Bird Photography Shooting Modes Explained - Auto ISO or Manual, Does It Really Matter for Wildlife?

[@danielstockel699]

I know this is an old video but I’m a lifelong photographer trying to get back into wildlife photography and your content is amazingly helpful, I love your humble and supportive attitude. Thank you, Duade!

[@Duade]

Awesome, thank you!

[@loriinaustin3891]

OMG I've been watching so many videos and reading so much to grasp these concepts and their interplay and it wasn't until I watched this video that it finally all came together for me. THANK YOU!

[@Duade]

Hi Lori, great to hear, thanks for the comment. Cheers, Duade

[@raylander6329]

I am on youtube for years but I do not think I found something as good as your channel yet. You explain everything extremely well, and all makes sense. Thank you, sir, much appreciated

[@Duade]

G'day Ray, you are too kind, thanks for the feedback. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@TVzenrobot]

Duade, loved your blooper reel at the end. You put together incredibly well-shot and spoken content. Thank you so much for what you do.

[@paulsicurello2333]

I am very Impressed with your knowledge and how you articulate. They have so much great information, thank you for your time and passion that you put into you videos.

[@Duade]

Paul, it is my pleasure, I am glad they helped, Cheers, Duade

[@RAILFANinSOUTHAFRICA]

Thank you Duade, for a great presentation - for me your table for Scene Brightness was especially useful as a starter to work out wildlife shoot settings for my Sony A7RM4. I am a Sony's Auto ISO min SS feature fan, so I have set up Memory Recall 1,2,3 settings corresponding to Bright, Medium and Dark available light conditions.

[@drpradeepgcm4009]

This is one of the best videos I have seen on different modes. You make things sound so simple and your explanations are so very crisp and clear . Thanks so much

[@Duade]

G'day Pradeep, it is my pleasure, thanks for the feedback, Cheers, Duade

[@scrptwic]

I am a landscape photographer so I normally use Apature Priority mode. For birds in flight I use Manuel with auto ISO. Another consideration is how sharp the lens is my old Tamron 75-300 does not get sharp until F-11. I use expanded center focus point for focus continuous focus for birds in flight I use shutter speed 2000 at F-8 if dark F-5.6 and drop my shutter speed to 500 or lower. I should upgrade my zoom with a new faster longer zoom or fixed prime lens

[@Duade]

Thanks for your detailed comment, it sounds like you have found the right settings that work for you. The 100-500 sounds like a great lens, maybe a touch expensive being the only concern. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@forsterl.stewart414]

Manual mode and spot metering work very well for everything I shoot... Wildlife, Architecture and Landscapes. Evaluative metering is good for a percentage of everyday personal shooting, but there are limitations. In aperture value mode, you choose the Fstop and the camera automatically selects the shutter speed. Exposure compensation adjustments are made with the command dial on the back of Canon cameras to make the image lighter or darker than suggested by the camera. On the other hand an overcast day with flat lighting evaluative metering works fine, sometimes with little to no compensation required. This is a very reliable and efficient mode in many cases, but when your subjects are moving around or there is a lot of tonal values, significant exposure errors can occur. Incorrect exposures in AUTO modes occur when your subject moves in front of backgrounds of varying lightness or darkness. The camera will vary the exposure depending on the background, and this can lead to exposures way off the mark. For example, using evaluative metering, a bird on the ground may be exposed perfectly in its surroundings, however, when that same bird suddenly flies into the sky, it may be rendered nearly a silhouette, because the bright sky fools the metering system into underexposure. We must be a bit smarter in these situations. Even zooming your lens can change the exposure, even when the light is not changing. By using exposure lock * hold when using any automatic camera modes or shooting manually and spot metering is two useful camera settings to control your exposure. Lets say you have a dark bison standing in a grassy meadow and you have a zoom lens on your camera. At the wider setting the dark toned bison is a relatively small percentage of the scene and evaluative metering may be right on, however if you zoom way in on just the bison, now the camera is seeing a completely different scene, and metering very differently. Now the bison is big in the frame, the meter reads a lot of dark tones from the bison, and gets fooled into overexposing the bison. The light did not change as I zoomed, but the in camera meter read the exposure differently as the zoom added or subtracted tonal values. To avoid these potential pitfalls, use manual mode in conjunction with the in camera spot meter. In manual mode you must set the aperture and the desired shutter speed for correct exposure at your chosen i.s.o.. The great benefit is that once exposure is set correctly using your RGB histogram, it can’t move until you tell the camera to do so. It’s so simple, but the benefits are huge.

[@Duade]

Forster, thank you very much for your detailed response, it is very helpful for those starting out. Live exposure simulation in EVF has made it a lot easier also to ensure you have accurate exposure, it is hard going back to a OVF once you are used to an EVF. Cheers, Duade

[@forsterl.stewart414]

@@Duade Digital photography has changed the coarse for today's photographers. I first started out fresh out of high school photographing rock venues for sunshine promotions and met many a rock band. From there into commercial and architecture.that was 1977 into the 80s. My first camera was manual only with no built in metering system. Until 1980 I bough my first handheld incident meter and medium format 6 x7. And a Canon 35mm AT-1 again a total manual except it had a built in meter. Decades of shooting anything that moved me, has giving me practice and insight and now with digital it's great to be alive and thank God I'm still enjoying photography. For the love of photography keep you eye up to the viewfinder and God bless.

[@joanneabramson2645]

I am shooting Manual with Auto ISO, but I had set my maximum ISO on the lower side. After watching this video I will increase the maximum ISO and follow your suggestions. Thanks.

[@Duade]

Good luck Joanne, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@usernamemykel]

Duade, I've been doing some extensive searching for how to QUICKLY access exposure comp. on my Canon 7D Mark II and ONLY YOU have shown the steps. THANK YOU!!!!!

[@janepalmer1372]

Great video! I often use manual + Auto ISO if light is changing and action is quick. I was at a birds in flight workshop and the instructor insisted that this method was flawed! He implied that aperture priority was fine, but why in the world would anyone use Auto ISO. I started to explain my rationale, but realized I was the only girl in a group of birding boys, so I kept my mouth shut and got some wonderful shots!! LOL. To me, if you are going to use semi-auto mode, then manual/Auto ISO is the ONLY way to go!!! I tend to shoot manual and check for blinkies in even light, then switch to Auto ISO if light is changing (like on cloudy day.) Thanks for the great video!! Keep 'em coming!

[@Duade]

G'day Jane, thank you for your detailed comment, as I mentioned in the video Aperture and SS are very important settings for wildlife and Auto ISO allows you to set these. Glad to hear you took some nice shots. Cheers, Duade

[@Cervin_Suisse]

Hello there, did the instructor care to explain why he thought it was flawed ? I'm personally and adept of ISO auto mode, however I do encounter issues using it. The ISO sometimes swings within a high range(200 to 900) whilst neither the subject, lighting or framing changed much(averaging, manual or A mode selected) This could be the flaw that person was referring to ? To date I only read one professional photographer mentioning that drawback. Unfortunately he didn't develop on it. It is so bad on my Nikon Z50 that I sent it in for repair already twice. Both times the manufacturer claimed having checked the light metering system and that it is working correctly. This always happens during a sequence of shots. The Z50 being and entry level camera I could conceive that the reactivity of the system could be limited in rapidly changing light conditions but it is not the case. Also I suspect that some cameras ponder, to some extend, the focus point in the exposure calculation. I never saw technical explanations on that either. Did you ever notice this phenomenon in your photography ? Sorry for the lengthy comment. Regards.

[@michaelmorris1865]

For wildlife I use manual + auto ISO limited to the level before the noise gets to be too much to be recovered safely in lightroom, then reduce my shutter speed if I hit that, use spot or matrix metering depending on conditions. For landscape it's way less shutter speed dependent save for our heavy wind but I'll typically use ISO 100-250 and use a tripod if it gets too slow center weighted metering. I shoot northern lights regularly so I'll set my aperture to f/2-2.8, ISO to 300-600, focus on a distant object and tape my focus ring down, start with an 8" exposure and go progressively faster usually end up shooting 1.4"-3" exposures depending on how fast they're dancing center weighted. Always use auto white balance unless I'm shooting RAW+JPEG, for events and the like I'll set custom with a gray card with raws I just set white balance in post.

[@Duade]

Thanks for sharing Michael, sounds like you have a system nailed down which is great. I don't think there is any right or wrong mode to use, the one that works is the best. Cheers, Duade

[@vimalneha]

You are not just a great photographer, but great human being. I gradually mastered manual mode but A mode is enough for 80% cases. 15-5 for shutter AND manual mode. Your video reinforces what i learn.

[@Duade]

G'day Vimal, thank you for your kind comment. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@MrRenoman2011]

Hi Great video I usually try and stay in manual mode. Its fun to play around with various options its the only way to learn the camera fully.

[@Duade]

Ronald, I agree, it is a great way to learn, I shoot in manual but used AV for years. Cheers, Duade

[@alansach8437]

FLV mode on Canon. Set the shutter speed and aperture and it acts like auto ISO. Then use exposure compensation as necessary.

[@bruceterrill8730]

Hi Duade. . .haha, the inclusion of the out takes is an excellent idea. You mention that an upcoming video will be on you taking us into the bush and physically adjusting your camera to the available elements, what a fantastic follow-up to this video. I'm cheeky enough to suggest that it should be the next video. I don't think that I have ever seen a Vlog where the presenter looks at the scene in front of them and actually describes their thought pattern for the adjustments required for that particular scene. . .what a wonderful idea. Bruce

[@Duade]

Thanks Bruce, trust me there could be a lot more in the outtakes section😀 I will definitely try and do the in the field video in the near future. I really want to do an exposure video first as I reference that all the time. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@scottheppel8847]

I use Manual when the light is consistent or in shooting birds in flight. When light is frequently changing, I normally use auto ISO.

[@Duade]

Thanks Scott, yes, in changing light auto ISO can be handy, Cheers, Duade

[@returntoharmony2727]

Thank you so so much! I am a beginner who loves nature and is fascinated by the birds. I purchased Canon R6 with RF 24-240 mm lens. I have been having a hard time figuring all the new settings to fiddle with. And your videos are absolutely the best - easy to understand, very personable and answers all of my questions! Big thumbs up to you and your channel.

[@Duade]

and thank you, you are too kind. I'm glad you are finding the videos helpful, good luck in your photography journey. Cheers, Duade

[@returntoharmony2727]

@@Duade looking forward to learning from you. I know my lens is not a bird lens but I still need to learn solid photography skills. Thank you for sharing your passion for birds and photography.

[@henrybrereton9554]

just discovered your website and it has been a big inspiration , i gave up bird photography because i was not getting the results and sold my gear but i have decided to go back to it and learn properly , i always wanted to run before i could walk , thanks once again and keep up the great work

[@Duade]

Henry, great to hear you are getting back into bird photography, it is very challenging that is for sure. I hope my videos help, Cheers, Duade

[@garygrasma559]

As an 'oldtimer' (used light meters in the '50's) I can really appreciate the detailed explanation of the variable settings on digital cameras. I feel that experimentation with the settings will be easier to accomplish now. Thanks for the video.

[@Duade]

G'day Gary, it is my pleasure, happy to help, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@leebott2787]

Duade i have recently been on a Deer Rut shoot, which was conducted in the most challenging light conditions I have shot in, early morning and rain. It was a stark reminder that one needs to know your camera and shooting principles. Whilst disappointed with the days results I came away and reflected, determined not to repeat the experience. Having read and revised my principles, I explored Google and your video shooting in low light came up. It is simply delivered in CLAP (army terms) "Clear Load as an Order with Pauses", with some lovely crib cards. I have found it most informative and certainly now have a much greater understanding of the grey art of ISO adjustment. I am now a fully paid up subscriber and look forward to viewing the rest of your videos and putting everything in to practice.

[@Duade]

G'day Lee, thank you so much for your comment and support, this message somehow ended up in spam and I missed it, so my apologies. I hope you enjoyed my other videos and got plenty from them. Thanks again for your support, Cheers, Duade

[@sumaiyasultana8933]

as a beginner ..this is the best video i have ever learned..

[@Duade]

thanks for the comment, glad to hear it helped, Cheers, Duade

[@todspencer3797]

Thanks for this video, I have always shot Aperture Priority but in the last couple of weeks I’ve been trying Manual. You have answered my biggest question in regards to if I should or should use auto ISO in manual, and I am guilty of setting the auto iso limit low thinking that would ensure low noise! I’ve been looking at the histogram but will use the metering as well now, that’s a great tip!

[@Duade]

G'day Tod, that is great to hear you found a few tips in the video. Good luck and have fun birding. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@wesb123]

I just learned the hard way that the max shudder speed even with ISO up to 6400 requires basically perfect light or you get a dark mess. Shooting Hummingbirds at the feeders hanging from the trees is what landed me here. What I’ve figured out is that for the frozen wing shots it’s not ever going to work without moving the feeders out into the sun. When I would go back to my normal settings all my pictures were sharp under the trees but the wings are just a blur. I had given up the other afternoon and shot in full A, the flash kept popping up which confused me a lot since A uses a slow shutter and high ISO. It finally dawned on me that even though the light looks really great to me but even midday in August it’s too little for the camera or lens in the shade. T7 with the Sigma 150-600

[@vonnyrotten]

Hey Duade, love your content. I was watching mostly to support you and I got a game-changing tip from you! I never knew that you could change the Exposure Comp with the Set button, that is so much better than using the back screen. Thanks so much!

[@Duade]

G'day, thanks for the support, yes, I agree, I don't use the back of the screen at all when in the field, apart for checking the histogram and using video. I'm glad you learnt something, Cheers, Duade

[@SkylarkFields]

Thank you so much for this - I finally managed to watch it all the way through without interruption! And it has been so, so helpful. You explain things slowly and clearly so that even I can understand and I now 'get' a whole lot more about using my camera and why my photos have been coming out too dark and noisy recently. Onwards to better photos!! Thank you again!

[@Duade]

G'day, great to hear you found the video helpful, I appreciate the feedback, Cheers, Duade

[@carolineminneci6317]

I love your videos. I am a commercial photographer and in studio more often than not. I started shooting wildlife and birds just last year . It is so vastly different than what I do in the studio I felt like I had to learn my camera all over again. While I have had some good results, I still have a ways to go but your videos are helping. I understand all that you are talking about, but putting it into action when I do not have control over the light and the subject positioning has been interesting and so much fun. In the studio I use only manual mode, and I would NEVER use auto ISO, but some photographer friends of mine suggested that I do that in the field. The results were awful. The noise in the photos was just too much. As I just watch this video I am going to go out this weekend and try again with the auto ISO using some of the techniques that you explained in the video. Can’t wait to try it out, thank you again!

[@Duade]

Caroline, that is fantastic you are getting into wildlife photography, I can sense your enthusiasm in your comment which is great. Yes light, pose and composition are a real challenge at times. I do find exposure is a little easier with mirrorless as your viewfinder tells you straight away if you are under or overexposed. Knowing what SS you can use can be a challenge to getting the best exposure and noise. Generally I try keep my SS above 1/400th if I can, if I'm shooting action like waterbirds then 1/1000th and BIF 1/2000th. Of course there are exceptions in dark forests etc. Good luck, Cheers, Duade

[@thebirdschannel2811]

I, personally shoot exclusively in manual mode. You are 100% correct that when shooting in this mode almost every single shot has to be adjusted, especially when i go with the floating-hide. Thank you very much for the tutorial

[@Duade]

Vasos, it is my pleasure, Cheers, Duade

[@rubenmontero4813]

Great video Duade. I started with manual mode and persevered, it took a while to get on top of it and now I’m pleased I hung on. One advantage of using full manual is that you really get to know your camera and it’s capabilities under all conditions and pushes you to ‘read’ a potential image. It is a mode that gives you greater flexibility. I occasionally use auto ISO if lighting conditions are stable (eg at the beach) but I’ve over/underexposed too many otherwise good shots to rely on it. Keep them coming I always pick up tips or they help to remind and reinforce technique

[@Duade]

G'day Ruben, thanks for your detailed comment, I totally agree, the key to a good photo is understanding the settings and making the most of the light. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@rmgwheelsspokeslab.7767]

I am a Manual+AUTO ISO user too. It was one of the first adjustments I did when purchased my D500 coming from a D90 which I ended using that way since discovered it. It´s amazing. Nikon has a metering mode called Spot with Highlight-Weighted which I strongly recommend for brilliant subjects like White Egrets. *Hey!, you forgot AUTO exp. mode. :) ;)

[@Duade]

Great to hear, Manual and Auto ISO is a great mode for wildlife. Cheers, Duade

[@dylannewton76]

Easily the most simple, direct and concise explanation of how to take good photos ive come across. Thanks Duade. As a beginner bird photographer this is exactly what i needed. So easy to understand and clear

[@Duade]

G'day Dylan, I'm glad you found it helpful, good luck on your birding journey. Cheers, Duade

[@dylannewton76]

Duade Paton thanks Duane. I’m a Conservation biologist so I’m hoping to use your tips for my research with quality photographs. Keep up the passion, photographs have a real part to play in species diversity

[@Duade]

@@dylannewton76 G'day Dylan, great to hear, yes images play a very important role. Many of my images have been used by Birdlife and other organisations which brings me a lot of joy to be helping in a small way. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@dance2jam]

Duade, thanks for your video. I'm a fan already after just watching two. Your explanations are straight forward, well thought out, concise and manage to side step some deeper issues that would be better served in another video (i.e. increasing ISO does not increase the sensors ability to capture light). Bravo. I have been shooting less than 3 years, but I understand start to finish. My most used setting with wildlife/birds are manual mode and auto ISO. I forced myself to start when I picked up the camera with manual mode so I'm comfortable there now. AUTO-ISO was something that I evolved to and get scolded for by other "pros". I understand the limits and benefits of all auto-modes and at the current time that's where I feel comfortable. I completely understand those that want to use the other auto-modes as well. What ever works and makes the job easier. I also find evaluative metering the most useful for wildlife under most conditions. So here's a suggestion for a future video and it's a bit deep for a beginner video. "Best Exposure for wildlife" The benefits of ETTR vs. ETTL vs Forget the histogram altogether. It might be helpful because of your easy to understand descriptions to outline why people suggest or use those different techniques - ETTR/ETTL and why other professionals never look at a histogram. The former (ETTR) argue to saturate the sensor so you have the most data to ultimately manipulate the data. The latter argue that photography is an art and expose the way you see the photograph, and don't worry what the histogram is telling you. These are different pros arguing about the right approach, and ultimately it's up to the photographer to decide what works best for them. That said, I thought you might just explain the advantage and disadvantage to each and what you use. I think exposing for the way you see the photo is easier with mirrorless, in a studio, and tethered or with relatively static subjects, but I'm so new I'm always open to learning from others. Your thoughts?

[@Duade]

G'day, thanks again for your insightful comments, yes exposure can be a tricky subject. I think AutoISO is the bet auto feature as SS and Aperture are pretty important to control. I also think newer cameras led by Sony sensors handle slighty underexposed images far better than my older Canon's. It would make for an interesting test to use different modes and see if there is any real world differences. At the end of the day like you say, however the photographer shoots is the right way for them. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@kittyinque]

This really tied up a lot of questions I had. And a lot of great tips. Thank you for the info in the tables too, very helpful!

[@Duade]

My pleasure, thanks for watching my videos, I appreciate it. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@farhatafza2739]

I always use APERTURE PRIORITY because like you I want to control depth of field in capturing birds and portraits.

[@Duade]

Hi Farhat, great to hear. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@ukfalc]

I shoot mainly BIF and use manual. Set the shutter speed for the speed of the bird, meter off the grass (evaluative metering) and then dial in aperture and ISO. I Almost always deliberately “underexpose” by at least 2/3 of a stop to avoid any risk of burning out highlights; because it gives more scope to dial in my desired settings (e.g. to bump up SS, decrease aperture for a little more DoF, or reduce ISO) and because IMO it often gives more atmospheric shots.

[@Duade]

G'day Ukfalc, thanks for sharing how you use your camera. sound like you have found a system which works well. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@tomdivittis2688]

I found that shooting all manual, ISO included, is MUCH simpler, though definitely takes more practice. Understanding when to use exposure compensation is way more abstract than learning to set ISO. For me, fully manual is a much simpler approach, once you’ve taken the time to get comfortable with choosing the ISO. Just relaying my experience, of course. Until I started shooting with manual ISO, the concept of exposure triangle wasn’t sinking through my thick skull, as the camera was constantly counteracting my changes, and just not letting me appreciate what now seems horribly obvious. I’m new to your channel, love it so far. Great info, and greatly appreciate your style of teaching.

[@Duade]

G'day Tom, I totally agree, thanks for your detailed comment. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@carolinemynott]

Totally agree Tom. I can't use anything but manual, I really dislike exposure compensation and also dislike having the camera guess at what it thinks I want to achieve.

[@Dreyno]

I usually use “Easy ISO” for wildlife. In aperture priority, some Nikon’s have the option of easy iso which means the rear dial is always operating iso without need to press a button. I just ride the iso dial up and down to get an appropriate shutter speed. But I’ve been meaning to give manual and auto iso a go. It makes sense really.

[@Duade]

G'day David, thanks for the comment, yes there are many ways to get a correct exposure, the key is to understanding what the changes are doing. Cheers, Duade

[@waynearchard6315]

Thank you for your videos> I really enjoy them. I've always shot in aperture priority mode but I think I'll try manual.

[@Duade]

G'day Wayne, good luck, Auto ISO is another option to try. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@CarolineOrdHume]

Excellent! I just discovered your channel. The charts are really really useful so thanks for those extras. Looking forward to watching your other videos now.

[@Duade]

Thanks Caroline, I am happy you found the channel, I hope you enjoy the other videos. Cheers, Duade

[@davidwall2264]

Great theoretical and practical information delivered at a pace which I can take on board. Looking forward to seeing your next video.

[@Duade]

G'day David, thanks for the feedback, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@francescomantero4212]

Compliments for your videos. On my Fuji xh2s I programmed four setups availeble directly on the presets. Three for birds (shutter priority manual and aperture all three with subject bird recognition) and one for animals (shutter priority with subject animal recognition) . My lens is not so fast, the max aperture at 600mm is f8 so I found not so convenient to use aperture priority, because at the shutter speed normally used for birds you have to use almost every time the max aperture. So after many attempts, for moving birds, I normally use shutter priority with auto iso

[@gdraper63]

Thanks Duade, enjoying your videos (and your photos) . I shoot full manual and only occasionally auto ISO. Just like having full control. Am used to adjusting settings on the fly and whist you may miss the occasion shot this way, I think its a better hit rate.........love the blooper real at the end....shows you’re human, keep up the good work !

[@Duade]

G'day Guy, thanks for the feedback, glad to hear you find manual works for you, I'm glad you enjoyed the outtakes, I often get tongue tied that is for sure. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@craigb8379]

Another cracking video - well thought out and presented extremely well. Nice to see in the outtakes that you are human and don’t get it right always the first time. From a technical or tutorial perspective, your style is one of the best I’ve seen on KZbin. Keep up the great work.

[@Duade]

G'day Craig, thank you very much for the kind feedback, I really appreciate the ongoing support. Yes, the outtakes were fun to include, I'm easily distracted by birds. Cheers, Duade

[@stans6582]

Hey Duade......the outtakes are great nice job explaining a difficult concept..........keep up the good work!!

[@Duade]

Thanks Stan, glad you liked them. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@ronaldojw2]

Thanks for the great explanation to all modes now need to try them

[@Duade]

Thanks Ron, good luck with it, Cheers, Duade

[@JJherne]

Really useful thanks. My camera (a Sony) doesn't allow Auto ISO in Manual mode, only in A or S modes, but I actually like that as it helps me get more experience working with the camera in all settings. That's not to say I won't use A or S modes (I do) but working with "full" manual helps with a complete understanding of how the settings all work together. Keep the videos coming, you're a great presenter.

[@Duade]

Thanks JJ, I totally agree, understanding how the three settings impact the photo will help take better photos. Great to hear you have been trying all the modes. Thanis for the info re Sony, I wasn't aware of that. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@JJherne]

@@Duade To be fair that might just be my particular Sony as it's a few years old now and the latest ones may have changed. Personally I like to set my Aperture to give me my depth of field, then balance my shutter speed and ISO depending on the light conditions to give me the detail and speed of shot I'm after relative to the subject's movement and background. You had another video recently with a "noise probability" chart which is incredibly useful as a reference point. Thanks and keep up the good work.

[@taichpaul]

Ha, and now with Canon's Fv mode on the R series. Once you get used to it or your head round it you just stay with it as it is all modes in one. I hardly ever come off it as it is very easy to set which priority you want to focus on first without changing modes and then quickly change every thing else from auto to manual. It is a very neat idea.

[@Duade]

G'day Paul, I have not seen that mode, but sounds like it is working for you. I always like to control the SS and Aperture so would let the camera choose the ISO if I were in an auto mode. Cheers, Duade

[@joncox8898]

Thank you so much for the incredibly detailed, yet easy to understand explanations that you do on your videos. I recently bought a used 7D as I am just getting into photography and thought for sure there was something wrong with it because I would look at the picture and it would blink. Now I know some of my photos have the "blinkies". I just recently started using manual with auto ISO and thought it was a no-brainer and this video confirmed that I can have confidence in using this method. Thank you once again and look forward to seeing many many more videos of yours. Your "mate from the state", Jon

[@Duade]

G'day Jon, congrats on the 7D, I took many wonderful images with that camera. Yes Auto ISO makes the most sense, just keep an eye on the ISO as you don't want it over 1600 if you can help it. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@timconn4280]

Hi Duade, I use manual with auto ISO. Just getting back into photography after 40 years. Back in those day it was all manual. But I do like the auto ISO. Great channel. Keep up the good work.

[@Duade]

G'day Tim, great to hear you are getting back into bird photography. I'm sure it has changed a lot in 40 years. Good luck, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@robertdavis1255]

Thanks for sharing another great video and comments... I still have problems with dark pics unless I am really close to subject... I have a D500 & constantly have to use the compensation button to increase exposure... Although only a hobbyist I still want to get it right...cheers..

[@Duade]

Good luck Robert, it takes time and practice and I still get it wrong all the time. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@Duade]

Thanks Robert, it takes time and practice however I still get it wrong all the time. 🙂

[@TimSherrillDakotaHoosier]

Wonderful explanation of the shooting modes. Bookmarking this one to send to others when they’re struggling.

[@Duade]

Thanks Tim, I really appreciate you sharing the video, ultimately I want to help other people enjoy wildlife photography as much as I do. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@AdeLud]

G’day Duade. Another really good video from you 👍 I’m a Nikon user & have evolved on to shooting in manual mode + auto ISO (set within a range I feel happy using on each of my camera bodies). I use matrix (evaluative?) metering. As you suggest, I have found this set up allows the camera to make a pretty good exposure in changing lighting conditions. However, it was really useful to see you often dial in +/- exposure compensation to override the cameras exposure calculations to make the image be exposed to be right. This is something I plan to experiment with a bit more. I’ve found increasing exposure and/or lifting shadows in post is a recipe for more noise. PS you get so many beautiful colourful birds over there in Oz compared to here in the UK. And their names are equally flamboyant. Love that Splendid fairy-wren! Stunning. Thanks for making this video & am looking forward to seeing your next on putting these settings into practice in the field. Cheers. Ade.

[@Duade]

G'day Ade, yes I love the names, especially Fairy Wrens, we have Splendid, Superb and Lovely to name a few. Yes you are correct re noise if the image is underexposed. Each camera system is different so be guided by the histogram. On Canon if the bird wasn't white I would often have + 2/3rds EC and with white birds sometimes -2/3rds. Just have a play around and see how it works. Just he careful not to leave it set to + EC when you photograph a white bird. 👍 Cheers, Duade 👍

[@BMSWEB]

Loved the bloopers at the end!!! Awesome content from a fellow Aussie 👍

[@Duade]

G'day, thanks for the comment, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@wouterknaepen6110]

This weekend I tried shutter speed priority on birds, because I wanted to push the shutter speed above 1/2000. I noticed the camera always chose the largest aperature, around f/5.6, so that wasn't ideal to get the complete bird and branch in focus. Then I tried aperature priority at f/8. The camera chose to always set my ISO at 100 and the shutterspeed was ridiculously low. So than I went manual with auto ISO, set f/8 and shutterspeed between 1/1250 - 1/4000. This was my ideal setting on a sunny day. I wouldn't dare to do the ISO manually though, mistakes were already made that way. This video wasn't much new for me, but helpful anyhow. A good sign I'm finally getting my shit together behind the camera ;) also thanks to your previous videos.

[@Duade]

Thanks for your comment Wouter, it is always good to try all the different modes to see which one works for you. Cheers, Duade

[@jpdj2715]

With Auto-ISO, as you are still depending on the camera's light meter software, you could set your camera to "expose for the highlights" (if available on yours). This prevents averaging with blown highlights. Helps to get better skies and white feathers. However, if only a couple photosites in the camera's sensor register peak amounts of light then that may drive exposure. Now your shots may look underexposed in Lightroom or C1. The way to deal with that, is to lower the white point in the tone curve (grab the top point of the curve and slide horizontally, keeping the function line straight, to the left to the point where information starts that is important to you.) You could also raise the black point in this graph on the opposite side of the function line. This remaps the raw data to the 0..255 values scale and you photo looks bright. From here corrections in the normal sliders work better. Note you have lost (a couple f-stops potentially of) dynamic range taking the extreme highlights into account. Depending on your camera's dynamic range and the quality of its noise (in shadows and blacks), this may prove a no-go for you. Or, just try it out.

[@Wildtotarda]

lol at the outtakes ! great video, just subscribed. I generally walk around handholding a 70-300mm lens, constantly changing the scene so I've found that M + auto ISO very convenient for my type of shooting.

[@Duade]

Thanks, yes, the Outtakes can be a bit of fun, great to hear you have found settings that work for you. Cheers, Duade

[@josephsworkshop75]

Hi Duade, thanks for the great video. I’ve shot aperture priority for the last 25 years. I’ve recently bought a Nikon z6 which has the auto iso feature. After watching this video I took a few thousand shots yesterday and today and am thrilled with the results of auto iso in manual. Thanks for the great pointer. It was mainly seagulls and the like just to try it out. Your videos are clear, concise and very rich in valuable content. Thanks for the great content. Best regards, Joseph

[@Duade]

G'day Joseph, thank you for your detailed comment, great to hear you found Auto ISO useful. Congrats on the new camera. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@iamtheoceanr]

I learned to shoot manual and manual plus ISO from the beginning, mostly because I didn't understand that ISO still had to be set in Shutter of Aperture priority modes. I wish someone would have explained it to me the way you did in this video about 8 years ago. I don't mind shooting manual, but there would have been plenty of situations where I could have used a little more help. Thank you for this video, too bad you didn't post it 8 years ago, lol.

[@Duade]

Thank you for the feedback I appreciate it, I'm glad you found it helpful. Cheers, Duade

[@ernreeders1487]

Thanks for the vid 👍 I would add that it helps to learn what the max iso is that you're happy with given the noise it produces. With one of my bodies and the noise reduction the editor can do, it's 2200, while with another it's 6400. Then just to make it more complicated there's the dynamic range the sensor can cope with and the implications of that for exposure. Have you noticed how many Aussie birds are black and white or near it, lol. And of course with mirrorless cameras you can expect to have the option of blinkies in the VF before you take the shot.

[@Duade]

G'day Ern, yes the camera body will dictate the max ISO for sure. On my old 7D I rarely went past 800 but will go to 6400 on my 5D4 if I have to. I'm sure the new cameras will be even better. Oh and yes we have a lot of pied birds. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@sueketteridge1939]

Such a clear explanation. Thank you!

[@Duade]

Sue, it is my pleasure, I am glad it helped, Cheers, Duade

[@amitabhasarkar1360]

Lot of information. Thanks. I use manual +auto iso.

[@Duade]

Thanks Amitabha, great to hear, it is the most popular mode for sure, Cheers, Duade

[@LaytonParham]

You always make the absolute best videos! Thank You!

[@Duade]

G'day Layton, thanks for the kind feedback. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@FQ8]

Been shooting in Manual-Auto ISO forever. But also with Center-weighted recently. Going back to Evaluative after seeing this...thanks!

[@Duade]

G'day Fernando, thanks for the comment, maybe try Evaluative, if it doesn't work then change back to Centre Weighted. It doesn't matter too much, you just need to check the histogram to see if the camera is getting the exposure right. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@Rajesh_Mohan_]

I recently stumbled across one of your videos while watching various other videos on wildlife photography and noticed you’re work that are amazing. You’ve definitely are a great wildlife photographer. I will be watching all of your videos and hopefully i can learn a lot from it. Kudos to your work. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@Duade]

G'day Rajesh, thank you for your kind comment, I am happy you found the channel. Take care, Duade

[@Rajesh_Mohan_]

Duade, I’d like some expert advise. Would you be kind enough to suggest me choose a lens for my Nikon camera? I’m an amateur and i have a D5500. My interest is on wildlife so I’ve got a Nikon 55-300mm lens which i like. But now i want a wide angle prime lens for nice bokeh in portraits and shoot wide landscapes too.. Is it wise to choose a f1.8 35mm lens or a 50mm?

[@Duade]

G'day Rajesh, a 50mm is a nice portrait lens but will struggle with landscapes, the 35 would be better for landscapes. I guess it comes down to what you will be shooting more, portraits or landscapes. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@GeneLake001]

Thanks Duade. Excellent teaching style. As usual great content and well explained. I was taught many years ago to use manual so that’s my ‘GoTo’ mode. Thank you for posting this.

[@Duade]

G'day Gene, thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. Manual can be daunting but like anything, the more you do it the easier it becomes. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@danielcartis9011]

Excellent video, will be sharing it with some of my newer photography friends. You explained the "why" and "how" extremely well for each mode. Manual + Auto ISO is fantastic for wildlife, particularly when learning the basics. Also loved the bloopers haha

[@Duade]

Thanks Daniel, yes Auto ISO is a great mode for sure. Cheers, Duade

[@troyfischer8808]

Thank you for simplifying what has always been a source of “fear” for me. I am ready to experiment.

[@sverreedin4229]

My Olympus have the possibility to show histogram directly in viewfinder - very useful! It's also possible to adapt front and rear wheel to change the setting you want very quickly. For wildlife I use M + auto iso.

[@Duade]

G'day Sverre, yes mirrorless has a huge advantage when it comes to getting the correct exposure. It is very hard to badly expose as the viewfinder is giving you immediate feedback. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@BrentTouchstone]

After 10 yrs of using auto ISO and dialing in shutter I'm trying to switch to manual. Think I just need practice. The problem I'm having is I'm mainly shooting bush birds, then a Heron or Eagle flies over head and I can't switch fast enough. Auto ISO I would have gotten the shot but something would be off in the auto exposure. I could use compensation, but then I'm back to I can't change it fast enough. Going from large mammals to birds is just all around hard, but I recently moved to New Mexico and there's way more opportunity for birds and way less for large mammals where I'm currently living.

[@Duade]

G'day, there is nothing wrong with using autoiso, if you are comfortable with that then that is likely the best mode for you. Just be aware of those conditions where the camera may get it wrong, bright sky, snow, bright bird dark background and use exposure compensation. Manual is much easier on mirrorless bodies then DSLRs also as we have a live exposure in the viewfinder. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@andrewmoore5539]

Great video. Love the others you produced. Can't wait for the next one. It made me realize that I should be using this time, where I'm stuck at home, to start trying out and practicing Manual mode. Keep up the great work. Regards from a transplanted Aussie in Toronto, Canada.

[@Duade]

G'day Andrew, yes a good time to try manual, one easy way is to put the camera into video mode with the live histogram, then just start changing the settings and see how the histogram scene changes. Hope you are well in North America in these crazy times. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@aarice69]

Looking forward to follow-on video. That'll be great demonstration of lessons from this one, which was excellent.

[@Duade]

Thanks Aaric, hopefully I will get it out within the month. Cheers, Duade

[@larupedeire]

Amazing video. All your series too. Thank from italy

[@Duade]

G'day, my pleasure, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@herethen]

Love your videos they are really well done. Im kinda new to all this and just started to pick this hobby up again.- On my Canon 90D paired with a Sigma 150-600C, Auto ISO is often way to bright because it favors a very high ISO very fast. I started with the auto white balance and set it on a mode for the scene (sunny, overcast, shadows etc) instead of leaving it on auto. That helped a lot. But taking my time and reading the camera reading information / histograms helped me finetune that even more. I like the manual mode the most although it can be very overwhelming. Although many of my images are still rubbish it helps me to understand what is happening and what the results are when I change settings myself. The good pictures will come later. First I need to learn the basics with this body I guess. Adapting settings on the fly when scenes changing out there (or in my case, birds flying away) it is very important for me to learn this. Your videos do help a lot 👏

[@Duade]

and thank you for your comment, it sounds like you are learning a lot which is very important without putting pressure on yourself to take amazing photos. Just know I still get my exposure wrong and I have been doing it for years. Good luck and have fun, Cheers, Duade

[@fanaichhanchhan3258]

Thank you Duade, I learn so much your video..

[@Duade]

That is great to hear, Cheers, Duade

[@johng5819]

Great video and I appreciate your in-depth explanation of the different settings. Most of my shots are in App Priority with a set ISO (usually around 200) but I always blow out white birds. Your video helped me properly address this problem. Thanks.

[@Duade]

G'day John, my pleasure, I'm glad you found the video helpful, Cheers, Duade

[@tvang2]

As usual very informative, clearly explained and well presented. I regularly learn something new from you to help improve my bird photography... thank you for taking the time and putting in the effort to create such outstanding presentations.

[@Duade]

G'day Tus, it is my pleasure, I am happy to hear you find them helpful. Cheers, Duade

[@anttimoilanen]

What I use most of time whooting birds is manual+auto ISO. But I have set the back dial that normally controls ISO to control exposure compensation so its very quick to change your exposure if you suddently have very dark or light background compared to your subject.

[@jimpool6096]

Very well done explanation on using auto ISO.

[@Duade]

Thanks Jim, I appreciate the feedback. Cheers, Duade

[@gumbysenduro6546]

Fantastic informative vid,very well laid out and easy too understand. I will quite often use shutter priority where i will choose a shutter speed to get the aperture i want say f8 and let the auto iso do the rest. Thanks to your reply on a another vid i now have my metering sorted and use evaluative metering rather then spot, :)

[@Duade]

G'day, great to hear, yes Auto ISO seems to work very well for wildlife. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@sic04250f]

Very thorough mate, excellent explanation. I'm still usually using aperture priority. Started photography using manual on tripod for Milkyway nightscapes.

[@Duade]

G'day and thanks for your comment. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@kathleeneveritt5340]

Great video I always use Manual mode with auto iso I’m in the UK so the light is very in and out ,I had a massive argument with a friend who insisted that you could not use Manual mode with auto iso on the 1dx m11 that I had just sold him (I moved to the r5) I will share this video with him lol

[@Duade]

Kathleen, great to hear Auto ISO is working well for you. I hope your friend was able to find it. Cheers, Duade

[@ashfield001]

Hahahaha. Loved the ending. Great Video, Daude. Big hello from Adelaide.

[@Duade]

G'day Simon, thanks for the feedback, I need to spend more time birding in SA, I have only been to Gluepot so far. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@geronimo6787]

I wish I had come across this great explanation years ago! Thank You!

[@Duade]

Great to hear, glad it helped, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@Marleydia]

Thank you so much for doing these videos. I truly look forward to them. I’m new to Canon and trying to understand the FV mode. I’d love your take on that! Thanks again.

[@Duade]

I have not tried the FV mode personally but is appears to be as close to manual mode as you can get. Any auto exposure mode such as FV relies on the cameras metering system to get the best exposure and it can often get it wrong. That is why I shoot in manual so I can have full control over the exposure. It can be difficult at first but it is much easier on a mirrorless camera as the exposure is reflected in the viewfinder. Good luck, Cheers, Duade

[@kimduggan7631]

Another excellent video Duade. Thanks so much for sharing. I use Manual mode but will try out using it with Auto ISO.

[@Duade]

G'day Kim, Manual offers more flexibility and is the mode I would suggest if you already use it. But Auto ISO may come in handy if the light changes rapidly and you are having trouble with overexposed shots. Cheers, Duade

[@cmichaelhaugh8517]

Excellent summary!

[@Duade]

Thank you, Cheers, Duade

[@cliveslack4698]

Excellent video. Very well explained. 👍

[@Duade]

Thanks Clive, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@verlenelewis9866]

Super information, made quite a bit of sense to me. I am kind of an intermediate photographer and have always used aperture priority. But I think I am going to give the manual with auto-iso a try.

[@Duade]

G'day Verlene, I too used AP and became very comfortable with it. AUTO ISO works the same, only difference is the ISO now changes instead of your SS. It is easier to deal with noisy images then soft ones, so having control of your SS is a good idea. Cheers, Duade

[@farhatafza2739]

I love aperture priority. thank you for your so beautiful videos.

[@Duade]

G'day Farhat, I too used aperture priority for a long time. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@matthewtaylor-dodd6182]

Hi Duade awesome video. I now almost exclusively shoot in mamual with auto iso. I do have it set to a max of 6400 but I think removing that as you've mentioned in the video is a great idea. I am always checking my settings and making adjustments based off the auti iso number. I have only been shooting 7 months now and I started on AV mode but in this modern world with amazing people like yourself for me to learn from i get to skip the many years of AV and and move into M with auto iso. I use this as most of my shots are from walking through bushland so ever changing light. I can honestly say my photography has drastically improved since you critiqued my work on IPM oage on FB and discovering your youtube. I am always looking forward to your vids. Keep em coming mate. Oh and I love the bloopers at the end 🤣

[@Duade]

G'day Matthew, great to hear you have found all the information useful and you can apply it in the field. I learnt the same way so it's nice to be able to pass on my knowledge. Good luck with your future birding. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@AvesnFauna]

Thank you for making such informative videos. Cheers

[@Duade]

G'day, it is my pleasure, Cheers, Duade

[@DenisDolisy]

Hi Duade, great video as always. For the sake of completeness i just want to mention that the newer Cameras from about 2010 (at least the Canons) can also do auto ISO in aperture or shutter priority modes, which could be even easier for beginners... That's how i started with my 500D (model from late 2009) and later the 80D. Thanks for the hint that the spot meter can follow the focus point, i wasn't aware of that. I'll dig in the manual tomorrow to find how to enable it... This can even be useful in manual, as it allows to get a meter reading of the subject... Cheers, Denis

[@Duade]

Thanks Denis, I didn't realise it was that long ago. I have a feeling I didn't use it as I couldn't use Exposure Compensation on my 7D which I used all the time in AP for white birds. I then got so comfortable with AP I never tried Auto ISO. Thanks for the info. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@DenisDolisy]

@@Duade You're welcome. That's normal, in general you tend to stick with what you're comfortable with, especially if it gives you more control. I'll probably miss the next available automatic features too, as i mostly don't use auto anymore... Cheers, Denis

[@siegfriedthaa3882]

Interresting to see, how others handle those situations... for me "M+Auto ISO" was pretty much a no brainer from the get go... you can deal with noise in POST... you can not deal with motion blur so much. ALSO ISO is the only "technical" value with the smallest impact on how the image looks and feels... (especially given, that you can still limit the range to a point where you are still comfortable with) Great Video though, good explaination and honest regarding your preferences.. THAN YOU DUADE!

[@Duade]

G'day Siegfried, yes Auto ISO is a good option to control SS and Aperture. Thanks for the comment, Cheers, Duade 👍

[@asifalam223]

I'm too late to watch your recent uploads video clips...but finally i get lot's of information from you which is definitely helpful in my upcoming wildlife shooting. Bundle of Thanks Dude💐💐 #Stay Safe Stay healthy 👍

[@Duade]

G'day Asif, thanks for the feedback Cheers, Duade 👍

[@neilrazdan1457]

These are awesome tips. Although, my problem is by the time I am done all this thinking, calculations abd setting, the bird has already flown to the next state! I do use manual mode and many a times with Auto ISO. Thev trouble comes when the bird is perched on a lower branch of a thick tree, in a dark spot, and ISO jumps to, say, 8K. Now I have to deal with whole lot of noise in dark shadows.

[@Duade]

Thanks Neil, yes, it can be very tricky to get the exposure right I must admit. I think with experience you can read the light and anticipate when you need to lower the SS or increase it. If you are in a dark environment take a test shot and check the ISO, if its too high consider lowering the SS a touch. Then you are right to go when the bird arrives. Good luck, Cheers, Duade

[@mortenthorpe]

What mode to choose really depends on 2 things... what do you want to achieve in your photo, and how capable is your lens of capturing light (the maximum aperture ). If you have a 200 mm f2 lens, for instance, then you’d in most outdoor conditions during the day, be able to use aperture priority with no issue, because the shutter speed should be quite high. For shooting absolutely tack sharp birds in flight, or the like, there’s no way around using either shutter priority with a high speed ( < 1/1600 second ), or using manual mode with auto iso - which is how I shoot - I almost always shoot birds I wanna flight, at 1/2000 second f5.6, and auto iso

[@Duade]

G'day Morten, I agree the SS and Aperture are very important when it comes to wildlife images, setting your SS and Aperture makes the most sense to me if using an auto exposure mode. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Duade

[@alandick1547]

Real nice video. I tend to use M with auto ISO for everything unless I want to use a Speedlite with a mixture of natural light and some amount of fill flash. I have found that in that mode, the flash exposure compensation amount seems to be ignored by the camera.

[@Duade]

Thanks Alan, yes Auto ISO appears to be the most popular mode. I think we tend to stick with what we know, and if that produces nice photos then that is great. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@Eduardo-qc8qe]

Very informative, thank you!! 👍👍

[@Duade]

Eduardo, thank you, Cheers, Duade

[@ZaberAnsaryOfficial]

Im using Aperture Priority dearly for over a year now. Works very good for me. Before that used Manual with Auto iso but got noisy images most of the time or underexposed shot because I set a limit and forgot to reduce shutter in quick incidents.

[@Duade]

G'day Zaber, glad to hear you found a mode that works for you. Cheers, Duade 👍

[@claudiovelizb]

Great video Duade, I prefer the manual + iso auto mode, but when I get high ISO I try with lower shutter speed (especially when I'm with a tripod) to get a less noise photo. Best regards from Chile.

[@Duade]

Claudio, yes AutoISO is a great option, great to hear you are enjoying the videos. Cheers, Duade