PRO CAMERA HACK: Manual with AUTO ISO. Why this may be the best setting ever! 

What topic should I make my upcoming videos on? Looking for ideas!

Love the no nonsense approach. No jokes, no gimmicks, no silly stories or content. Just wonderful clear concise information on camera techniques. Well done, great video and presentation.

I would just like to say that, for me as a beginner photographer, this is hands-down the best advice I have gotten ever since I started. It can be very overwhelming to try and master juggling iso, aperture and shutterspeed, so having iso automated really let's me focus on the creativity and quality of the photo.

Where have you been all my photography life? 😀

Hi Simon, I want to thank you for this video. I switched to M with auto ISO, and it is a game-changer! I have spent the last few weekends focused on shooting birds in flight with these settings, which has improved my photos out-of-sight. It seems like such an obvious setting to use for birds, but it never occurred to me before! Thank you so much for helping me to improve my photography. All your videos are excellent, but this one especially has helped me.

this may be the most intriguing photo tip I've heard for a while! I'm definitely going to test it :D

Simon you do a great job with some very helpful information. You are obviously a no B.S. kind of a guy! I'm more of an architectural and drone photographer but you continue to inspiring me to focus more on wildlife and we have plenty of it in Idaho.

I kind of figured it out by myself, but it was so pleasing just to see you saying the same. Thank You🙂

I cant believe those videos are free.. you r sensei of photography.

Agree 100%. Canon's new camera's also have a special setting that allows you excellent options to use auto iso very flexibly. Having control of the creative look and feel f your shot is by far the most important. Now, if Canon would kindly just let us have 1/16,000!

I feel this is the best options for anyone who know nature and event photography. I don’t have the time to mess with iso while trying to capture a bride or sweet 16. I set my shutter and change my app constantly. I’ll let the camera decide my iso

I really like what you are doing for people on RU-vid. Your amazing wildlife photography really speaks for your understanding the proper setting for the best photo outcome. With that being said, I am struggling to understand how to use the exposure compensation in the field. Along with manual with auto iso. Especially in a fast action situation. Would it be possible to do a deep dive into exposure compensation in the field? If you already have a deep dive could you point me in the right direction? Thanks man. Keep doing what you're doing.

I just tried this. Yup Great tip! Thank you!

Best tip so far! Thank you!

Great stuff !

I also use auto white balance, which helps me in tricky light. I also use auto ISO [max. 3200] in Tv and Av modes, as well as Manual. Back-button focuser, too. These things are way more forgiving than Kodachrome 25 [25 ASA, that is], lemme tell ya.

I tried doing this with my Canon 90D and it was not a good idea. I found that my camera was pushing ISO far more than it needed too. I find that controlling your environment and adjusting your ISO to the appropriate setting is crucial. Also Lightroom can help with low light or overexposure.

Nice video, what about setting proper white balance.

Great video Simon

excellent

Useful, although there is a catch here. I didn't catch what camera you're shooting with but it seems that it performs very well in low ISO mode. That's the key. If someone like me, with an older camera would do the same, the result of increasing ISO even above 800 or 1600 would not be as eye pleasing as the photos showed here. It all depends on the camera, so yes, for some of people it will work, for others not. There's also an aspect of camera not choosing the right ISO and compensation is not always an option.

I just played with my camera for 2h today and found out that auto iso is good to get wanted shutter speed for fast moving objects.

I literally use the hack.... Great

why did i think the owl was real for the first half of the video😂😂

"ISO is the only setting that doesn't change the artistic properties of the photo." You know... the obvious has eluded me for over 30 years. Grain and noise as a wedding photographer have always been a great concern, and thinking on this a few moments, reviewing in my mind the missed shots as I fiddled all three parameters (digitally) and the timing was off just enough to miss a climactic moment in those shooots... I wish I would have approached some stages of the weddings with THIS statement in mind! You are exactly correct- with living subjects that final aspect of quality, especially upon some reflection, rarely matters.

Simon, you are a rarity. You are clear and concise in your explanations. You get to the point, you show examples, and do not waste a moment on unnecessary tangents. Excellent job.

As an old film photographer, I think that the ability to shoot manual with auto ISO is the biggest advance in photography since the advent of color.

I think you are an excellent teacher. I have struggled with grasping ISO, aperture etc. you made it completely understandable. Please keep "teaching" how to use the various modes & settings on the camera. So helpful. You are clear and concise. Love your intro music by the way, and your animal photos are stunning. I just received a Nikon P1000 for wildlife and birding. Specifically for reference photos, as I like to paint. Any tips & educational videos are very appreciated. Thanks so so much!

I am really enjoying your videos. Although I've been a hobbyist photographer for over 65 years, I'm learning new techniques and disposing of some misconceptions I have had that (I now realize) have been restricting my photographic capabilities. Some of this goes back to my film/transparency days (1960's) when I was learning to shoot with a SLR. Modern cameras have SO much more capability plus our powerful, post-processing software. It's a whole different world! I'm afraid, in my old age, I've not kept up with technology. You are showing me the errors of my ways and I greatly appreciate it! It's sort of like, learning photography all over again; and, it's fun.

You have single-handedly just elevated my comprehension of my favorite tool - the camera. I have been playing with the camera for over 20 years and it blows my mind that I didn't already realize many of the things you say

as an amateur photographer, I love manual mode, using the auto iso is probably the best tip I have gotten. My pictures are more sharp and I don't loose the ability to frame what I like. Thank you

I've been shooting in Manual Mode with Auto ISO for nearly 5 years now. I love this method. I do see some variation in the exposure as the subject moves from a darker area to a liter area, but the images still come out looking very good. Simon, you are the first pro I have heard that supports this method. Either the other pros like to do it the hard way, or they aren't sharing their true methods. Thank you so much for doing these videos. They are great!

With Sony, you have an even better option: "Aperture priority with minimum shutter speed plus AUTO ISO". You set your preferred aperture und set a min. shutter speed, e.g. 1/250sec. The ISO is set to AUTO. So it always uses the lowest ISO possible. If there is enough light, it decreases the ISO down to 100 and then it starts to increase the shutter speed. Way more convenient than manual with AUTO ISO. Here is a how-to: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gqqmqKFzHRg.html

Those of us who started with film don't think about 'floating' the ISO; we pick a sensitivity with which we are familiar and stick with it. This is a new way of thinking about the exposure triangle. I am using a Nikon D3300. Thank you.

I'm an amateur student photographer and I also like shooting with manual+auto iso with Canon! Great content with a very nice educational logical approach. Thanks a lot for the video!

This is exactly what I "discovered" for myself! I use this settings often for videography (manual white balance, shutter and aperture, auto ISO with EV + 1.3-1.7 / PP: HLG3 - SONY Cam /. Up to this point I didn't know If this was a "professional" way of shooting but it works extremely well for my type of video content. Thank you Sir for this video. ..by the way....the photos you make are extraordinary!

After many years of being a “decent” iPhone “photographer” I decided to cut my teeth buy a camera (Canon R8) and Light Room, and I must say I’ve watched hundreds of videos but yours have easily been the most helpful. I greatly appreciate your page!

This is why I like the "FV" mode on Canon M6II, setting ISO to auto and being able to change shutter speed or aperture quickly.

Hi Simon, when you began to explain why you had chosen auto ISO for wildlife, I found myself shaking my head in frustration wondering why I had never thought through the logic of this method when it was so darned obvious. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge in such a straightforward and easy to follow manner. It was so good that I’m now a new sub. Cheers, Dave

Next challenge is backyard photography. Can you create something this magnificent without leaving the house? Many people don't have the opportunity to go to such beautiful places. BTW another spectacular video.

Definitely agree. Many people have this fear that your ISO has to be less than 400 at all costs, because of unnoticeable grain that will "destroy" their image. And while to some extent older cameras may do this, its far better to have properly exposed picture with grain than underexposed picture.

I’ve been using Aperture mode with fixed ISO all these years and this video opened my eyes to a way more creative way of leveraging my new camera’s ability to automate the light triangle from a corner I had neglected (perhaps because I grew up using fixed ISO film 🙂). Thank you Simon!

The Professor is back with another masterclass! You're a genuine treasure chest of information, Simon😊

I accidentally discovered the Auto ISO when I reset my camera's settings. It truly made shooting in Manual easier. I'm so glad I found this video for a more in-depth discussion. Thank you!

I only discovered your channel today, subscribed and now working through your back catalogue. I consider myself an experienced amateur but I've already learned new things from your videos, mainly regarding approaches to photography and techniques in general (not gear-related). Looking forward to more content in that vein. Great job. Thanks.

As a sports photographer, I will use auto ISO with fixed f/stop and shutter speed in daylight. Exposures maintain well-balanced between sunlight and shade. For night sports, setting for auto ISO can go to very high extremes with unwanted noise. Instead, I set my ISO manually with wide-open f/stop, staying with 1/1000 sec. for the brightest area. I always shoot in RAW for the best post adjustments in exposure dynamic range. Those using zoom lenses with variable f/stop according to focal length, I set the f/stop fixed for the highest number at max zoom, maintaining fixed ISO and shutter speed. As always, observe the exposure triangle when shooting in Manual. Experimentation is the best instructor.

Except for situations where I want to control every aspect of my exposure in order to get something specific out of my camera, I always used ISO on auto. A tip for beginners would be to check how your camera reacts to different ISO values and to set the maximum value ISO value for auto so it doesn't go in unwanted territory. Also, as a suggestion for a future video, you could explore how to take wildlife photography with lenses in the 15mm - 100mm range.

Quality content right here. As a beginner photographer this is what I need. Concise, precise and explanation of the most basic concepts. Thank you, you have earned a new subscriber!

War Stories: With film, you had to pick the ISO or perhaps two ISOs if you had two bodies and that would be it sometimes for the whole trip. My first Canon 1D and 1Ds did not have auto ISO. Later, the Canon bodies had auto ISO but no exposure compensation in manual mode. Then they added exposure compensation in an extremely awkward and time consuming way. Finally, we have auto ISO with exposure compensation on a dial of your choosing. AAaahhhh…. Finally. With the pro 1D line of bodies, you can tie the spot metering to the spot being focused. This is even one step better than exposure compensation. It isn’t on the EOS R5. It appears to be under appreciated. I shot a lot of musicians on stage with weird and wicked lighting. Being able to get the musician’s eye in focus as well as properly exposed is a game changer. What use to be extremely challenging is almost ho-hum simple now. I really like your videos and the depth you go into with examples and the reason why you do things.

I like your presentation style, very watchable! I would add re Manual & auto iso that it is probably not the best mode for novices in critical exposure situations. The problem being that there is one variable over which we have no control in quickly changing situations for example when panning a bird in flight ! The iso adjustment is altered and controlled by the cameras metering system, if we are using a broad metering mode like evaluative or matrix the iso adjustment can be radically altered depending on what is included in the panning scene, subsequently a smaller metering mode like spot or centre weighted is ok provide we are able to keep this area on the subject, not always easy to achieve ! In full manual at least we have no variable, once we have set exposure for our subject we are set and have no variables outside our control!

I've come to a very similar conclusion myself, and it's made shooting a lot more convenient for me. The control of manual with the split-second availability of automatic. This and auto-bracketing has allowed me to miss far fewer shots. Great recommendations!

Spot on! I still linger in the lower Auto ISO ranges, say from 100-400, but letting the camera pick ISO has been very freeing, And, as I understand it with my Sony gear, the camera defaults to the lowest appropriate ISO anyway, so what's to lose?

I also use manual with auto iso, and it works well for me for the reasons you mention. In answer to your question, I would like to see a day in your life type episode when you go out to photograph wildlife, including how you plan, pack and what you do on location. Also, if you go on expeditions to new locations, it would be great to come along with you!

It seems to depend on the type of photography. For landscape, the most important settings are aperture and ISO. It only makes sense to have total control over aperture and ISO and use the shutter to determine the exposure.

For sure you are a great photographer, Simon, but you are also a great teacher with a so careful approach. A new topic for your next videos could be what steps you follow to prepare your photo trip (location, time, type of image to shoot, etc.)

Probably one of the most informative (and applicable) photography videos I have seen. Great explanation with demonstration. Thanks for sharing!

I went to an airshow recently and brought my father's old camera that hasn't been used in almost a decade. Your videos helped me prepare for that show, and have helped me find and get my new camera afterwards; and now are continuing to help me learn and has really drawn me into photography. Thanks so much for all this incredible content!

Sir, you are one of the best, IF NOT THE BEST, RU-vidr on the subject of Photography. Everyone of your videos feels like I am attending a Master Class. Your delivery and the quality of your images are incredible! Thank you!!

Love this Manual auto ISO settings ❤ I imminently see the difference in my photos, literally game changer for me, thanks for the knowledge 🙏

Your videos are the most useful photography videos I have ever found. I love your no-baloney, terse style. To me, what sets your videos apart is that you always explain WHY, you don't just bombard the viewer with "do this" and "do that." Thank you very much, I've learned so much from your videos.

Discovered this myself a year or so ago and it completely revolutionized the way I was taking photos. Granted, there's no free lunch, but with speed, sharpness, and depth of focus being so critical, I can work with grain and noise in post production. This is a fantastic video - great examples and clear explanations. Huge kudos! J

I too have been using this setting for years; on Pentax cameras the exposure selection knob has the usual aperture and shutter priorities but also a TAV setting which I have never seen on any other body. This setting does what you describe here, but being on the selection knob means you can very quickly switch between modes rather than the time-consuming dive into the menu as in this video example. I really don’t understand why other manufacturers limit their exposure modes in this way.

This was terrific! I like the fact that you really teach us and not just describe equipment.

I just heard about auto ISO this morning and then did a search to see if you discussed this...and you did! On my continuing journey as a newbie, I have set both my Nikons (D5600, D7500) to auto ISO. I was having issues with appropriate ISO settings and will be interested to see if this setting resolves them. I also liked your exposure compensation tip at the end of this video. As always, your videos are concise and a great learning tool for me.

I appreciate the video and suggestion for using auto iso. As a landscape shooter I typically set iso low to minimize noise, determine my required depth of field and let the shutter speed fall where it will (on a tripod). Last fall I photographed Sandhill Cranes and the auto iso manual exposure method would have been very useful. My Sony offers the option so next time I shoot moving subjects I’ll give it a try. Thanks for the clear explanation.

What a game changer! This auto ISO is now my go-to. After being out of practice for many years and getting all new equipment, this is absolutely my go to channel for tips. Thank you so much for this content!!

what recommendation could i give , your one video has information of 100, simplified

I'm on the other side of the table its full manual for me unless it's very changeable light or I don't have the time/stressed. With mirrorless its so easy to go full manual and see exactly what you are ending up with. Auto ISO can make mistakes depending on your metering.

Thank you Simon! I’ve been using auto ISO for a few years now because I worked out that it’s works better for me. I feel like a bit of a cheat though so it’s good to have you affirm it. I love your videos and your no nonsense approach. You are an excellent teacher! Thanks so much! 🙏🏻😊👏🏻

This doesn't work if one doesn't consider when overexposure will happen. You'll be back to needing to adjust T or A anyway. So, go out and decide what manual setting of T and A are going to be correct at the day/scene brightest at ISO 100 (or your lowest) and set at or less expose than that as your manual starting point (higher aperture or shutter speed) so that ISO will only rise. For instance, I shot a theme of street people at 5:00 p.m. each day over a month -- all from car looking at sidewalk people, with each day's lighting staying steady overall during the half-hour of shooting. I couldn't fool with settings, so I chose my aperture according to my artistic desire and left it there. Movement of all sorts demanded highest shutter possible. But what shutter was the fastest that could be used with auto-ISO in play? The shutter that was exposing the brightest scenes correctly at ISO 100! In this case, the subjects in direct sunlight, or scenes in direct light or the highest light of the day's views. With T set in this considered maximum, ISO could then increase with darker scenes, protecting me from overexposure.

Your photos are fricken amazing!!,,,haven’t seen anything on RU-vid quite like them. This video is clear, concise and well presented in terms of production qualities - well done for a newbie. We live in western Canada’s northland where the subjects you capture are also in abundance providing us with the same opportunities to document our natural world using these wonderful cameras and lenses unimaginable only a decade ago. We are now subscribers.

Manual + AUTO ISO with eventual exposure comp is my way to go! The Auto ISO can be constrained to max and min value for extra tailoring !

Thanks Simon, really appreciate the background foundational information that allows you to turn this into more of a philosophy, than just a bunch of stacked-up fact you have to remember! 😊 Also, your photos are really incredibly beautiful; and you caught some seemingly rare occurrences, like they were routine-and we know they’re not! 🧐 I used to shoot film with a MinoltaXD-5; it had both aperture and shutter preferred modes, as well as manual; but what was really special was the EV control-and I used the heck out of it! Ektachrome-64 (with DIY E-6!) & Panatomic-X forever! 😅

I do mostly music photography in a small club and was used to shooting in full manual mode. At the urging of a fellow photographer I decided to try auto ISO and I have to say I like it. How nice not to have to worry about 3 things. Now I let the camera pick the ISO and I can make adjustments to the shutter speed and/or f stop knowing the camera will adjust the ISO. I cap off the ISO at 12,800 and even those images are usable. Made my life a lot easier. Thanks for the video!

I have learnt so much in 9 minutes than I have tried to learn in months 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🙌🏾❤️

I just came across your video, and I am deeply impressed. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and pictures. You are easy to understand, you're not rushing through the material and there is a genuine flow to your presentation. Looking forward to more like this,

Grreat explanations. I find it's far easier to quickly change my ISO than to fiddle with exposure compensation with auto ISO. Knowing the options are what's important.

possibly the cutest owl ever

There are a lot of people on RU-vid presenting photography how-to videos and you wonder why they think they can; this channel is not one of them. I have watched only two videos and I have subscribed, usually I don't do that. Thank you Simon for sharing your knowledge, your images are stunning and your straightforward approach is refreshing. I wish you luck with your channel.

Unfortunately if I set 1/160 ss and f4, with auto iso indoors on my D7200 + sigma 17-50mm 2.8, its a horrible grainy mess of a photo. This probably works well outdoors,.not indoors unfortunately

You do an excellent job with explaining things in detail. Thats whats missing with alot of other channels. Keep up the good work.

I have always shot in manual following my early moments having to shoot my sons action shots during his years playing rugby. This video is such a major revelation to me and Auto ISO is now my default because it takes the pressure away from me. Simon, thank you

I like what you say especially about manual with auto iso. I am a member of JoWLP and saw your course there on wildlife photography. Also watched Lee Hoy's course at JoWLP about bird photograhy. Lee adamantly disagrees about using auto iso. Matt Katklowski also a contributor on JoWLP suggest auto iso. I am sure I can find another pro who will agree with Lee. I cut my photograhy teeth in the days of film and slides as a part time traveling studio photographer. It's just been since I retired, a few years ago, that I've gotten more serious about landscape and wildlife photography. In fact, I still use DSLR (more acurately DSLT) cameras. I have tried with and without auto iso and for the sake of speed I have to go with auto iso.

The best teacher, very serious and professional

I'm learning so much from you Simon. The manual mode of a camera scares the life out of me. You make it easier to understand. 🙌🏻 Respect

most are afraid to use Manual and go for the program modes...... but you will be more creative and have more fun when you discover the power of Manual shooting !!!!!

Yes, this is what I have been doing lately a lot. After using full manual in the beginning, I started to go for AV mode for a while, but after getting into birding I started to use auto ISO in manual mode. I do have to check the exposure and metering more often, but I really like this approach. Great video!!

Problem with auto iso is that you have to keep in mind on your metering mode. Whole frame metering and spot metering, or even average metering may have a huge impact in what your camera sees. I end up with overexposed images sometimes

Hi Simon, I'm now using your advice on manual with auto ISO. My hit rate has rocketed and I'm getting more sharper pics. I'd also like to thank you for your explanation on back button focus. I'd have never used this until I watched your video. Now I'm loving it. Thanks again and keep doing the vids. Dave

An insanely easy hack that I had never considered. Up until this video, I was always under the impression the lowest ISO is always best. Now I'm hooked on watching all your videos as they are all providing excellent advice to all skill levels. Thank you Simon!!

Auto ISO has been my default shooting method for years. It's always baffled me why people don't use it more often. With so many of the newer mirrorless cameras being essentially ISO invariant up to 3200, there's really no reason to be scared of cranking it up.

Simon, The wind was blowing about 20 MPH. I used my back button focus (patting tummy and rubbing head comes to mind) while the camera to Manual mode with auto ISO. Dragonflies are my quarry. Some of the photos were good. Thanks.

Fantastic content Simon!! I finally made the switch a few weeks ago to auto ISO. It was a great decision to make!! Why not allow the camera to decide? Like you state, it doesn’t change your image like speed or aperture does!! Great content as always!! Cheers!

As an event and wedding photographer I can tell this is great tip. I've been doing this lately and it works so well. Sometimes it over expose or under expose but while editing its an easy fix compared to blown out photo and a totally under exposed one.

Wow. I cannot believe this has escaped me for all these years. I suppose that coming over from film, the thought of using ISO as a variable never crossed my mind. But it just makes sense in today's world of digital. Aperture and shutter speed are intentional, in that it reflects the intent of the shooter. ISO is not, which means we should just let the camera decide the proper ISO. The advancement in noise reduction software just makes this even more of a no-brainer. Thank you for opening my eyes!

Not only are your photos beautiful, but to be in a position to take photos like those has me green with envy. I've always been hesitant to go full manual mainly because managing all 3 settings for a shot is very difficult. I was also nervous about letting the camera pick ISO because I was afraid it would go overboard. These tips have given me the confidence to give it a try!

Simon, you left out the "HOW TO DO IT" part of setting the quick ("thumb") dial to achieve Auto ISO exposure compensation - PRAY TELL how one is to accomplish such a masterful feat - with a Canon R10. Many thanks!

Very informative video. It's a shame I didn't see this video sooner. I have just got back into photography and trying to improve my technique. Many years ago I was told always use ISO 100 as much as you can for best quality photographs. I was photographing classic cars at a show last weekend I was shooting in AV with ISO 100. Upon viewing all my images later a majority of photos were very dark and required "lightening". I will certainly be be trying auto ISO in the future. Thanks for this video.

DUDE. I don't even do wildlife photography and I have gotten more out of your clear and concise explanations than several of the street photographers I've listened to (some of which are a little too poseurish for my taste). I shoot Manual with Auto ISO all the time )except for some architecture and landscape), but you have clearly explained why this mode has definite advantages. I'd also add that DxO PureRAW and other apps can easily remove noise caused by higher ISO settings, so I completely agree that this is secondary to the moment of creative composition. I also prefer to slightly underexpose my photos in general (except for the few times I take wildlife or moving subjects), but that's neither here nor there. Please don't stop doing what you're doing! A+

Hi Simon, this is the first time - not the last - that I chose to look at one of your videos. I'm glad I did. Acutally, I've been using Auto-ISO for at least two years now. Before it was AV, only. And I was happy with the change. But after digesting what you are explaining here: I'm even more delighted about the Auto-ISO option, and I'll use it more liberally in the future. Even more so, since I'm also using Topaz! Summing it up: the risk of failing in photography is much higher if you try to avoid high ISOs at all cost, than if you just let the automatic go, and take care of the minor problems - later on. Thanks for encouraging this view. It will greatly help my photography, in the future, pracitically (missing fewer shots) and artistically (rather accepting a little bit of noise instead of completely missing the shot) I'm subscribed now, since I'm convinced.