newbie question regarding auto ISO

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newbie question regarding auto ISO

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D7000

sjbgarden

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Ok, you have all been great helping me in the past- now I need a refresher if you would be so kind. I shoot the High School Baseball team (for fun, not profit) and had some question. During the last game I shot in a variety of modes, settling on aperture and shutter mode most. I love the shots, with one exception. I had changed the iso to auto because the day light was changing so rapidly. When I review shots, the light changed so drastically from one photo to another in a series of shots (7 shots of one play). Here are two photos shot milliseconds from one another.

http://s994.photobucket.com/albums/af66/sjbgarden/Nikon%20photos/

I am shooting a game today and it is overcast so I wanted to learn what not to do (isn't that how we all learn from time to time)?

Thanks sjb

Posted 2 years ago #
warprints

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Interesting how the camera decided to do two different exposures so close together on essentially the same scene. I don't use Auto ISO, so I can't really address what it's doing in your photos. I'm sure there is someone on the forum that can help. I don't use Auto ISO because I really don't like giving up that much control to the camera -- I know, I'm old school from the days you hade to actually use a light meter and set everything.

Posted 2 years ago #
Correlli

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I had the same problem in situations where the light did not change, but the distribution of brightness in the image did (e.g. someone with a bright shirt entering the field of view). Matrix metering is comparing the distribution of brightness in the image against a database to correct exposure. So someone raising an arm might actually change the exposure time.

If it is overcast and the light does not change fast (like if the sun suddenly breaks through) I would recommend to use manual mode. Get a good exposure time / aperture combination (e.g. in Program- or Aperture Priority mode) and use this over a longer period of time. Check frequently if the combination still produces good results. This way the brightness of your images will not change from one shot in a series to another. Again: this will work only if the conditions are not changing very fast!

I would also recommend to use a fixed white balance instead of the Auto mode. Use one of the presets (like for overcast sky) or do a manual one.

If you don't mind some post processing I would also recommend to use RAW or RAW & JPEG instead of JPEG only. This will give you a little more flexibility in correcting exposure and white balance.

EDIT: if you use manual mode with a fixed exposure time and aperture you also don't need Auto ISO. But you might want to increase ISO manually if it gets too dark for a fast exposure...

Posted 2 years ago #
rbid

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+1 with warprints.

As far I know, there is no real need for Auto ISO. If you are shoting with good light, you don't need it.

With my D7K, I has some shots using Auto mode, and even that the flash was triggered on an inside home event, the camera decided to go up to a higher ISO and the photos came out with some grain.. Since then, I have limited Auto ISO to 800.

Posted 2 years ago #
TaoTeJared

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Here is the opposite voice than everyone here so far.

I shoot Auto ISO 99.999% of the time. I find it works very, very well as long as you set it right each time you go out. What you posted in the photos does happen with Auto ISO and Matrix metering. Mostly it also happens in S and sometimes P mode in my experience and always with Matrix Metering. Using full AF also can change the exposure "spot" in my experience as well. With that said, I do see it a lot and just have learned to live with it.

Auto ISO can be tricky to get used to. If you set it up for your needs every outing it works great! You just have to make sure to do it every time. The keys are to set your high iso and SHUTTER SPEED.

This is what works for me in the situating you described:
Shooing mode: A (90%) or S if subjects are not being frozen
Meter: center (50%) or spot (changing lighting conditions)
Auto ISO:
Outdoors: High 400, Shutter = 1 selection under focal length
Indoors: High 1000, Shutter = 1 selection over focal
Everyday (fam/friends): High 3200, Shutter = 60
WB: Custom (I use expo disk always)
AF: Selective with AF lock on continuous. I rarely us auto.

I'm not on the Raw bandwagon since I shoot a lot of things like you. I just don't find a reason too - take more to edit, eats up more HD space especially when you fire off 100's of shot when you are not getting paid. Jpegs are more than fine for playing around. I do find setting a custom WB is a key for more correct exposures and better images.

With everything said above, I spend less than 1 minute per image editing.

Posted 2 years ago #
rbid

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@TaoTeJared: Thanks for the tips. I guess I need to get an expo disk... (Added to my wishlist).

How do you configure the High ISO limits (without going all the time to the menu) I guess you may use U1 or U2 settings?

Best Regards

--- Ricky

Posted 2 years ago #
tcole1983

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Personally I shoot A-mode 95% of the time and leave my ISO at 200. If I can't get a good shot changing the aperture then I mess with the ISO, but only as a last ditch effort. Why give the camera the option to degrade the photo quality when some other efforts could be made to not have to do that?

In cloudy time for me I would shoot A-mode wide open and if you see the shutter speed isn't going to be at least 1/100 or faster then up the ISO...it is something you could take test shots before the action or just hold up the camera and see. I would rather let the camera adjust the shutter speed than my ISO. That is just me though...might not work for everyone.

Posted 2 years ago #
SkintBrit

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TaoTeJared said:
I shoot Auto ISO 99.999% of the time. I find it works very, very well as long as you set it right each time you go out.

+1! Just because you use auto iso doesn't mean that you relinquish iso control. You just have to set it's parameters. I usually set the lower at 200 and the higher at the cameras highest "native" setting. This stops it using the "Hi" settings without asking first. If the shoot you are on demands a lower iso, just set the upper ceiling lower. I'm not one of those people who thinks setting your camera at anything other than full manual is amateurish, in just the same way that I don't disable the ABS & satnav in my car. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with using all the aids that come with a modern camera, just remember to let it know who's boss!

Posted 2 years ago #
NSXType-R

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Yes, I believe right now I control ISO, but for some situations, like car shows, I leave ISO on auto from 200 to 800 on my D40. If I were to keep changing ISO a lot, I'd forget about it and leave it at 800 for a well lit situation.

Posted 2 years ago #
casperwb

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sjbgarden

what camera are you using, and what is your prefered lens for shooting the games ?

Posted 2 years ago #
Correlli

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SkintBrit said:
I'm not one of those people who thinks setting your camera at anything other than full manual is amateurish, in just the same way that I don't disable the ABS & satnav in my car. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with using all the aids that come with a modern camera, just remember to let it know who's boss!

As I was the one who suggested manual settings I consider this pointed at me :)

So let me set some things straight:
- I absolutely agree with using all the aids of a modern camera - and using manual controls is one of them
- Most of the time I shoot in A mode (I can't use P or S because unfortunately I don't yet own any AF lenses), but I sometimes had the same issue as the OP (changing image brightness without any obvious reasons) and using M mode did help me in these situations.
- As for WB I currently use a fixed one (daylight - this simulates slide film for me). I shoot RAW so I tell myself that I can always adjust it later - which most of the time I don't :) I decided this for me because I did have some funny results using Auto WB. Using something like the expo disk sounds like a good option.

So please don't think that I consider using non-manual controls as amateurish, especially because I don't consider myself as being professional (no matter how you define professional).

@ sjbgarden: from your post I assume that by now you already did shoot the game. How did it go and what did you try there?

Posted 2 years ago #
JorPet

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I am in the same camp as TauTeJared. I use what the camera brings to make my life easier.

I tend to shoot skiers, but this would be the same idea. Set the aperture to what you want (say f8) and the shutter speed you want (say 1/1000). Then set to ISO to auto with an lower limit of 200 and an upper limit of 800 (or higher if you need more light). Then let the camera adjust the ISO depending on the shot.

This is particularly useful when outdoors shooting sports where you want a specific DOF and stop action shutter speed, but the light keeps changing due to clouds, etc. I simply adjust the shutter speed or aperture depending on the situation if the ISO hits my upper boundary and there still isn't enough light.

Posted 2 years ago #
TaoTeJared

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rbid said:
How do you configure the High ISO limits (without going all the time to the menu) I guess you may use U1 or U2 settings?

I don't have U1 or U2 options but something similar. I shoot a D300 and I'm not sure if all the saved menu items are available on lower models.

I have the Auto ISO as the first setting in the "My Menu" option. So changes are just one button and two toggles away. That is my first setting.
I also have 4 settings in my "menu shooting bank" (not sure it lower cameras has this) for (my own names and settings) "Basic", "People", "Super Vivid", & "B&W". Each of these are tweaked for Sharpness, contrast, color and hue. Within these settings it saves the settings for Auto ISO. By selecting any of these, selects the last used settings. (You can guess what happens but that is why the Auto ISO is the first item on the My Menu.)

For example, for my "people" setting I set the ISO to 1600 and shutter to 1/80 since I use a 50mm, 85mm, 105mm VR, or my 70-200mmVR 90% of the time. Sharpness means more than noise. For my "Vivid" setting, I have the Auto iso turned off and set to 200 since this is what I shoot landscapes on a tripod with. B&W - 3200 iso, 1/60 shutter (with yellow orange filter :)- for friends in low light.

@Correlli - I shoot the same way when lighting is difficult or when I have time to change settings. I still shoot Film with a range-finder and FE2 for fun and that is how you shoot since there is no other choice. Nothing wrong with it at all.

For all - I have commented many times how I love and never leave home without my Expodisk. If you shoot JPEGs it makes a ton of difference and give me more latitude in post. The other option I have recently pick up was a Promaster 'lens cap' white balance. I lost a lens cap and got this for a couple of bucks more. I have tried a few of these and all were disappointing but the Promaster has proven to be ok/good enough for non paid photos. While it is not as good as the Expo, it is good enough for friends and family. I keep one one my 35mm 1.8 and 50mm 1.4G.

Posted 2 years ago #
SkintBrit

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Correlli said:
As I was the one who suggested manual settings I consider this pointed at me :)

Oops! No Correlli, nothing to do with you, I didn't get that impression in your earlier post, purely my thoughts. I hope I don't have a reputation of surreptitiously having a pop at members of the forum? If for some reason I did feel strongly enough about a posting from another member, rest assured I would always give them the common curtesy of being named :-). Sorry for any confusion or offence.

Posted 2 years ago #
rbid

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@TaoTeJared: Thanks. I guess that the D7K has only two custom settings you can save them as U1 and U2, once saved, you just turn the upper dial to the correct one and start shooting...(with the camera). I guess I'm gaining a lust for a Expodisk :)

Posted 2 years ago #
casperwb

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on the D7000, ISO adjustment is as ease as pie, quote page 101 of the manual:

"ISO sensitivity can be adjusted by pressing the ISO button and rotating the main command dial until the desired setting is displayed in the control panel or viewfinder."

Guys, it cannot get eaiser than this, press and hold the second to last button to the left of the monitor, rotate the dial that lines up with your right thumb, look in the viewfinder or the lcd on the top of the camera, and set the ISO you want to use.

no need to go digging around in menus or setting up this or that.

Nikon made life simple with the D7000.

go get one, I recommend Nikon, nothing else.

Posted 2 years ago #
heartyfisher

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casperwb said:
"ISO sensitivity can be adjusted by pressing the ISO button and rotating the main command dial until the desired setting is displayed in the control panel or viewfinder."

Guys, it cannot get eaiser than this,

Oh yes it can..!! I was digging around the menus and found a little gem. You can set the ISO to be displayed instead of the number of frames left and also adjust it with the main command dial !! the ISO will be displayed on the LCD, in the Viewfinder and on the back monitor. Mine is set like that now! If you want to see the number of frames left turn off the camera and that will show as it usually does! ... yup love my D7000!

Posted 2 years ago #
TaoTeJared

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rbid said:
@TaoTeJared: Thanks. I guess that the D7K has only two custom settings you can save them as U1 and U2, once saved, you just turn the upper dial to the correct one and start shooting...(with the camera). I guess I'm gaining a lust for a Expodisk :)

The big thing to test or check out is if they save your Auto ISO settings. Otherwise if the D7000 has and is able to put this menu item in the "my Menu" section that is what I would do.

Expodisks and some other custom WB tools are great. They are not a solve all, but they sure can save a ton of time and save many unusable images. Much easier with batch global changes as well.

Posted 2 years ago #

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newbie question regarding auto ISO

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