CS #651 - AUTO ISO for all!!

Minuteman3 · May 1, 2019

My suggestion for this week is slightly different ... rather than a particular subject, let's look at an interesting option in our basic shooting technique.

We know that there is an exposure pyramid involving Film/ISO speed, Aperture, and Exposure. Each can be manipulated to achieve our desired results. We've had the "Aperture Priority" and "Shutter Priority" automatic modes for decades. But what about the third leg of the pyramid? Most of our cameras have an AUTO ISO mode in addition to the traditional AUTO modes. Choosing that options opens an interesting artistic option ... using the M (manual) mode we can choose our shutter speed/aperture combo for the shot we want to produce and the electronics take care of getting the proper exposure by setting the appropriate ISO speed (don't think this will work with film

).

I've tried this several times and found it an interesting tool. One area where it was perfect was shooting our son's water polo games. I'd set the aperture to f5.6, the shutter speed to 1/500 or 1/750, and fire away.

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(Our son is number 9 here ...)

I thought it'd be fun to give this a try for a week and see what you think.

I must say, other than these sports shots, I rarely use this as my brain still harkens back to my film roots. But, with the superior ISO performance built in to our cameras, perhaps I need to try this more often. Let's try and see what happens!!

Ken

Harry Lavo · May 1, 2019

Minuteman3 said:
My suggestion for this week is slightly different ... rather than a particular subject, let's look at an interesting option in our basic shooting technique.

We know that there is an exposure pyramid involving Film/ISO speed, Aperture, and Exposure. Each can be manipulated to achieve our desired results. We've had the "Aperture Priority" and "Shutter Priority" automatic modes for decades. But what about the third leg of the pyramid? Most of our cameras have an AUTO ISO mode in addition to the traditional AUTO modes. Choosing that options opens an interesting artistic option ... using the M (manual) mode we can choose our shutter speed/aperture combo for the shot we want to produce and the electronics take care of getting the proper exposure by setting the appropriate ISO speed (don't think this will work with film ).

I've tried this several times and found it an interesting tool. One area where it was perfect was shooting our son's water polo games. I'd set the aperture to f5.6, the shutter speed to 1/500 or 1/750, and fire away.
View attachment 1637392
(Our son is number 9 here ...)

I thought it'd be fun to give this a try for a week and see what you think.

I must say, other than these sports shots, I rarely use this as my brain still harkens back to my film roots. But, with the superior ISO performance built in to our cameras, perhaps I need to try this more often. Let's try and see what happens!!

Ken

Ken, this is how I shoot sports most all of the time. It is far superior since both shutter speed and exposure are very dependent on the subject(s) and situation you are trying to attract, and ISO within the limits of the camera is the one flexible parameter. I'll see if I can't contribute this next week.

fishbio · May 1, 2019

I'm out again this week. I never shoot shutter priority or auto ISO and only rarely manual.

Terri French · May 1, 2019

I just started shooting this way once I got my Z6. This will be a fun challenge. I realize that in the past I was often shooting at way too low shutter speeds. Shooting manual and letting Auto ISO make up the difference has given me a lot more keepers when photographing my grandkids.

F15Todd · May 1, 2019

With the improved ISO capabilities of the current generation of cameras I have become a huge fan of auto-ISO when shooting sports in mixed light. I was contracted to cover Brenau University playing in the championship game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference softball tournament. Unlike shooting for the paper, Brenau wanted more player reaction shots. So I knew I would be going from inside the dugout (shade) to outside (sun) for field action, and often shooting from outside into the dugout and from the dugout to the field.

To me, the quick change from a subject in dark to bright to dark is the time to rock auto-ISO. Here are a couple shot with either the D500 or the Z6. The ISO ranges from 100 up to 3200. I still adjust shutter speed and aperture throughout the game.

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kilofoxtrott · May 2, 2019

F15Todd said:
With the improved ISO capabilities of the current generation of cameras I have become a huge fan of auto-ISO when shooting sports in mixed light. I was contracted to cover Brenau University playing in the championship game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference softball tournament. Unlike shooting for the paper, Brenau wanted more player reaction shots. So I knew I would be going from inside the dugout (shade) to outside (sun) for field action, and often shooting from outside into the dugout and from the dugout to the field.

To me, the quick change from a subject in dark to bright to dark is the time to rock auto-ISO. Here are a couple shot with either the D500 or the Z6. The ISO ranges from 100 up to 3200. I still adjust shutter speed and aperture throughout the game.

View attachment 1637409 View attachment 1637410 View attachment 1637411 View attachment 1637412 View attachment 1637413 View attachment 1637414 View attachment 1637415 View attachment 1637416 View attachment 1637417 View attachment 1637418

Hi Todd,
a wonderful series of pictures.
The last one is a real winner.

Kind regards
Klaus

kilofoxtrott · May 2, 2019

Minuteman3 said:
My suggestion for this week is slightly different ... rather than a particular subject, let's look at an interesting option in our basic shooting technique.

We know that there is an exposure pyramid involving Film/ISO speed, Aperture, and Exposure. Each can be manipulated to achieve our desired results. We've had the "Aperture Priority" and "Shutter Priority" automatic modes for decades. But what about the third leg of the pyramid? Most of our cameras have an AUTO ISO mode in addition to the traditional AUTO modes. Choosing that options opens an interesting artistic option ... using the M (manual) mode we can choose our shutter speed/aperture combo for the shot we want to produce and the electronics take care of getting the proper exposure by setting the appropriate ISO speed (don't think this will work with film ).

I've tried this several times and found it an interesting tool. One area where it was perfect was shooting our son's water polo games. I'd set the aperture to f5.6, the shutter speed to 1/500 or 1/750, and fire away.
View attachment 1637392
(Our son is number 9 here ...)

I thought it'd be fun to give this a try for a week and see what you think.

I must say, other than these sports shots, I rarely use this as my brain still harkens back to my film roots. But, with the superior ISO performance built in to our cameras, perhaps I need to try this more often. Let's try and see what happens!!

Ken

Hi Ken,
I've never tried Auto-ISO before.
You've got agreat idea doing this CS and I'll try it.

Kind regards
Klaus

JustEd · May 2, 2019

Not sure I understand. Usually use auto iso then aperture priority. That sets shutter and if need be boosts the iso off of base. Does this shoot want full manual aperture and shutter and make the auto iso get off the base setting?

Allan · May 2, 2019

JustEd said:
Not sure I understand. Usually use auto iso then aperture priority. That sets shutter and if need be boosts the iso off of base. Does this shoot want full manual aperture and shutter and make the auto iso get off the base setting?

I shoot auto iso in manual. I set aperture and ss. Camera sets ISO. Settings in camera control MAX ISO you want to have set.

F15Todd · May 2, 2019

95% of the time I'm shooting in manual mode. If I'm shooting basketball in the gym, the lighting will stay the same and I will set the ISO myself. If like above where I'll be switching from fast action in both direct sunlight and then shade I will use auto-ISO, but I'm still manually adjusting both shutter speed and aperture.

Minuteman3 · May 2, 2019

JustEd said:
Not sure I understand. Usually use auto iso then aperture priority. That sets shutter and if need be boosts the iso off of base. Does this shoot want full manual aperture and shutter and make the auto iso get off the base setting?

The idea would be to set the ISO to Auto, then shoot manually (M mode) to set the aperture/shutter to meet your desires. For example, if you want to blur motion, you might set the shutter to 1/10, the aperture to f8, then fire away. Or if it’s sunny, maybe set the aperture to f22. Etc.

Obviously we’ll need to stay within the camera’s range but I’m thinking this will be a different kind of challenge.

Ken

Butlerkid · May 2, 2019

And remember, if you shoot in manual mode and use Auto ISO, you can STILL use exposure compensation to fine tune exposure in tricky situations! For me, that is a real benefit! It still pays to check the histogram periodically.

hotrod4x5 · May 2, 2019

I don't shoot sports, but it seems to me the light doesn't change during the course of, say a one or even two hour game, does it? Assuming there's no clouds, of course.

So this begs the question, wouldn't you find the correct exposure for the light and then lock all settings? Most of us know that the meter does make mistakes from time to time depending on subject, so it makes sense to me. But again, I don't really shoot sports.

Butlerkid · May 2, 2019

hotrod4x5 said:
I don't shoot sports, but it seems to me the light doesn't change during the course of, say a one or even two hour game, does it? Assuming there's no clouds, of course.

So this begs the question, wouldn't you find the correct exposure for the light and then lock all settings? Most of us know that the meter does make mistakes from time to time depending on subject, so it makes sense to me. But again, I don't really shoot sports.

Using manual and auto ISO, the ISO won't change if the conditions don't change. BUT - if the conditions do change, Auto ISO adapts almost instantly! See the examples in Post #5. Deep shadows in the dug out.....bright light on the field. Also, photographing wildlife the conditions can vary quickly.....tracking a bird in shadows and then it takes flight against a bright sky. Or an animal at the edge of the forest in shadow, who then trots across an open field.

Auto ISO is not for ALL situations. For interiors and landscapes I shoot the lowest possible ISO and aperture priority because a slow shutter is generally not an issue. Same with landscapes. A slow shutter only becomes an issue if there is movement due to wind or ??

F15Todd · May 2, 2019

hotrod4x5 said:
I don't shoot sports, but it seems to me the light doesn't change during the course of, say a one or even two hour game, does it? Assuming there's no clouds, of course.

So this begs the question, wouldn't you find the correct exposure for the light and then lock all settings? Most of us know that the meter does make mistakes from time to time depending on subject, so it makes sense to me. But again, I don't really shoot sports.

If I was shooting a game outside for the paper, I would move around the stadium, but still be under the same light. In that case I most likely would not use auto-iso. The light will change, but there are enough breaks in the action that I can manual adjust the ISO. But for the job above I was in and out of the dugout, a very big change from the bright sun. So in this case I used auto-iso. I would still adjust my shutter speed but it allows for a fast change to still be able to capture on field action and player reaction in the dugout.

Minuteman3 · May 4, 2019

F15Todd said:
With the improved ISO capabilities of the current generation of cameras I have become a huge fan of auto-ISO when shooting sports in mixed light. I was contracted to cover Brenau University playing in the championship game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference softball tournament. Unlike shooting for the paper, Brenau wanted more player reaction shots. So I knew I would be going from inside the dugout (shade) to outside (sun) for field action, and often shooting from outside into the dugout and from the dugout to the field.

To me, the quick change from a subject in dark to bright to dark is the time to rock auto-ISO. Here are a couple shot with either the D500 or the Z6. The ISO ranges from 100 up to 3200. I still adjust shutter speed and aperture throughout the game.
...

Great series, and I agree that this combo works very well for sports ... but how about other subjects?

Butlerkid · May 4, 2019

Minuteman3 said:
Great series, and I agree that this combo works very well for sports ... but how about other subjects?

It's the only way I shoot birds/wildlife.

Minuteman3 · May 4, 2019

So, here's a couple, non-sports, situations.

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Pretty standard landscape shot. But, I wanted to get the sign clearly, freeze the speeding cars, and get the bridge in focus. The only way to do this, was to shoot at a high shutter speed, and relatively small aperture. So, in this situation I didn't need to worry about the ISO, I just set the shutter/aperture combo I though would work best and shot away.

Another series where this shooting option helped was some flowers in our front yard. A bit tricky as I didn't want to setup a tripod, so the shots would be hand held and there was a tiny breeze that occasionally made the flowers move a touch. Plus, I was using the lense's "Macro" mode which makes for a very shallow plane to set the focus (something I must say impresses me about this particular lens EF 24-70, f4).

I shot these two pretty much back-to-back, but there were changing conditions so the camera adjusted the ISO to compensate without me having to recompose or worry about the exposure.

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And, for this one, I still had to deal with the occasional breeze and being handheld, but I wanted to increase the depth-of-field so again, the camera compensated for me.

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Although I am not proposing this should become our new norm when shooting, I do think as a technique, there are some situations (even non-sports/action) where it can be very helpful.

Ken

Terri French · May 4, 2019

Yesterday I was shooting at our local zoo. As I entered the petting zoo, I set my shutter speed to 1/800 to try to stop blur from movement of the animals and kids, left my aperture as open as I could get it on a variable aperture lens and had the camera on Auto ISO. It worked great. I moved from full sun, to shade, to partial shade and the Auto ISO worked super well. You can see the change in aperture (due to the lens being variable), and the changes in ISO in the following photos.

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acnomad · May 4, 2019

Minuteman3 said:
Let's try and see what happens!!

F15Todd said:
So I knew I would be going from inside the dugout (shade) to outside (sun) for field action

This is a very timely CS for me. I've long been a fan of shooting Manual and Auto ISO for sports. Another cafe member, @cdnpilot was kind enough to offer a suggestion that I instead try Aperture priority with auto ISO for a local ice show. After some discussion, it started to seem worth a try - and it indeed proved useful for this situation. Unlike other indoor sports (including figure skating competitions) where ambient house lights light the venue very evenly, houselights are reduced in favor of spotlights. These can occasionally be so bright that base ISO is not low enough. If both aperture and SS are fixed in this situation, you can get a lot of overexposed shots. Here are some representative samples from today:

First five from the Z6, last five from the D500 (cropped and exposure corrections applied as noted; no sharpening or NR):

1. Heavily cropped, otherwise SOOC. (Highest ISO shot of the set)