Don't make this COMMON MISTAKE in MANUAL with AUTO ISO!

[@simon_dentremont]

What’s your favorite auto iso technique?

[@AlOne-xg6dv]

First i try not to forget the metering mode so that the auto ISO will be calculated with the right portion of the image. Then i check with my chosen aperture and shutter speed what happens while moving my camera around the scene, to discover what happens to the auto ISO values, if they go beyond the limits. Then i adjust my aperture and shutter speed if needed then shoot !

[@arthur3038]

Mainly shows, concerts and theatre... ultra fast light changes.Canonb R5's Depth of field is very, very important for us and as a second shutter speed. We shoot live shows mainly with AV ... Auto ISO ... use and control the exposure compensation down to sometimes two stops, sometimes even 3 stops and back to 0 depending on the conditions...(Theatre light, spotlight, fireflames etc.) We limit the exposure time to a minimum of 1/125 /250 /500th (depending on the Focal length in use and type of show) limit ISO max. 12,800. Why not M-Mode? So we can control the exposure compensation quickly and efficiently using the control wheel.

[@spyder000069]

I just set the max iso in the settings to what i feel comfortable with. Now auto iso cant go above that and you can forget about it. I then set my desired aperture. Now i only need to focus on shutter speed which i can do on the fly just by watching the histogram and what the scene looks like in the view finder. If the image gets too dark and i know i am slow on shutter i know im out of light. Just a hobbyist but thats how i handle it. Now the only problem with auto iso is sometimes it might select a lower iso making the scene dark and this will affect autofocus so you have to get enough light to the sensor first (for example to expose the eye) before activating the autofocus. Of course you can tune with the exposure comp as long as there is still headroom left

[@Llama.7890]

choose my shutter, and aperture and just trust it

[@chassaj1105]

The last one! I'd all but given up on auto iso because all too often I'd end up over exposed, but I bet this tip will solve it :)

[@joededomenic4478]

I swear, Simon. You're probably the only photographer on KZbin that can intelligently explain the nuances of camera settings and modes and they're uses. Instead of being part of the "you can only use this mode, you can only shoot this style, you can NEVER do this or that" crowd. You explain so easily that you have to do what the scene requires to get the shot, not stay inside some imaginary set of rules. I've learned so much from your videos, thank you!

[@OdamaKamayuka]

The only one you know of*. Because there's plenty smart and wise photographers on KZbin. I dont get why so many people belittle others in order to compliment someone.

[@joededomenic4478]

@OdamaKamayuka No doubt there's plenty of smart and wise photographers on KZbin, I've watched many of them. But, I've yet to come across another that can interpret and teach information in such a way as Simon. Not belittling anyone else, just tired of hearing/reading from so many photographers that there's only one way to go about things and if it's not their way, it's wrong.

[@Ezrabastian]

You must be new here. Welcome!

[@simon_dentremont]

Welcome!

[@RafaelInuzuka]

He ain't the only one BUT I have to admit he has that professor-like tone that is very clear and easy to follow

[@Kongrisser]

"People use settings that they want, rather than what the scene will allow." Great insight!

[@j_taylor]

Words of wisdom, for sure!

[@mattbibbings]

This is what I've done for years. However, hearing it from such an experienced pro is highly reassuring.

[@timd4524]

@@mattbibbings Right. It's so much better than being stuck on one roll of film for some odd number of photos and constantly having to consider its speed for every shot. The advancement of today's cameras are beyond wild. Although the old cameras now make great conversation pieces.

[@WMantus]

Hands down, one of the greatest photographer teachers. We love Simon! ❤

[@martinkmedia]

Been shooting like this for events for a while now. Another tip that might be helpful to others: I like to limit my upper ISO in AutoISO (you can do that easily in the ISO Settings without menu diving) to 6400, as that is usually accaptable for me and whenever the ISO value starts flashing on my Sony 'cause it can't go higher, I know I have to readjust my shutter speed for example. And only when that can't go much lower I will raise the upper limit of the AutoISO. Helps in quickly changing situations and I haven't had unusable photos because of high ISO in a long time :) Thanks for the nice video and reminder, Simon.

[@captureitphotography2352]

Came to the comments to say this, lol :)

[@TheBelugma]

That's interesting! I shoot DJs at events for a few weeks now. The DJs sometimes move so fast, I need to have 250 or 320th of a sec to capture the movement. Aperature is f1.8. I am constantly in 6400 ISO, last event I upped the max. in my settings to 12800 and it constantly takes that. How can I minimize the ISO? If I shoot slower the pictures get blurry because of the movement. Or should I try going lower and just get more blurry images and hope for one great shoot in between where the object is not blurry / not moving? From what I can tell I do it mostly right? Setting shutter speed first because of the priority to get crisp images and then aperature and last let the ISO decide. What do you think?

[@martinkmedia]

@ I think you’re mostly good. Do you use a full frame camera? This is one of those rare cases, where a FF camera might be able to get you better results. With the gear you have it sounds like you’re doing what you can with the ISO. Maybe try shooting in RAW if you don’t already and use Lightroom’s AI Denoise or other similar tools like Topaz, that can work wonders, I use it all the time. Other than that, you could either get a 1.4 or even 1.2 lens to get lower ISO or, if the venue and DJs allow it, you might try to experiment with flash photography. That can get you very unique photos and can freeze every motion, but could be distracting for the event, so maybe try it for just a few shots only and get an ok beforehand. 😊 Just my two cents.

[@TheBelugma]

@@martinkmedia Unfortunetly I shoot with an APSC right now and a Sigma 18-35 f1.8. Zoom lens is necessary tho, so I can't get lower aperature. I thought about upgrading to FF and a 2.8 lens. But from what I read my f1.8 compensates the APSC factor pretty good right now. FF and f2 would be nice, but costs me a liver lol. Thanks for your input, good to hear I do it mostly correctly right now. I also use lightroom with the denoise feature :) But I guess there is no way around going FF sooner than later :) Flash sadly is no option, I might just need to place a good ambient light somehwere on our own events!

[@RealGeizterfahrer]

@@TheBelugma If a flash isn't an option... maybe you could use a LED light? 18-35 (~27-52mm on an APSC) sounds like you're pretty close to the DJ. In this case a LED light could make a HUGE difference. And if there are any spotlights: learn their movement patterns! They're an awesome lightsource on events. Prepare yourself (and the settings of your camera), wait for the spotlight to come close to your subject and use the brief moments of good lighting. And another advice, especially for event photography: If you can't prevent noise, motion blur or underexposed shadows, embrace them! They can become artistic elements. There's nothing wrong with a grainy close up photo of a DJ in a low light environment. I'm just 40 years old and even I remember times where this was "normal". It's a thing of our modern days that photographers think that noise is a bad thing. Lightroom even has the option to ADD noise to an image ;) For motion blur... What's wrong with an image showing that the DJ is enjoying his job, animating the crowd to dance? Sure, no one wants to look at a blurry blob. But pictures where you can see the movement in his raised hand, or where you show how he's pulling the sliders up and down? Great! You don't have to freeze every single detail. People's heads usually move slower than their arms and hands. Get a sharp face - for some pictures that's the only thing that matters. For some pictures it is totally fine to underexpose the shadow areas. It can draw the viewer's attention to the important part of your photo. Imagine the face and a hand of your DJ reaching out of the darkness, for example. Here's a photo that I took, that combines a few of the elements I've mentioned: imgur.com/a/ju9yPff The pitch black crowd? I don't need any details there! The spot hitting the lens directly? That's no coincidence (I've memorized the movement and waited for that moment). Look at the hand of the guy on stage. It's not the kind of motion blur I was talking about (to show movement), but it doesn't destroy the photo either. The noise in the image? It doesn't matter! There's only one thing that could've killed that photo. The use of a flash...

[@CJ_536]

I only consider myself a beginner, and I do not shoot action. I shoot landscape and nature closeups like flowers (not macro - just very close.). So one might think full manual would be perfect for me. However, after listening to another video of yours recommending it, I tried manual with auto-ISO and found it has dramatically improved my photos. This is because most of my photos are taken in rapidly changing light (first light to an hour after sunrise or an hour before sunset to last light). So I experimented with the best aperture for each of my lenses for the type of photo I want and have found a pretty consistent setting for those. I alter the shutter speed with the light and the lens, since I almost always shoot handheld and need to account for my movement. And suddenly, my photos are much better and less noisy, because all I think about is finding the best shutter speed for the light. So thank you for your wonderful videos. They have really helped me improve.

[@simon_dentremont]

That's awesome - you’ve got it!

[@benfromatlantis]

Maybe one of the most important videos to teach photography on KZbin. I am impressed.

[@simon_dentremont]

Wow, thanks!

[@goldenfrog6EsCoSes]

I always enjoy Simon's videos and find them very instructive. His manner of explaining things is excellent, straightforward, and easy to follow. Besides, his photos aren't too bad 🙂.

[@rominnooo]

Ive been doing this for like 6 months because you mentioned it once in your vid and I automatically set it up. Its so good... cant even thank you for that haha

[@simon_dentremont]

That's awesome!

[@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism]

It's a whole lot better, suffering with some grain, than a worthless, blurry photo, right? ;)

[@rominnooo]

@@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism Totally! I even have dedicated button set so I can change stops even with auto ISO, I got it from Simon too

[@iamamandamyrick]

I like to think of ISO as a sort of measurement for how much light is getting into the camera. Once I switched to that mindset, ISO got much easier for me, and became a much more useful tool for judging exposure and a signal for whether I have my other settings set right or not! I know the exposure meter does that too, but I usually see the ISO first.

[@simon_dentremont]

I totally agree!

[@philipjames7374]

Exactly. As a sports photographer here in the UK where we often get 4 seasons in one hour I dont want to be messing about with ISO. I'm interested in getting the shot and composition.

[@gapcreekonline948]

'What the scene will allow' ... Brilliant ❤

[@GameLikeYouMeanIt]

I remember when the original auto ISO video came out. One of the only KZbinrs I have seen ever talk about it. It genuinely changed the game for me. I have had thousands of much higher quality shots since then. It changed everything for me

[@HarryLewinASR]

This was - by far - the most impactful photography video I have seen. I prompts me to change the way I use my camera at the extremes of lighting & motion.

[@PatrickSmeaton]

I watched this video some time ago and decided to give it a try. I had been primarily using aperture priority for the last 30 years. I briefly tried aperture priority with auto ISO, and didn't love it. Since giving manual exposure with auto ISO a try, I haven't switched back to aperture priority at all. Now I always use manual exposure and sometimes use manual ISO. This was a long form version of saying, thank you!!

[@simon_dentremont]

Great to hear!

[@fiddleandfart]

Yeah, me too! I too was an aperture-priority person... till I discovered auto-ISO! (Classic advertising line). And yes, on my FF D780, noise remains pretty acceptable to remarkable levels. And by the way, is this camera a low-light demon! "Daylight" - level frames captured in seriously dingy conditions! Auto-ISO is brilliant!

[@Headtube]

Taking responsibility.......what a concept!

[@ddmarty]

Who knew, right? :)

[@rowlandspear4061]

Been using autoISO since you mentioned it way back in the early KZbin days.

[@augusti1]

same for me

[@Ezrabastian]

Been using auto ISO on my D700 for over a decade lol. You must be new here. Welcome!

[@ardscorner]

Great tip. I have locked the upper limit of auto ISO on my camera to 6400. In extreme situations I will unlock it but 6400 max has done fine but like you say it is in our control if other settings are used correctly. Auto ISO and Back Button Focus have been game changes for me. Every one of you videos is another valuable lesson. Thanks Simon

[@seabreezeof]

Agree Simon, Landscape full Manual... In Action Auto ISO. Additionally, I keep one of my back buttons pre set for Stills with auto Iso, low shutter and aperture, and adjust LS & A as/if needed. As you said, when there is fast paced action moving from different light it's nearly impossible to keep up with the action and adjusting settings.Blinkies and Zebras help, if you have them activated in menu settings. Another thing to take into consideration is if your hand holding vs on a Mono/Tripod as far as SS & A using Auto ISO. "You control the Camera, the Camera doesn't control you"

[@michaelyount5914]

I use this all the time. I haven't switched to mirrorless as my camera does what I ask. I shot an indoor rodeo with manual and auto ISO. I had iSO up to 6400. I was using my d500 with Nikon 70-200 f2.8 fl ed lens. I had to do some cleanup, but it was minimal.

[@mahidoes]

MAKE USE OF THE MIN SHUTTER SETUP. This is why I always use a minimum shutter speed under the Auto ISO setting, rather than forcing the camera to a static shutter speed. If the light gets bright and the ISO is pushed to its base, the camera is allowed to shoot at a higher shutter speed than the minimum, preventing the photo from being overexposed. Fuji has this function; I hope Canon will implement it too. Advance Tip I don't know about other manufacturers, but with Fuji, if the light isn't sufficient for the minimum shutter speed, the camera will still shoot at a slower shutter speed than the specified minimum when the ISO reaches its maximum to correct the exposure. Pro Tip: Don't buy Fuji as it's autofocus is not copeetent for any thing moving :D

[@JMCreationsAZ]

I recently photographed a high school volleyball game, and using Auto ISO proved to be a game-changer. I set the exposure compensation to +3 and rarely needed to adjust the shutter speed. Next time, I will definitely explore different metering settings to see how they impact the photos. Thank you for the outstanding teaching lessons!

[@romy4593]

I had to use auto ISO at my sons wedding reception. Changing light and activity was too hard to set up manually...things kept changing and it was outdoors. Watching your videos I knew exactly how and they love their photos! Then we were on a boat letting a box of ashes into the water with a friend who finally was ready to let her husbands ashes go. I took all manual until I did fast portraits...boat was moving and light was changing...yep, auto ISO. They came out great!

[@PixWaxGB]

Amazing explanation, thank you. My take away is that although when taking my walk in the sunrise and always trying to freeze the birds in flight, I should accept that the lighting is not enough and actually wait for "real" light (the sunrise) to light up more of the scene!

[@simon_dentremont]

Agree!

[@steveparent8788]

Hi Simon, I shoot Manual with Auto ISO 99% of the time. In wildlife photography freezing the action is key. Using manual exposure compensation when needed is the way to go. Good video Simon !

[@masanthar]

Very well said, I've been using auto iso for years now and it is very convinient. Lets not forget that you can set limits to the max iso you deem acceptable for picture quality so it gets even better since you got to change other settings to get to what the scene allows with available light (very nicely put btw).

[@xenor9262]

Aperture priority with minimum shutter speed and max ISO (camera is going below the limit only if it hits max ISO) is usually my preferred mode and possibly one of the biggest advantages of upgrading my gear to a camera that has that option. Good to hear from you about using auto modes - my first introduction to photography was always 'use full manual' and it got me really discouraged for a while.

[@Bin909able]

What does the camera do when you fall out of the bandwidth of those settings? Also, will it priorise speed before iso?

[@xenor9262]

@Bin909able it first goes to max ISO I've set, then if there's not enough light it will lower the shutter speed from the 'preferred' down to whatever let's enough light for good exposure. Or I can open up the aperture manually to let more light to balance it out, or move exposure compensation if I'm okay with underexposed

[@Bin909able]

​@@xenor9262 that's a fast and clear answer, thanks! ❤

[@alexalexandre19]

very interesting configuration! probably one of the best mode/configuration to give someone else the camera to take a pic of you hahaha

[@xenor9262]

Yea, I sometimes need to adjust minimum shutter speed depending on the situation, but usually it's just set aperture, point and shoot

[@AltafKhan-qd1tk]

As an electronics Engineer, I exactly know what "signal to noise ratio"means. iso is just a gain, thanks for putting it in these terms because only now I understand how iso works. It's just a gain - probably an opamp output at the ends of the sensor signal. You are a brilliant teacher. Thanks again.

[@simon_dentremont]

Glad I could help!

[@BillFerris]

Actually, ISO isn't gain - not in the sense most folks imagine - nor is ISO a source of noise. ISO simply communicates an exposure value to the camera. The camera uses this information to determine how to process the photo to achieve a target lightness. The noise we see in photos is shot noise, which is determined by the total light used to make the photo. ISO doesn't create or add to shot noise.

[@wkelly-hn4kb]

I shoot birds mostly ..the weeest ones like Kinglets can be quite the chore getting focus long enough between flit abouts ..from day one I couldn't be more pleased with fully automated brilliance of my SX70and I paid attention as the camera chooses what's best for ISO .I have a set in the woods where I'm using paid models of bird actors who literally work for peanuts .this light goes from blasted full to shade in moments after 1pm..IM NEVER much between 150-800 (I think auto limit) with beautiful outcome. Your cats were stunning and as always videos the greatest. ❤

[@dfinlay587]

Adjusting ISO while shooting is a pain, and not "easy". Most cameras are designed to be able to adjust SS and Aperture easily. Using Manual with Auto ISO makes ISO easy to adjust. You get full control over all 3 legs of the stool, with 2 dials. Great video Simon.

[@buyaport]

That is a very good point! In any auto mode you always have to keep an eye on your settings to get the results you want, as the camera cannot know what is important to you.

[@ironnpinoy7128]

Been shooting with canon for 15 years now, nothing i can relate but to your videos. Thank you Simon!

[@kosowskj]

This has been one of the most valuable videos I've ever watched. I primarily photograph Bald Eagles. I use a Canon R7 & 100-500. My setup had been similar to what you've described. Manual mode. My 'go to setting are f/7.1 (which is the widest aperture on the 100-500), 1/2000 (which I know I is good for birds in flight. I'd adjust the ISO according to the brightness of the scene. The challenge that I had was Birds in Flight as the bird moved from a very bright sky to the tree line (slightly darker) to ground level (much darker). While tracking the bird, I've always struggled to 'keep up' as the bird moved between different levels of brightness. After watching your video, I tried my setup using Auto-ISO. It is so much easier. While ISO may not render a perfect exposure, it's close and I can make MINOR adjustments. As the bird moves between different levels of brightness, the camera does a pretty good job of giving me a good exposure with me only needing to tweak the adjustment. I've set the control wheel on the back of the camera to Exposure Compensation which makes it very easy to adjust on the fly. I went out to a park where I routinely see eagles this morning to try your technique and the results were perfect! Thank you Simon for this awesome technique. It is much appreciated!!

[@simon_dentremont]

Awesome, glad you're enjoying using Auto ISO!

[@dagonzalez1757]

8:47 is such a great photo

[@jasonbokar7482]

I do use auto-iso quite a lot in street photography. Set at f8 at 1/500th and almost everything is fine during the day. Might drop to f5.6 or lower when the light is bad. However, one problem is how to adjust for tricky lighting. When all you have is Auto-ISO, you can adjust for the lighting like you can with Aperture Priority + Auto ISO, because then you can adjust exposure compensation. In Manual (at least on my Nikon) - I can't adjust exposure compensation. Of course, you can choose a different metering mode (spot for example) but that's not the best for a quick changing scene on the street. This was a very nice video and well done! Thanks for it!

[@raultorres3623]

I find the videos of Simon so helpful and simple that anybody can understand despite being a néophyte in the subject. This is only possible when you master your skills and knowledge. It makes you want to become a full time wildlife photographer. 😅

[@simon_dentremont]

Glad you’re enjoying the videos!

[@cerealkiller4248]

I’ve been using TV on my R6 with auto ISO, coming from a 7D it was such an improvement in ISO performance I felt bombproof. Next time I go out, I’ll try M with auto ISO instead. Thanks for yet another great video.

[@karlbrodowsky7744]

I am using the auto-ISO most of the time and I totally agree with you. The danger remains that I pick a bad setting which would require extremely low or high ISO, but that is my fault. on my phone and on the compact camera I am using full automatic mode and concentrate on the composition. But with my fullframe camera I prefer to have more control. Manual mode with manual ISO I use when I have constant light or specific light conditions and a lot of time. Your photos are amazing.

[@ssdronography]

I challenge anyone to find a better explanation than this. Amazing!!!!!

[@srmrlr]

This is a much better explanation than I've seen/heard before. Thank you, this might change my relationship with "Auto ISO". Sometimes, I really need to "unlearn" analog film...

[@simon_dentremont]

It can be tricky to switch between film and digital!

[@srmrlr]

@@simon_dentremont I took a 22 year photo hiatus, returned almost a year ago. I had a lot of fun learning to use digital in 94 (Kodak DCS200) in the US Navy, walked away from photo in 2001 when I retired... A good friend pulled me back into photography last year...

[@DiveBC]

For a lot of things I like this option and is how I have shown my mom how to start with manual mode. My camera lets me set an Auto ISO range which I like. Unfortunately my main environment that I shoot in and the style I like doesn't work well with auto ISO. I'm a cold water diver and am using strobes almost exclusively. I often have little to no ambient light and thus nothing for the camera to meter on. I use a small low powered focus light so that the camera can find focus and then the manually controlled strobes produce the main light. I am also running my aperture above F11 as a starting point due to how glass dome ports work underwater. It has been a fun and challenging learning experience. Thanks for the video. Learned lots of techniques that I can take to the above water shooting I do.

[@sumandasgupta1258]

I am from India and I watch your videos since long ago. You are not only a great photographer but a great teacher as well. Besides, tonal quality of your voice is very soothing and a treat for the ears.

[@simon_dentremont]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@sumandasgupta1258]

Most welcome

[@martyneggleton1221]

Another great video Simon, my photography has improved so much thanks to you. 🙂

[@timd4524]

I love auto ISO. It works great in my experience. Better than being trapped by what film you have in your camera.

[@davidpowell5437]

I was lurking on the brink of realising this - Thanks for making it "official"!

[@mugen4041]

Learned this technique from your prior videos, works perfectly in fast action. It forced me to understand my histogram, aperture, and shutter speed. This concept changed my action photography, thanks Simon!

[@travelwithjustin]

Been doing this for years, mostly for birds. Good to hear others are as well.

[@KirstenBayes]

Great summary, much appreciated! The first time I blew out some photos using Manual and Auto ISO was a real headscratcher. Was obvious in retrospect.

[@TheWildlifeGallery388]

the big take-away for me is what most tubers rarely cover - regardless of the shooting mode used, your settings will be dictated by the availability of light you have and then you have to know how and where your camera performs the best - again it's the photographer's job. I prefer full manual but do use Auto-iso for BIF

[@DanaPushie]

How incredibly practical and demystifying. It's the photographer not the camera. We need to keep in mind that It's those moment by moment judgment calls where aperture and shutter speed may allow for a lower ISO. Over time I have found that being present and intentional are what really counts. Now, do I always keep this in mind? No! LOL! That's when my camera tells me it can't take the shot. There is nothing like a good reminder. Thanks Simon. Cheers. 🙏

[@simon_dentremont]

It's easy to forget those basics in the moment!

[@ClassicMe9213]

This video is a masterpiece of instructions. The comparisons from pic to pic with changing camera settings is the most instructive thing I‘ve ever seen. Thank you for your amazing content.

[@silvershadow4965]

I suppose this is saying that if you have aperture wide open and you can’t reduce the shutter speed enough to have the right light exposure without introducing motion blur then it is just meant you weren’t supposed to capture the image. Thank you Simon. Great, thorough and easy to understand as always.

[@simon_dentremont]

Exactly

[@Neonmnan]

This video came up at the right time. I just ran into this last weekend. I came to the same realization to lower my ISO I just had to learn my exposure better. choose and adjust to my own priority in the exposure triangle. There is a phrase I learned in the past. “If you can’t tie a knot, tie a lot.” I adjusted it to photography. “If you can’t get the shot, shoot a lot.”

[@emilybjoerk]

I prefer aperture priority with minimum shutter speed control and auto ISO. This avoids over exposing due to too much light as the shutter speed will increase instead when ISO hits 100. That typically doesn't affect the shot negatively unless I'm doing long exposures, then manual with auto ISO :)

[@j_taylor]

That sounds like a great way to control what is most important to your shot, then free you to find the best scenes. Thanks for the tip!

[@zelfjizef454]

I would do that, if any camera did allow that minimum shutter speed to be controlled by a dial. None does to my knowledge...?

[@grahamematthews388]

I get what you're on about...being too technical takes away how simple photography can be. As an old photo taker capturing countless weddings, portraits and products from the mid 1980's with 5x7 and 10x8 film exposed in large format cameras and a darkroom processing film and prints....I have embraced digital because its more forgiving than film, it has alot of latitude to reproduce natural colours. I set my cameras to P for 'Professional' and ISO to auto. I use EV in camera for exposure. Simple.

[@BlipSS]

You are the best, I discovered manual with auto iso on my own, but couldn't properly justify it to myself until your video. Ty!

[@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism]

This is why fast glass (F2.8 or lower numerically) rules. You can open that sucker up, while keeping ISO (eyeso) low. You just have to keep in mind, the more open you go; the thinner the depth of field will be.

[@jakecook716]

Depends on the situation. Sometimes with moving subjects you just can't avoid it, unless you want to take a gamble shooting with motion blurr, which is very very hit and miss, and for some subjects is mostly miss. A noisey image is still more usable than a blurry image in most cases

[@captinktm]

Fantastic! I have been rattling on about this for years. It is indeed the only way to capture wild that are on the move. I no longer have to argue I can just send them here. Thanks for posting.

[@afferist]

When I see this uncle in the feed, I know that I will spend the next 10-15 minutes usefully. Thanks Simon

[@frijitz001]

Thanks for having such a wide range of examples -- really gives an almost visceral feel to the variety of settings you used. And thank you for avoiding the excessive bloviating the majority of utube videos have.

[@simon_dentremont]

I'm glad you appreciated the examples.

[@MichaelCentofanti-l9d]

I understand what you are say but what is a solution if we need the higher ISO but don’t want the “200,000” ISO .

[@photogracias]

@@MichaelCentofanti-l9dYou can set the limit

[@GSPhotographics]

Superb explanation of how auto ISO works. Simple when you know how. That is why you video's are so good. 👍

[@simon_dentremont]

Wow, thanks!

[@XavierDemazy]

One of the most insightful videos about settings I've seen to date! Thanks a lot for this!

[@Barzyz01]

great stuff. Since your last video on this topic, I followed your advice... albeit at the drag racetrack. At this particular track I am able to stand track side to get the racers jumping off the line. I experimented with what works best with freezing the action; and I found that given the time of day and the quality of the light I can get 1/2000 at F8 with a max iso of 2000. and the photos clean up very nicely. usually shot at the early evening time. When it is early day or mid-day, with the same settings I get 200 iso and get very nice images with minor clean up. I'm always mindful as you pointed out, not to go too high on the ISO. Thanks for sharing! great stuff!!!

[@christophermason7735]

I changed my camera from a canon 760D to a 7D Mark II to get this setting and it's amazing. I learned this from you in an older video. I use for nature, street and most hand held photography. Topaz or DXO takes care of the noise in most cases.

[@jamesdrop793]

Your tips on auto ISO saved A LOT of my bird photos during my trip to Japan. Thanks for that!😊

[@simon_dentremont]

You are so welcome!

[@BigPeteSays]

Another great video Simon. Thank you. As a beginner, focusing on using shutter and aperture priority for artistic effect and catching sharp pictures, a really interesting take on forfeiting a little sharpness to be able to keep below a chosen ISO ceiling. You've encouraged me to think more carefully about the balance of shutter and aperture settings in order to achieve a reasonable ISO from my camera. Thanks for the challenge !!

[@frugal-photog]

Great stuff as always Simon. I thought for sure your bonus tip was going to be something I do, but I guess not, so I guess I'll share it for others in the comments. :) Most cameras have a way to set limits on the auto ISO. So I set mine to 3200 (now I've got to re-think that... never doubt Simon's settings!). Of course this means the picture will be under exposed in situations when the ISO would have otherwise shot up to an unacceptably high number, so one still has to adjust the shutter (or aperture) to get the proper lighting. But I find that the picture being under exposed is more obvious to me than that surprisinly small number in the corner of the viewfinder that shows me the ISO. Thus, in quickly developing situations, I'll more quickly know I need to make a shutter adjustment and then lose less shots to poor settings.

[@simon_dentremont]

It’s always a good idea to set a maximum!

[@davidpearson3304]

I’ve been using the “bonus tip” for air shows the last couple years. 1/2000 and f8 gives plenty of room for the iso to float to capture the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds . It even has enough room to dial in a bit of negative exposure comp (1/3-2/3) to prevent any tiny spots of blown highlights on the jets when the sun is behind me.

[@florianw4155]

Dear Simon, I have watched many, many of your videos, but this is my favorite from you. Not only did it finally click and I have understood how to deal with ISO levels, but you also showed that you are affected by it as well. I always thought (stupid, I know) that your expensive camera gear prevented you from this and your pictures turn out amazing because of that. Showing that you are just as affected and how you have to compromise because of that was a real eye-opener. Thank you very much for providing great content! Warm regards, Florian

[@carlmcneill1139]

I started using auto ISO 2 or 3 years ago. I prefer to be in control of 2 settings when possible. It definitely comes in handy for street photography. Using a slower shutter speed to get shots of birds standing still has cost me some shots of others flying through. But that's the compromise.

[@ddmarty]

You helped me work through my ISO problems with your videos. So much so, that I figured this one out before you even came out with this video. You truly are a master of photography. Thank you for all the help you've given me, in a way that's easy to understand. You've never assumed the viewer already knows everything.

[@MikeLawlerPhotography]

I’m glad you mentioned exposure compensation at the end. I sometimes use it with auto iso to cheat a little bit and bring down iso a touch.

[@DavidC-rt3or]

I totally agree using auto ISO! Shooting with auto iso in combination with manual shutter/aperture/exposure compensation settings along with the back button for focusing, and bonus of camera ai, has made somewhat of a different problem (in a good way) with processing my wildlife/airshow images. Often have to look through a number of images to really see which one has the best head angle/light in the eye etc as opposed to way dark or blownout..

[@gbarr711]

This blew my mind. I never made the connection. Thank you explaining it in a way I actually understood.

[@ArchtopBill]

Hey Simon, this was one of the best tips I heard in years. I used it last night in Old Fort NC photographing after dark Hurricane Helene clean up efforts. Thank you!

[@777hdn]

I abandoned using Auto ISO after trying because of the problems that you name at the end of your video in the bonus tip. In my case it's been slightly different as I set up my camera using the capability of my camera to map 4 settings to the 2 dials and deciding in manual mode to not map Exp Comp as I thought I would control exposure level by shutter speed and aperture. But that's wrong with Auto ISO as this is getting us back to auto exposure again! By your bonus tip I realized I have to get back mapping Exposure Comp (plus Flash Exposure Comp as that's what's helping me when flash is ON) in manual mode too if using Auto ISO. So thank you for letting me learn what was wrong in the way I was using Auto ISO, Simon! But funny enough I won't use probably use it with my super tele len for Wild Life (well, less predators and more sparrows in my case...) as I found out that maybe because of my cheap, light and compact 5.6 glass I can also shoot more comfortably with shutter priority mode as aperture and DOF will be ok when just doing what you said: Always keep an eye on setting only reasonable shutter speeds matching the total available light but without locking the aperture to a given value as nearly always light is the scarce resource in these settings when limiting Auto ISO to a reasonable upper limit. Once more, thank you!

[@roc97007]

For the type of photography I do (sports; equestrian with a Nikon D5 or Z9) I use aperture priority, setting a minimum shutter speed and auto ISO. I prefer this to full manual for a reason you brought up -- if the subject crosses in front of a light source, the ISO might drop to minimum, but the shutter, which was set to a minimum of 1/250, is free to increase as necessary to not blow out the shot. In those cases, I may have to bring up shadows in lightroom, but the shot is still usable. If I was looking to induce blur or creamy water movement, I'd switch to manual so I could be sure of the shutter speed, but I'd still be using auto ISO. One can make artistic decisions with shutter and aperture, but the ISO is whatever it needs to be.

[@DavidSwarthout]

Excellent as usual, Simon! I use auto-ISO exclusively for bird photography so I get into that same tug-of-war when shooting in early morning or evening. My lens is wonderful but it's only f/7.1 at its widest so I fiddle with the shutter speed constantly. By the way, the newest version of ACR did a brilliant job of removing the noise from images I was forced to shoot in near darkness at ISO 12,800 with my R5. It's truly amazing! It takes forever to run Denoise in ACR on a large RAW file but it's well worth the wait.

[@Elco63]

Good point! Besides your excellent explanation; the new Lightroom noise reduction on RAW files is insane. Even better then Topaz. I made CR3 photo's with >10.000 iso and Lightroom saved the day. My favorite is the TV program and let my R5m2 choose the F and ISO for fast work. Shutter at 20 fps, 30the if needed.

The cleanest example to me that I still need to be mindful about exposure speed with auto ISO, is the other end. 1/320 is waay too long on a bright sunny day even on ISO 100. Auto ISO is amazing, but it's still not full auto (which is exactly why we use it)

[@nickolaslandon4640]

Amazing video. Very in depth information but explained in a way that is very easy to understand and break down! I always recommend people to your channel to help them learn. Keep up the amazing work!

[@gregmonforton4103]

Exposure compensation is an important backstop to “manual with auto ISO” since your camera is after an average exposure of its metering area and can clip highlights. Also full manual can sometimes be the right move if you don’t want the settings changing in a sequence of shots.

[@DouGh745]

Since i start using auto ISO, my photos get way better!

[@yvonnemalaquin9336]

As someone trying to get off semi auto magic modes like Aperture/shutter priority, this was a very useful explanation of using Auto Iso . Thank you.

[@simon_dentremont]

You are very welcome!

[@richardrodriguez9547]

Thanks for this excellent explanation, Simon. In my opinion, the issue of noise is overblown for most of us and, with current software, noise can usually be handled in post. I use Lightroom and the “Enhance” and “Denoise” features can take care of most but the most extreme cases of noise. I’m sure other editing programs have similar features. On the other hand, there’s nothing out there that’ll fix motion blurr!

[@FlatWaterFilms]

Landscape adventure photographer here. The only time I use AUTO ISO is when doing video while panning as the lighting changes constantly. Yup, sometimes I'm shooting stills with a pretty slow shutter speed (handheld 1/20 second), lens wide open keeping the ISO reasonable. Got to take into account wind/ surroundings and wanted effects. What makes a difference is manually adjusting exposure by moving the focus area towards the 'highlights' after back button focus. Not what a wildlife photographer has time for. People shots, I use Shutter priority otherwise aperture priority with manual ISO. Lot's of static planned shots is the norm for me. 🙂

[@jonhoskins3795]

Great video and yes, the tip was VERY much worth watching the whole thing! I shoot mostly manual with auto iso too these days and this video helps!

[@levyrivera8644]

Your tips convinced me to use Auto ISO, This video is perfect for me because I can admit I was saying the same thing blaming Auto ISO LOL..... Thanks again for another Great video

[@simon_dentremont]

Glad to hear it!

[@angelsepulveda9211]

Def right Simon, learn this very well when photographing short ear owls. Most people left when the sun was setting and had better prime lenses than me, i had the rf 100-500mm lens, But applying this process, got some cool pics and got to see them fly around hunting for food.

[@wanneske1969]

I discovered manual and auto iso thanks to you a while ago ! Works great on my Canon R6 ! Thanks !

[@steverobinson9801]

Thanks for this enlightening video. I've been doing all wrong and now I think I've got it right.

[@nikoherkules]

i AM TOTALLY ADDICTED TO YOUR VIDEOS. eVEN THINGS i ALREADY UNDERSTOOD PARTIALLY, YOU MAKE IT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND.

[@simon_dentremont]

Awesome, thank you!

[@WeirdManWhoLivesInAppala-fk1li]

Since I saw your other videos on Auto ISO I left it at that and never looked back. Only when doing still landscape or astro (sometimes portraits too) on a sturdy tripod will I purposely set that ISO at 100 but those are specific shots -- especially wildlife and street Auto ISO all day and I've been so happy. Thank you!

[@seaeagles6025]

Hi Simon, I like using Auto ISO for photographing Planes. As the plane fly's through Clouds, Bright Sky, Blue Sky, and bright white Sky. As the light changes in the Sky Auto ISO is my best friend 😂. I thoroughly enjoyed this video and found it very useful. Thanks Simon 😊

[@seaeagles6025]

Thanks Simon 😊

[@JikoMuskato]

Plus you could limit the ISO in the menu to what value you think is the maximum you'd want to use. Won't help with getting the exposure correct but if you think ISO gets too high - then make it not go so high.

[@RobertBihl]

So many things to keep in mind! I understand why people are always in search of 'better' automation. This was an excellent video, as usual, and I will take it into my mindset. One thing I learned recently was that "ISO" isn't an abbreviation, it's an actual word, ie' "iso". It's not like the old ASA, it was defined back in the day as just "iso". Weird, sure.

[@simon_dentremont]

yup, iso, properly pronounced eye-so, is a word taken from the greek “isos”, meaning “equal”

[@marknongkhlaw1674]

​@simon_dentremont hope it isn't "eyesore" though it sounds like it. Sometimes it is, IMHO

[@Dupawpaski]

I love L.L. Bean shirts too!

[@Thorstein31]

Changing to this right now! Always used aperture priority, but adjusted iso manually to get a useful shutter speed, in the past. Auto ISO sounds way better!

[@simon_dentremont]

Great to hear!