ISO Setting

[seankyh]

Hi everyone,

Just want to know if any of you set your ISO to 'automatic'.
I was shooting in manual the other day and went a bit crazy with my apature and shutter speed I didn't know the ISO was automatically set to such a high value. Pics came out really grainy.

Typically at ISO 200 on a bright sunny day for a street scene, what is the recommended apeture for a well exposed shot?

Sean.

[espn]

Nope.. I don't, I like to control the camera, auto works well for some cases, but not always

Exposure is dependant on where you meter and what you're shooting, I'm afraid I can't give you an answer here on this

[seankyh]

Thanks ESPN,

I understand that the best way to meter is to set it to P mode and point with spot metering to a mid tone object. Is that how you do it? Someone also mentioned 18% grey card. How do you normally meter?

Sean.

[~Arcanic~]

Originally Posted by seankyh Thanks ESPN, I understand that the best way to meter is to set it to P mode and point with spot metering to a mid tone object. Is that how you do it? Someone also mentioned 18% grey card. How do you normally meter? Sean.

what cam are u using? certain cams dun not come with spot metering function... and P mode is not really useful, i suggest u try using semi auto (Av/Tv modes) if u not used to Manual mode yet.

it depends on what u are trying to capture, typical e.g. would be a backlit subject, in this case, you would want to meter on the subject, as the cam metering might be fooled into believing that the subject is bright but actual fact its not... etc etc

[sweeper]

Originally Posted by ~Arcanic~ and P mode is not really useful, i suggest u try using semi auto (Av/Tv modes) if u not used to Manual mode yet.

newbie here,

can help to explain why P mode is not useful ?
does that apply only to certain camera ?

I am using a DSLR and I can also control the aperture / shutter combo using the sub-command dial

[~Arcanic~]

Originally Posted by sweeper newbie here, can help to explain why P mode is not useful ? does that apply only to certain camera ? I am using a DSLR and I can also control the aperture / shutter combo using the sub-command dial

i'm not saying P mode is not good...

just that using the semi auto modes gives u more control on what u want...
e.g. u want to take a wide angle landscape shot, usually pp will go for a higher aperture no, so u can adjust it in Av/M mode etc.

P mode is also like auto mode, u dun have much control over it, except for ev compensation i believe..

[Firefox]

Originally Posted by seankyh Hi everyone, Just want to know if any of you set your ISO to 'automatic'. I was shooting in manual the other day and went a bit crazy with my apature and shutter speed I didn't know the ISO was automatically set to such a high value. Pics came out really grainy. Typically at ISO 200 on a bright sunny day for a street scene, what is the recommended apeture for a well exposed shot? Sean.

1/250s-f11 or 1/250s-f16. Play around with the shutter and aperture settings shifting them as accordingly.. No one knows what effect you want to achieve.. Only you know..

[sweeper]

Originally Posted by ~Arcanic~ i'm not saying P mode is not good... just that using the semi auto modes gives u more control on what u want... e.g. u want to take a wide angle landscape shot, usually pp will go for a higher aperture no, so u can adjust it in Av/M mode etc. P mode is also like auto mode, u dun have much control over it, except for ev compensation i believe..

pai say, don't meant to find fault ...

it's just that on my camera (D70) ,
the P /A /S mode all have the same amount of control
(correct me if I am wrong)
only the M mode is able to do more ...

[~Arcanic~]

Originally Posted by sweeper pai say, don't meant to find fault ... it's just that on my camera (D70) , the P /A /S mode all have the same amount of control (correct me if I am wrong) only the M mode is able to do more ...

hmm, u are not that right...
in P mode, u dun have much control actually.. u can't adjust e Av nor the Tv,
in Av mode, u can adjust e Av to control ur depth of field, while in Tv mode u can control the shutter speed to either freeze motion or portray movement.
so the amount of control is quite different...

while of cos in the M mode... u can both under ur control... hehe

[n0d3]

P is just like auto except you got controls over flash/ISO/etc. Basically all the settings that don't involve the aperture and shutter speed.

[LittleWolf]

Originally Posted by ~Arcanic~ hmm, u are not that right... in P mode, u dun have much control actually.. u can't adjust e Av nor the Tv

With many cameras, you can (by "shifting" the program).

[huggable]

Anyway the good thing about digicams is that you can take and delete. If the subject is static, just take multiple shots using different settings, and download to the PC to view the difference. Works for me as some form of self-learning.

[snowspeeder]

Knowing your camera's ISO performance is important compared to relying on the auto ISO mode.

[seankyh]

Originally Posted by snowspeeder Knowing your camera's ISO performance is important compared to relying on the auto ISO mode.

Agreed. This is only something you can pick up after practice. I've stopped Auto ISO and have not looked back since. That was causing a lot of confusion for me when I start taking in 'M' mode.