iso setting

thebaz

Out of curiosity (and since i'm newish to all this !) what do most of you leave your ISO set to , i.e default setting ?
I have been leaving at 200 , and upping it as required (to no more than 400) , but now thinking of actually leaving it set as a default to 400 , and increasing/decreasing from here as required .
I often forget to change iso setting , so it would be good to have it set to a nice average !

FreeAnd..

Personally I keep it as low as possible, 100 usually and up it if required. It is very easy to go around shooting on 1600 when you could be using 100 and only ntoice the grain when you view large on a PC. I find it better to have the default as the best and up the ISO if the light requires it.

Fajitas!

On my 300D, I kept it at 100-200...But on my 5D, I haven't moved from 640 in a long time.

Then again, 1600iso on the 5D is comparable to 400 on the 300D...

eas

I leave my ISO set to whatever i set it at last...

I am pretty good at cheking main settings everytime i pick up my camera. In times I forget - I'll notice that I'm getting faster shutter speeds then expected, and check ISO to make sure.

does your camera have an "Auto ISO" setting?

thebaz

eas wrote:

I leave my ISO set to whatever i set it at last...

I am pretty good at cheking main settings everytime i pick up my camera. In times I forget - I'll notice that I'm getting faster shutter speeds then expected, and check ISO to make sure.

does your camera have an "Auto ISO" setting?

My camera (Nikon d 50) just keeps the ISO setting , to whatever it was last set to. So, don't think there is auto ISO , it was originally set to 200 , but as i say , whatever you switch to , is saved !

mervifwdc

200 or 400 usually. I'ts nice that if you need to grab it quick, you'l get decent shutter speeds. Still good quality. If I have time, I'll drop it to 100 if I can at all.

Merv.

elven

I've had big problems with processing pictures that were taken at 800 when I forgot to check the ISO (did wonder why i was getting such high readings mind you, doh) because there's just a whole load of crappy noise in the dark areas and if you've underexposed you're screwed... so since then I check it *every* time. Nothing like learning a lesson the hard way.

I keep to 100 wherever possible but i understand 200 is also pretty decent on entry level dslrs.

melekalikimaka

(hangs head in shame) usually round the 800 mark or up.... but i'm rarely taking anything in real light

bp_me

100...and 80 where possible.

Calina

Default is usually 200 (covers a multitude) but if the light is good enough I'll go for 100. I haven't liked what I get a high ISO values.

eas

thebaz wrote:

My camera (Nikon d 50) just keeps the ISO setting , to whatever it was last set to. So, don't think there is auto ISO , it was originally set to 200 , but as i say , whatever you switch to , is saved !

auto iso on the D50

http://www.digitaldingus.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3029

There is a feature that I especially like. This is Auto ISO. When this is turned on (you can select a minimum shutter speed) the camera will select the ISO it needs to get a proper exposure (it will select in steps smaller than 1 fstop). For example, if you set a minimum shutter speed of 1/100 when selecting Auto ISO and are in Aperture Priority Mode and set the aperture to f8 it will not use a shutter speed slower than 1/100. Instead it will increase the ISO to the extent necessary to get a proper exposure at 1/100 and f8. In Shutter Priority Mode you set the shutter speed and if the widest aperture is not enough for a proper exposure at ISO 200 it will increase the ISO. In Manual Mode you set the shutter speed and aperture and the camera will choose the ISO for a proper exposure. Auto ISO is a great feature when you need to work fast in changing light , e.g. where you are going into and out of sunlight and shadow. It does a an excellent job of using the lowest ISO which will give proper exposure. You can use exposure compensation with Auto ISO. I have Auto ISO as the default setting. If you select ISO manually your choices are limited to 1 fstop increments (e.g. ISO 200, 400 etc.)

mervifwdc

That is a nice feature. Can you set a limit for what it is not to go up past? e.g. set a limit of 800 iso as you might prefer blurr to noise for some reason?

Merv

davmigil

On Nikon D80: Keep it on 100 ISO as default. If I'm hand holding camera indoors I will up it as necessary so I can get a reasonable shutter speed (usually 400-800). Took some night shots on holidays and bumped it up to 1600 and pretty pleased with results. Keep meaning to look into Auto ISO option, but haven't set it yet.
Have a Canon Powershot A85 too. Set at 100, occassionally go to 200. Avoid 400 as unacceptably grainy.

Zillah

Keep it at 200 most of the time (lowest it goes) but I won't hesitate to whack it all the way up to 1600 if I have to. A bit of grain will disrupt a photo far less than camera shake.