Auto ISO not logical - firmware wishlist

[thomsva]

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I use auto iso a lot. I allowed it to go down to 1/30 sec and up to iso3200. I like the functionality most of the time. But in my opinion it has a clear error that makes me need to go fully manual in some situations.

 

When using auto-everything the camera operates very logically and well in a wide range of conditions. When I want a certain depth of field I can set the aperture manually and the camera sets the shutter time and iso automatically, still works fine. When I want a certain shutter speed, I can set it manually and let the camera set the aperture and iso automatically. This still works very well.

 

BUT if I set aperture AND shutter speed manually, then auto iso always selects iso 100. I think this is a clear error. If auto iso is used I think the camera should always try to get the correct exposure if it's within the limits set in the menu (of course taking into account any EV+/- set by the user).

 

(Btw. I have not read if the manual says anything about this. What I write above is just my opinion of how it should work according to my logic.)

 

Also I would like the ISO number to show on the screen all the time. When using preset iso the number will show on the screen but it disappears when halfpressing the shutter. When using auto-iso the actual iso number shows only afterwards in play mode.

 

When talking about ISO, I would like to be able to choose iso50 and iso25 if technically possible. With iso100 it's not possible to use f/2.8 in very bright daylight without overexposing using the fastest shutter speed 1/2000sec.

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[mjh]

BUT if I set aperture AND shutter speed manually, then auto iso always selects iso 100. I think this is a clear error. If auto iso is used I think the camera should always try to get the correct exposure if it's within the limits set in the menu (of course taking into account any EV+/- set by the user).

I’ve seen other cameras doing this so the X1 is certainly not alone. Most likely the rationale is that in manual mode the photographer presumably wants total control over the exposure. Auto ISO would turn this into some kind of automatic exposure again – regardless of the aperture and shutter speed settings the exposure would always look the same, only the amount of noise would differ.

[thomsva]

OK, if this is a common standard then it's better left unchanged.

 

I don't actually know how it works on my Nikon, because there I tend to set iso manually.

[jsrockit]

Most likely the rationale is that in manual mode the photographer presumably wants total control over the exposure.

 

I have to agree with this.