Auto ISO is one of those features that I ignored for a long time, considering it nothing more than a gimmick. Until recently, I decided to give auto ISO a try, and I quickly realized that I was missing out on a valuable and practical feature.
Auto ISO interpretation
As the name suggests, in auto ISO mode, the camera selects the correct ISO value for the scene being measured. Initially, the idea of having my camera choose an ISO value seemed not only silly to me, but also a really bad idea, as I was afraid of getting grainy images if the camera chose too much ISO. high. I’m also firm with the mentality of a film buff, as I grew up in an era where the use of ISO 800 film was pushing grain boundaries and was often only used as a last resort. Obviously, the world changed a long time ago, but as many of us know, old habits are hard to die for, especially for us photographers!
The beauty of using automatic ISO is in the ability to customize. Not only does the camera choose any appropriate ISO for your exposure, but it also gives you a number of other options to make sure you don’t experience extremely grainy or blurry photos. In this article and video, I explain how these features work when using a Canon EOS camera, but the basics should work with any camera with auto ISO, although the extent is up to you. Adjustment will vary by brand.
Automotive strip
Once you’ve set your camera to auto ISO, you can tell the camera the lowest and highest ISO it’s allowed to use using the “Auto Range” menu. At first I thought of the auto range as limiting the high ISO, leaving the low ISO at 100 and setting the high limit at around 3200, which I feel is the grainiest I’d like to see in my images. I quickly realized that this is not the best way to use this feature and now let’s tweak it a bit more based on specific shooting conditions and not just on acceptable grain levels.
For example, let’s say you’re shooting portraits of sports, children, or any subject that moves a lot, outside on a bright sunny day. In this situation, the minimum ISO level is just as important as the maximum, because in general, you don’t want the camera to use ISO 100 for any moving subjects, even outdoors on a bright day. It is much more practical to set the minimum ISO to 400 in this situation, as you want the camera to choose the fastest possible shutter speed if you are shooting in auto or aperture priority and the difference between 100 and 400 for most applications is negligible. For example, if the camera chooses a slower shutter speed because you let the camera decide the ISO automatically to 100, the image may be blurred. As another example, if you know you’ll be in a dark room where ISO 100, 400, or even 800 won’t be able to cut it, make sure your low auto ISO range reflects that. In general, my recommendation is to keep the low and high ISO ranges closer instead of far away for best results.
This all seems obvious, but it took me a while for it to sink in, probably because I came from a time when we tried our best to use the lowest ISO possible at all times. . Today, I don’t think that applies anywhere as strictly as it used to, and I would even shoot at ISO 400 or 800 in my studio if the situation required it.
Minimum shutter speed
With the Canon EOS body, you can also select the camera automatically or manually select the minimum shutter speed it will use when you shoot in aperture priority or program modes. When set to manual mode, you can tell the camera that the slowest shutter speed you want to use is 1/500 second. This is another customizable safety measure that helps ensure sharp photos and that the camera won’t use anything lower than what you shoot.
However, the Minimum Shutter Speed Auto setting is much more interesting. With this setting, the minimum shutter speed is set automatically, but it is based on the focal length of the lens you are using. By adjusting the menu slider, you can tell the camera to use a shutter speed faster or slower than the focal length of the attached lens. This way, for example, if you are using a 200mm lens, the camera will not use shutter speeds lower than 1/200 s in default mode. By sliding the auto setting to “faster,” you can force the camera to use a faster shutter speed in one-stop increments, up to three stops. By choosing slower, the opposite is done. This, in my opinion, makes auto ISO a very practical and versatile feature, even for a mostly manual shooter like me.
Auto ISO and Aperture Priority: A Great Combination
By far the most common way I use auto ISO is when shooting in aperture priority mode. In this mode, the camera chooses the shutter speed and ISO, and I simply dial in the aperture I want. As a portrait photographer, choosing a wide aperture is almost always my main concern, and with two young children, I find this to be one of my favorite ways to shoot. I like not having to worry about the camera choosing a shutter speed too slow for fast-moving kids, or setting the ISO too high, my photos being too grainy. By dialing in my auto ISO settings, I was able to maintain creative control in situations where I didn’t have much time to fiddle with the settings, in other words, any situation. Do have children to participate! I find myself using Aauto ISO with aperture priority more and more as I leave the studio and work in natural light, whether it’s capturing a few moments of the kids or a concert in the middle of nowhere. a dimly lit location.
Exposure compensation
The final benefit of using auto ISO is that you can still dial in exposure compensation and fine-tune your image. I often like to intentionally over or underexpose photos to create certain effects, which is why I usually shoot in manual mode. However, as with my other misconceptions about auto ISO, I initially thought it would cancel exposure compensation, and this is not the case. This adds to the flexibility of auto ISO even more, as I’m still maintaining good creative control. And, I often find myself changing ISO quickly while shooting, especially if the lighting situation changes quickly, so Auto ISO is an extremely practical tool that can save you a lot of time. .
Try it!
Auto ISO, like any other feature in modern cameras, is something that should be tested. It’s not for everyone, but I think many photographers might overlook this valuable feature because it’s not for them. I know I did, and I’m glad I finally tried it, as I added a valuable tool to my photography toolbox.
