fell in love with it. Then I realised that my Canon 7d won't accept exposure compensation in this mode. I believe that the 7d mkII will though.
Great video as always Steve, really well explained and entertaining. Keep up the great work
My 7D Mark II can activate exposure comp in manual mode.
@@usernamemykel Newer midrange bodies like the 80D and 77D do as well, but the 760D does not. It's annoying because I find there is a tendency to overexpose and blow out the highlights. Thus I use different custom modes, I usually keep one capped at ISO 3200 with AI focus, which I use for low-light birds, and another capped at ISO 1600 or 800 with AI Servo, which I use for birds in flight.
I am using the Auto ISO feature + manual mode in my Sony RX10 IV. The camera only displays, regardless of which screen output, "Auto ISO" and NOT the actual ISO value as I look at a dark and well lighted subject but it does work. I had to check the properties of two sample shots to see that the F-stop and shutter speed remained unchanged but the ISO value did change. It works but not apparent on the view screen as it was in your Nikon example
Watched your video last night and tried it today and realized I’ve been shooting wrong forever. I always used aperture priority and my success rate was not very good. With this method it’s quite clear(pardon the pun) that this is the way to go. Thank you for this video!
Cool video. 2 things though...
1 if it's too bright the iso won't be able to go low enough and you'll get an over exposed image.
2 you can enable/disable auto iso by holding the iso button and turning the opposite control wheel to that which sets the iso. It's a great function that i use all the time!
This tip has been extremely helpful. I have used it for several weeks now, and it has allowed me to be in changing lighting situations and still capture the shot! Thanks Steve
Very lucid and informative. Every time I watch your videos I get better grasp of the subject. Thank you so much.
Hey Steve, I only recently discovered your videos, and they are among the best I've seen on photography.
I've been using this Manual/Auto ISO option almost exclusively for years on my Nikons; you're the first reviewer that mentions this as an advantage for having total control over shutter and aperture in combination with the speed of auto exposure. It truly is a fantastic shooting option. Rather than see the advantage, the few other reviewers who mention it will simply criticize it for not being true manual. If folks really want 'true' manual, then all they have to do is turn off auto ISO when they use the Manual mode.
What more can we ask of a camera, and it's one of the reasons I originally got hooked on Nikon; but as you say, other cameras have begun offering the feature.
As far as I have found to date, Steve's videos are the best of their kind PERIOD. On camera and lens reviews, I really, really appreciate how wisely Steve skips past the sort of information that is tediously redundant in other video reviews, avoids all the clowning around, and gets right to the point on the details broadly MISSED elsewhere... and I mean, the important stuff!
If you see a twenty minute plus review from Steve, don't hesitate -- WATCH IT, if you have the time. It will be packed... and worth your while. --> Thanks, Steve!
Thanks for the video, now i get how that auto iso works on Nikon. One downside of this method is that on entry level Nikons with only one dial you can't set the exposure comp via button in manual mode and have to go quick settings for that.
Been watching a lurking for a while, best Wildlife Photography channel on RUclips!
Thanks for the kind words :)
Thanks very much, good video. Manual with Auto ISO has been my go to setting since taking digital photography seriously. Im mostly street and city based in Hong Kong, one minute your in a very sunny environment, next in a shaded alley, so this is perfect.. To be honest I dont really understand why this setting is not promoted more on RUclips. Once again, great video.
This is definitely not for everyone but I use it when I need to and it works a charm. It is very useful for bird photography as they move rapidly between light and dark areas in trees, or when the weather is partly cloudy and the light changes rapidly.
I figured out how to do this on my own and realised it's a good way of keeping control of your settings without losing control of the exposure. Only problem is in my D7100 the over-under-exposure indicator in the viewfinder is really small and easy to miss, so sometimes I find that I've maxed out the ISO at either end of the exposure scale without realising, and resulted in poorly exposed photos.
I must admit, I thought this was a bit cheating, since I thought real photographers were supposed to do everything manually, but your video has given me confidence that this is a great way of operating and it's really encouraging. Thanks.
Revisiting this video as it was in my feed. Nikon cameras are well engineered. And I'm not sure if it's due to a firmware update but the D810 now displays the exposure compensation in my view finder so I'm reminded to reset it after I've captured the exposure.
Another feature I find useful is to use the live view to make the D810 behave as a pseudo mirrorless camera. That is I can see what my image will look like before I release the shutter.
As far as the not amazing video performance due to focus lock issues. I'm personally not interested in videography so so it's a non-issue for me.
Once again, thanks for this great video!
Steve, you're a genius! Thanks very much for this tip. I'm learning to use my Nikon D750, and this secret 'ISO Priority' mode you uncovered is the best of both worlds. My D750 does support the Auto ISO in the 'M' mode, however when I looked up EXPOSURE COMPENSATION, the camera manual said
"In mode M, exposure compensation affects only the exposure indicator; shutter speed and aperture do not change."
What the manual conveniently left out is that when the ISO is set to AUTO in the M mode, the Exposure Compensation does work but it changes the ISO only. The shutter speed and aperture remain the same..
I tried using the Exp. Comp. as you said, and it WORKED: there was no exposure metering ruler in the viewfinder anymore, but the window on the top of the camera showed the values as they were dialled in, '+0.3, +0.7' etc. And if I want to see if I have any compensation set up, all I have to do is press the Exposure Compensation button and the value shows up on the camera's top screen.
So, it does work on D750!
THANKS AGAIN!
I use a Sony a6000, and this also works on that camera.
I have started photography 8 months ago. Before that didn't even know the exposure triangle :)
For the last couple of months I have been using this technique to drop my ISO levels in low light but also have auto exposure.
In M mode I open my lens aperture (f1.8) than choose manually the minimum shutter speed I need for a scene. The ISO and exposure are than auto calculated according to the cameras metering. I can also alter the exposure using exposure-compensation.
Great to find out that my self derived technique is also a viable one used by professional people :)
On the Sony a6000:
Set to M mode
Select Shutter Speed
Select F-Stop
Select Auto ISO (Min:100 - Max:3200)
Use Exposure Compensation to fine tune the exposure.
+Faruk Ertin Yup - I used this exclusively when I was on my 2 week Florida trip this year - and any other time I'm shooting wildlife :)
Great video, and refresher course for me. Really like, in manual mode, aperture and shutter speed, and ISO in auto mode. THen for tweaking, you have exposure compensation. Excellent!
Thank you for all your great videos. One thing I noticed with the Nikon D5300 is auto ISO works in live mode when set to (A)ppeture, (S)hutter, (P)rogram and even Auto but does not work in (M)anual. To use it in manual you need Live turned off and looking thru the view finder. Then it works perfectly. I don't know why this is but it drove me nuts for several days until I realized what was happening.
I used Auto ISO for a long time photographing field sports at night such as high school football or soccer. I figured this would be best since the field is brighter in some parts of the field depending on the position of the lights. But the camera was always giving me very high ISO. I realized that while the players were bright since the were under the lights, the background (parking lot or trees in the distance) was very dark. By using Auto ISO the camera was trying to brighten the entire scene including the dark background. I set the ISO to an averaged fixed value such that the players were exposed correctly and didn't care about the dark trees in the background. I could make slight adjustments in post for exposure variations on the field. I still use Auto ISO for indoor sports but set the ISO outside at night.
Great tip. Thanks. I did it on my D7000 and saved it as a USER setting, and then went back to M mode and turned auto ISO back off. Now on U2, that auto ISO is always there. Cheers 🍺
I just set this up on my D7000 too. Thanks for sharing!
zonemama3 Welcome
Great tip! I just purchased a D7200 and was looking into doing this...glad to see someone figured it out and shared. Thanks!
I have a D7000 and I'm glad I saw this. I'm going to set this on my camera too.
I use it to shoot Handball.
The light is not changing this much, but I have full control of aperture and shutter speed!
I remember when I got into photography, asking myself why camera manufacturers don't make a camera where you control aperture and shutter and camera adjusting iso... It is so natural to me, while you adjust A and S according to your idea of how image should look like (depth of field, freezing or not subject movement...) ISO is only there to adjust exposure after you set up what you want so it is natural that is done automatically. No other way for me. Nobody wants high ISO, it's THE only thing you always want as low as possible while aperture you sometimes want large sometimes small, shutter speed also, sometimes high sometimes low. So why would you bother with ISO - decide what image you want and let camera adjust ISO for proper exposure.
you are right setting the ISO auto is one of the best trick but that also depends on how and where you point your metering mode. Most of the times I use center mode metering and point it on shadow or highlight spot to get the kind of effect I want. Mostly I expose for the shadow.
All of your videos are extremely helpful and informative,thank you so much.
Yep. I use this mode all the time when taking photos of speedway riders from the in-field. They are travelling at 60/70 MPH. Can track them in the viewfinder and snap away.
I used this on my Canon T7. Worked out great. I just adjust shutter speed when needed. Newbie here.
Hi Steve. I have never used Auto ISO because I thought you had to use it in Program mode. I didn't like the results so I told my friends not to ever use Auto ISO. Thanks for this video seminar. Now I finally realize that I can use Auto ISO in Manual mode. This opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. Thanks for the information.
I have long been a fan of using the camera's meter to set the exposure, and of using exp comp to darken or lighten an image, but with this new trick, I'll be saving time by not having to set and reset the ISO! Thanks a lot!
I've just read the comment by Steve Mason. Well said!
I'll test it out tomorrow! I'll let you know how I got on.
Limitations aside; I absolutely love shooting film!
I'm subscribing to your channel now!
2:13 thank you for this perspective! legend!
I never used this before until this past weekend. I was always on AV or TV mode using my Canon...Worked most of the time, but the way some photos turn out when the Ap or Sh speed compensates... Just wrongly exposed although usable after post editing... I was surprised how good this M + auto ISO worked. Personally I always thought M mode would be too difficult to use, because everything was in manual, until I remembered the ISO could be set on auto. And then waw my new photos have turned out great, some with better contrast, more punch! I just need to set a max ISO value and try again!
Pentax cameras (I have a KS2) have a Tav mode that gives you control of both shutter speed and aperture while ISO is automatically adjusted based on exposure. You can also set an ISO range based on the noise levels.
I realized this setting by myself when I used the g9x mark ii, and I LOVED this setting. I thought it was so good that I questioned why everyone is talking about that Av is so good. BUT this dont work with my LX5 and my G12 camera which is a REAAAL bummer. Now I need to find a camera that I like that have this "feature"... Great video:)
Great idea. I never thought about this...setting AUTO ISO, and MANUAL mode.
HELLO STEVE!
I really enjoyed your video and what you do! Recently took your advice and did an experiment, we shoot with an Olympus E-500 with External Flash 1/250 f.8
at 400 ISO. EV Compensation is +2 points. Picture was nice, the Histogram showed image exposed properly! Did the same experiment with Auto ISO and the picture came out dark! So in my situation where we Photograph Rock Bands that are pretty much stationary with a little bit of movement by the drummer and colored LCD Stage Lights everywhere!
Manual 400 ISO is the preferred setting!
What a great tuition video. This changed my photography overnight. I have been struggling with manual for months on my Nikon, particularly with poor exposure where I wanted faster shutter. I still have lots to learn but, my results today are really encouraging. Thank you!
This is awesome. I am not sure how I never thought of it but it is perfect for taking pictures of my boys. One minute they can be on a couch indoors and I want a shot of them actually getting along... the next minute we can be outside on scooters or tossing a football. I have often switched between A or S .. but I like this MUCH better as I dial in my tolerance and go. Thank you!!
As best as I can tell, Auto ISO is evaluating the scene based on what the meter sees at shutter-press, so it's mostly fine - unless you're using the zone system (and so center/spot metering mode) for exposure - because you've reframed and your center/spot is pointing somewhere other than the zone you wanted to calculate off of.
Not a biggie: it's easy enough to turn off and adjust manually without moving your eye: press and hold the ISO button, and then:
- front dial for Auto ISO on/off
- rear dial to set ISO once you've turned auto off
Works on D7nnn, Dnnn, Dn Nikons
One option is to switch back to matrix or center-weight mode, and yes, you can change metering mode without moving your eye from the VF, but it's hard to press the right button.
Pretty much - I'm constantly popping in and out of Auto ISO. The moment the meter and I aren't agreeing, I take over :)
Hey Steve, I just found your page while searching google on why my camera wouldn't fire rapidly while using back button focus and single servo mode. Your video on AF-on and back button focus cleared up all of my problems by switching to continuous servo! Subscribed, and would just like to say thanks for the great videos!! I will definitely continue to watch religiously as I venture to become a respectable photographer!
Hi Steve, I thought I already commented but couldn't find it. I know this is an old post but it's still relevant. I just recently found you on RUclips and glad I did. I have subscribed. Concerning this tip, I use Sony SLTs specifically A99II and A77II. Both will show the exposure meter but it doesn't move because in auto iso the exposure is constantly adjusted to maintain proper exposure but, the iso will blink to indicate if the maximum has been reached, (which can be set in auto iso), in which case I can either adjust the other variables or set a higher iso max. At any rate I can't believe I never thought of the technique before. I've been shooting with a slr and dslr for over 30 years. Just goes to show you CAN teach an old (I'm 69) dog new tricks. LOL
The problem I have especially with the A99II which has a more sophisticated AF system, is that I can't get AF to lock and track. When I use AF Lock-on: spot; extended spot; zone; wide, the AF will jump to different spots that may be similar to the intended focus point. This especially happens in low light and with the Sony 70-400mm G SSMII. I know you don't shoot Sony but can you offer any reasons why this may be happening? I have asked Sony but even they don't know why.
thanks very much for this video , I have been in manual mode only because i always wanted control over shutter and aperture and other modes didn't make sense- I always wondered why was there not the mode discussed here !! now i can use it, cheers
This video is exactly what I’ve been looking for and so clearly explained and understood. Bravo!
Your training videos are number 1. For passionate photographers you are the main man! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
Thanks!
Thanks so much!
This is the most useful mode I have ever found on my camera few years ago. I mostly used aperture priority mode all the time and set iso to 100. This caused shutter speed to go down and get blurry images during low light. I had to bump the iso to have more shutter speed. This consumed extra time and loss of opportunity.
Nowadays shooting at high iso is not an issue, we have great de-noising softwares.
That said, if we use auto ISO, then we can stop worrying which iso to use. Camera automatically does this calculation for you.
Keep shutter speed reasonably high and adjust aperture for desired depth of field. ISO will adjust itself to minimum level possible.
Aryan jnu
Thanks Steve... awesome trick, I will definitely try it.. all the best.. warm greetings from Bandung Indonesia...
OK....Now you have me thinking. I shoot auto ISO all the time but doubt my other settings are right. Gonna check it.
Quickly becoming my favorite photo channel. Feel some binge watching coming on.
One powerful tip in addition to this is to have Image Preview On, and have AEL mapped to a button. You can then point your camera where you want to meter, hold AEL, and then when you recompose, the body will not try to change its exposure. I map AEL to my depth of field preview button since it's easier to hold down, and depth of field preview is mapped to my Fn button on my D600.
If you have Image Preview On while holding AEL, you can chimp and briefly see the result of the shot without letting go of the locked exposure setting. While still holding AEL, you can also easily use your index finger to hold the Exposure Comp button and dial in exposure comp. This will automatically modify the ISO, even though you have the exposure "locked" with AEL, thus your next shot while holding AEL will actually have the exposure comp baked in. Furthermore, if you manipulate the aperture or shutter speed, this will also modify the ISO automatically to maintain exposure.
Thus, you can point the camera around, find your midpoint, AEL, and shoot. If you want it to go brighter, say, you hold Exposure Comp and dial in a +1, and reshoot. You like it, but it costs more noise, and you think you can retake the shot with a lower shutter speed. Half the shutter speed, all the while holding AEL, and the ISO will return to what it was before, but now with the shutter speed halved.
Pair this with back button focusing, and it kind of feels like cheating sometimes versus the film days.
Awesome tip - thanks!
Steve, Great Great video. I've been struggling with Auto iso for years on my Nikon. I finally feel I'm in command of my camera. Love the examples. Not just theory but actual hands on way to use your camera. Thanks again.
I’m new here.... I’m a street photographer coming from a film background. Shooting manual at a fixed 800 ISO to start is the norm for me but adjusting ISO on the street is crucial. Experimenting with a Nikon D750 and landscapes, the auto ISO threw me. I really wanted to stop the auto and control it myself. However, you really helped me understand that for this kind of photography, it’s totally ok to let go and allow the camera to decide ISO. The other manual settings of shutter speed and f-stop help control problems of noise, etc. Thank you!
Wow Steve. I am probably not even an amateur photographer, but I do have a Canon 60D & 80D. I just listened to your concept of applying Automatic ISO and can visualize how it should work. Robwas realized it 20 years back. I have yet to try it on my cameras, but I think I could mimic the system in one of them. Being self-taught in many areas including IT, listening to interesting videos like yours suddenly gives that "eureka" surge of energy and understanding of the concept. I will try it out and hopefully be able to give further feedback. Thanks for sharing. Cheers
I upgraded my NEX 5N to my A6000 in big part because that feature was supported with the newer camera. It is really helpful.
That’s the setting I’m going to use when I get my new camera. ❤❤❤ Top notch video. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. ❤❤❤
Really well explained. Thanks. I’d like to see a video on best ways to approach wildlife photography on a budget.
Something to share.
I'm testing out an idea I have on how the below option might help out beginners, like myself, to take better photos with the Canon SX50.
Currently testing this out under the Tv mode but it also applies to the Av setting.
In Tv, I set the shutter speed on a high value, say 1250. Then I set the ISO to a best image quality setting, say 80 or 100, etc.
When I press the shutter half way down, the camera will adjust the shutter speed down and the aperture as needed, leaving the ISO setting alone. The end result is getting a image with a better ISO quality, and a faster shutter speed, that addresses issues like camera shake and a subject moving. Needs more testing but it could also be used as an alternative to Sports mode, which uses a shutter speed of 1250 a lot, but also raises the ISO to values 800 or higher, hurting the image quality. Here's that option for you to check out for yourselves:
Safety Shift, On.
This means to avoid exposure problems in AV or TV, the camera will automatically adjust the shutter speed or aperture value, even when standard exposure cannot otherwise be obtained.
Press the Menu button and set [Safety Shift] on the tab to [On]
If you try it out as well, let me know whether it works or doesn't work for you.
Thanks!
Coincidentally, I stumbled across this trick two days ago while out shooting- great explanation in this video and a very cool thing to use.
I really quickly watched the video, just to get the gist of it, went to my D7000 and tried to do it and it would not let me enable Auto ISO unless the camera was set to "Auto" mode. Figured it just wasn't able to do it, being a lower-end DSLR and all. BUT then I watched the video again, more closely and realized how to do it. Thanks for the video!
I have been using this for several months. It works. Careful not to blow out highlights.
I found this video last night, tried it today and was amazed with the simplicity of it and how well it works. I am also amazed, if disappointed that I hadn't thought of it!!!! Thank you so much Steve!!!
This is a great idea, thank you so much! 🙏🏼 I just got the Nikon Z fc, and found that while the ISO dial looks nice n retro, it's difficult to use b/c the left hand is busy supporting the camera. I was hoping to assign ISO to one of the right-hand dials, but that wasn't an option. Thank you again!
Street photographers love using this technique because we want F8 + 1/500s most of the time ;)
Why would you want 1/500 for mostly stationary subjects?
@@Florianski to capture the stationaryness and subjectness
@@theseoldhomes 😂👍
Great video and better personality! So many angry know it all photographers out there and you provide useful information and a friendly "hey this may not work for everyone" disclaimer =)
I do nature photography mostly and I've been using this method for some time now because my camera is always set to stop action/wing movement at any moment and I usually get the results I want. With a big tele zoom lens things can get tricky with less light coming in. That's where a monopod in the field can come in real handy to reduce the shutter and increase the light. Tripods work well but they're much heavier and cumbersome and put a strain on my beer hand. That's a no-no in my world!
Using this method now with my D500 and 200-500 combo instead of Aperture settings and transformed my shooting! Thank you for the great tips, reviews and channel! 😃🇬🇧🇺🇸
I have been using this technique since I am not yet confident in playing with all the three yet. I am always shooting in Manual, but the ISO is always set to auto, then my aperture to the biggest opening depending on the lens I am using. Then my shutter speed on variable depending on the lighting and the subject if stationary or moving.
Mister, you've got yourself a new subber, even if the trees behind you will never grow any longer or wider.
FYI you can sort-of pull this off EVEN in the entry-level D3500. I say sort of because there is one downfall: since there is only one command dial (no sub-command dial), and ExComp button+dial combo in M mode is reserved for changing the aperture, the only way to set your desired exposure compensation is to either fiddle with the "i" menu, or - which I personally prefer - quickly jump to one of the semi-manual modes to dial in compensation using the said combo and then switch back to M mode. Even the latter option still takes a bit of time that's why I prefer to use S mode + Auto ISO instead, but if you have time (like in this wading egret example) and you need to change the F-stop from wide-open for some reason, this is the way to go.
It's called TAv exposure mode on Pentax cameras. It's been a Pentax feature for years. The other Pentax feature that is better than other camera manufacturer's conventional exposure modes is Hyper Program mode--which makes explicit Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority exposure modes on the mode dial obsolete. With Hyper Program, you can switch to Aperture Priority by moving the front dial, or switch to Shutter Priority by moving the rear dial, or press the Pentax green button to reset back to Program mode again. In my opinion, Pentax cameras should only have Program mode, TAv mode (manual mode with auto iso), and Manual exposure mode (fixed iso); I guess that TAv mode and Manual exposure modes can also be merged together as well if Pentax would allow the option to switch between auto iso and fixed iso in Manual mode, in that case, then you only need Program mode and Manual modes on exposure dial. The last feature that is unique to Pentax cameras is that in Manual mode, once you select the Aperture and Shutter speed that you want, you can lock these values together with the AE lock button, and then rotating the front or rear dial will cycle through different aperture and Shutter speed combinations that maintain the same EV (exposure value), which is very useful or if you want to cheat while in manual mode, you can press the green button and the camera will select the correct shutter speed with your current aperture selection. I'm glad a have a Pentax camera, makes life so much easier, while everyone else is going through menus.
Right on Bro.
For Steves benefit.... This feature is a Pentax first, was around on Pentax cameras circa 2009 without jumping through menu hoops.
In the intro he even makes a graphic exhibiting his ignorance or his bias against Pentax.
Nikon (big tick mark)
Canon (50-50)
Everyone Else (Big question mark) ?
How absurd.
Awesome tip, thanks. Been using auto ISO and the back button auto focus.
Exposure compensation does not work in manual mode on D5000. However if I am anticipating a need for compensation, I go to program mode, set up my exposure compensation and return to manual mode. The camera retains the value, I previously dialed in, even after I turn off the camera.
Beautiful tip .. exposure comp works on Fujifilm in this mode...
I think this guy is GREAT. Have learned a lot from his videos,
Who says you can't teach an old dog, with a new D810 new tricks!? Can't wait to take this one out into the field, thanks Steve!
You really need to mention the interaction of auto ISO with flash.
- Older Nikon bodies (D90, D300...anything released before the D300S) continue to work as you describe with flash. That worked brilliantly as a safety net where the flash exposure was your primary exposure.
- Newer bodies raise the ISO as high as they can and use minimal flash as fill. That means that your camera behaves more like it would have with no flash attached. In other words the ambient exposure is preferred, and in situations where the flash is acting as more than fill you can guarantee you hit the top of the auto range for ISO (which means more noise).There are also subtle differences between the bodies I'm not going to go into.
Canon cameras are even nuttier. They just set the ISO to 400 when flash is up and auto ISO selected, then you have to use an undocumented exposure compensation trick to get the camera to adjust that ISO.
I do wish camera manufacturers would give us more control and clearer control.
The only drawback with M mode + autoISO is that if you don't keep an eye on the exposure indicator, you might blow the exposure when there is too much light and your A & S manual settings let too much light in... What would be nice would be an Mmode + autoISO where A or S could still be automatically adjusted by the camera to maintain proper exposure when autoISO has already hit the min threshold (64ISO on the D810 for instance (i'm not even considering the LowISO modes)) or the max threshold (which can already be set in the autoISO settings pane).
This essentially boils done to enabling the camera to behave with the A setting toning down in Mmode+AutoISO as it would in Ap+AutoISO when overexposure at AutoISO=ISOmin occurs.
Thanks man, im a noob at dslr photography but this has helped me get out of auto mode
Wow! Worked perfectly for my new D7500... Vivid, Clean, and Crisp! Perfect Exposure. Thanks Steve!
Your videos are excellent. You do a really great job of breaking concepts down and applying them to practical situations. Thank-you!
I shoot high school football games at night. I have a Canon 5D Mk IV with a 70-200mm F/2.8 lens. My settings : F/2.8, 1/1000th, ISO Auto. Noise will always be there at night games but it can be remove by Adobe Lightroom luminance adjustments.
Thanks, Steve. I've been using Aperture priority with auto-ISO for years and it works well in bright situations. In dark situations, it was a pain to dive into the menus to change my minimum shutter speed for a stationary subject and back again when the subject moved. This manual technique solves that issue. I recently used it when shooting great gray owls in very dark light and during Red Bull Crashed Ice when I needed a fast shutter (high ISO) and needed to quickly shift to a slower shutter for tight shots of faces.
I've started doing this with my t6i Canon, and love it!! I'm too inept (and afraid) to go full manual, this is a great way to get better shots without being overloaded.
Robert, I have a t7i and shot in Shutter priority for the past year. I felt the same way you did about Manual mode- inept and afraid. Three weeks ago I started shooting in manual mode. I've gotten shots I couldn't have before, including one I cherish of a young bald eagle flying through the trees after sunset. I say, go for it! You'll gain so much.