Auto ISO Behavior

Rod McD wrote:

Hi,

I'm going to be controversial and ask 'why switch to auto-ISO?' It doesn't seem to me to offer any significant benefits. It introduces more complexity than setting ISO myself and occasional hidden pitfalls for the unwary. Despite many threads on the subject, I still don't know why anyone bothers.

The Fuji gods put a thumping great knob on the top left hand end of my camera to control ISO in a system where their market purports to actually like analogue controls. It's got numbers on it. When the light is bright, I turn it to low numbers. When the light is low (or I specifically want faster SS's) I turn it to higher numbers. It's easy. The light never changes so fast that I need it automated. I knowwhat my camera is set to and I don't get any strange outcomes around the set-up parameters, DR management or electronic flash usage. It's kind of fail-safe - it works beautifully!

Cheers, Rod

I get where you're coming from, and when you're in an environment with consistent lighting, then setting ISO using the dial will serve you just fine. If you're going in and out of light, or in fast, dynamic situations, it's very nice to have ISO set to auto and have the peace of mind that you won't have any shots with shutter speeds that are too slow. Hasn't it ever happened to you when you see a fleeting moment, and bring the viewfinder to your eye, frame the scene well, take the photo, only to find that the image is blurred because shutter speed was too low? When used correctly, there are no pitfalls with auto ISO, which is kind of the point. Whenever I have used auto ISO, it has always been flawless.