Auto-ISO really needs a configuration parameter

INTRO

Finally got my 5D2, a big step forward from the XT.
One of the features I loved was Auto-ISO... you don't know how many times I have shot ISO 800 on a sunny day because of an indoor party the day before !

PROBLEM

I always set the camera to Av for portraits.
Auto-ISO tries to apply the classic "1/FL" rule which is not a great idea when you have to stop subject motion (e.g. kids) even using a 50mm.
In general, this is a bit odd for a 21 MP sensor; I am no "pixel-peeper" but sometimes I need to crop with unacceptable results.

SOLUTION

Engineers at Canon please read this and add a custom function "Auto-ISO minimum time" with choices "1/FL", "1/25", "1/50", "1/100", et cetera.
Thanks in advance for adding this in the next firmware release

Or even better, add custom function which reminds photographer to check shooting parameters before pressing the shutter button.
That message should scroll trough the viewfinder, emphasizing the fact that most of these parameters are right there, in the viewfinder.

I am not sure, but I think I have read somewhere that there is an option in the menu that will set the iso stop sequence of your preference. But I am not sure

Hermeto wrote in post #7022697
most of these parameters are right there, in the viewfinder.

On the XT there was no ISO display neither in the viewfinder nor in the LCD.
On the 5D2 it's all there but seeing that Auto-ISO has selected bad parameters won't solve my problem.

aymanmb wrote in post #7023244
I am not sure, but I think I have read somewhere that there is an option in the menu that will set the iso stop sequence of your preference. But I am not sure

Can't find it. Searching around it seems there is on.. Nikon D700
Canon should really fix this instead of the black-pixels issue (but it seems there is an alarming number of peepers out there !).

After all, I am not asking for a modern AF (on the 5D2 it's not much better than the XT one)...
I am just asking for a simple software parameter.

CheshireCat, I couldn't agree with you more on this issue. I have to manually increase ISO at times to give me a faster shutter speed for a given aperture.

I'm the opposite. I cannot stand Auto-ISO. I find it a heck of a lot easier to move my middle finger, and hit the ISO button and adjust. I tried it once, but it picking 400 ISO (40D) all the time had me annoyed.

On the 1d-III, ISO Safety shift(close to Auto ISO) has an adjustable parameter for shutter speed, but the limit can only be adjusted to 1/60th(or slower). So the 5d-II is a bit better for longer lenses, but yea, I'd like to pick my own shutter speed limit.

Av limit adjustability is nice too, for Tv mode. Available in 1d-III, but not the 5d.

Lots of us had this request for the 1d-III(faster than 1/60th limit), but it never happened. So, don't hold your breath on a change for the 5d-II. On the other hand, Canon did give us joy-stick AF selection on the 1d-III, after the fact. So, you never know.

At the risk of being slightly cynical - Isn't the point of buying a DSLR so that you as the photographer have control over the settings you want to achieve your desired end result. If you want the camera to do everything for you then maybe a point and shoot would be better.
That is not meant as a personal attack, so please don't take it personally - I just find it strange that you someone would be happy to shell out for a top end DSLR and then want it to operate in what amounts to almost a fully automatic mode....

fishman wrote in post #7030830
At the risk of being slightly cynical - Isn't the point of buying a DSLR so that you as the photographer have control over the settings you want to achieve your desired end result. If you want the camera to do everything for you then maybe a point and shoot would be better.
That is not meant as a personal attack, so please don't take it personally - I just find it strange that you someone would be happy to shell out for a top end DSLR and then want it to operate in what amounts to almost a fully automatic mode....

I dissagree. I see auto ISO no different from Av or Tv modes. Say for a specific scene I want a certian DOF, and have a minimum Tv requirement. What's wrong with letting the camera auto adjust the ISO to achieve the correct exposure? I've picked the important parameters, Av and Tv. ISO is rarely part of the creative or technical side of using an SLR.

Do you only use Manual mode? I know some do, but they don't say buy a P&S to those using Tv or Av modes.

fishman wrote in post #7030830
At the risk of being slightly cynical - Isn't the point of buying a DSLR so that you as the photographer have control over the settings you want to achieve your desired end result. If you want the camera to do everything for you then maybe a point and shoot would be better.
That is not meant as a personal attack, so please don't take it personally - I just find it strange that you someone would be happy to shell out for a top end DSLR and then want it to operate in what amounts to almost a fully automatic mode....

AutoISO is not asking the camera to do anything other than acheive the proper exposure and lowest sensitivity required for each shot. If you don't want the camera making decisions for you in regard to exposure, then I assume you ONLY shoot in manual mode. People are shelling out money for top-end cameras because they actually speed the process up so that you don't waste time and miss shots fiddling with ISO sensitivity and manually setting everything in manual mode.

It would be nice if AutoISO allowed a FL-multiplier option (my XSi was shooting at 1/50 while the 18-55IS was at 55mm, but that was equiv. to 88mm!). If they allowed the current 1/FL rule to be multiplied it would also allow those with slightly shaker to still get sharper shots with autoISO.

I like my D700's autoISO because you can set a minimum shutter speed and maximum/minimum ISO sensitivity. If you are shooting a car or a moving animal, 1/200 (for instance on a 200/2) is not always going to freeze the action adequately. The alternative is to throw it in Aperture-priority and pre-set the ISO to the max or pre-meter and set Manual to the most probable conditions and make adjustments later in software.

CheshireCat wrote in post #7022602
SOLUTION

Engineers at Canon please read this and add a custom function "Auto-ISO minimum time" with choices "1/FL", "1/25", "1/50", "1/100", et cetera.
Thanks in advance for adding this in the next firmware release

Hey for years Canon has needed to have a minimum shutter speed time parameter for Av mode with ETTL flash fill control, so that you don't end up unexpectedly waiting for the camera to get through with its 4 sec. exposure in the middle of trying to photograph a multiple photo radid flash sequence during a wedding reception, too!

OTOH, Canon Auto ISO implementation is rather useless, with or without a minimum speed parameter!

IF you need a certain shutter speed, why not just shoot in Tv, let the camera adjust the Aperture and ISO? If this is still too much, shoot full out manual, or full on AUTO in GREEN zones.

Livinthalife wrote in post #7032007
IF you need a certain shutter speed, why not just shoot in Tv, let the camera adjust the Aperture and ISO? If this is still too much, shoot full out manual, or full on AUTO in GREEN zones.

I want total control over ALL AND ONLY the creative parameters I feel like at the moment.

Manual mode is lame just because I miss a very simple option to operate as follows:
- Human sets aperture
- Human sets shutter time
- The system automatically sets the ISO in order to achieve correct exposure.

It would be as simple as that... let's call it "Manual mode with Auto-ISO" and add a new mode dial entry "MAI" !
I promise I won't claim royalties

P.S. And there's still a lot of space in the dial for "C4", "C5", "C6" ... !

CheshireCat wrote in post #7033180
P.S. And there's still a lot of space in the dial for "C4", "C5", "C6" ... !

LOL!!!!

I am an old film user (true in more senses than I'd like it to be), and have never felt the need for auto ISO. I gather that Nikon have had the feature for a while, so Canon are presumably playing catch up.

There are other features I'd prefer and a load I'd never miss.