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Auto ISO Question


Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

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I like auto ISO..............I use it a lot when using my other digital cameras. I sometimes get messed up and forget to change it when putting the camera on a tripod to shoot a landscape and end up shooting that landscape at f16 1/100 and ISO 3200........

Anyway my question is what auto ISO setting do you use with your TL2? .................I haven't seen the camera or menu yet but I am thinking 2 x focal length and ISO3200

 

Has anyone been brave enough to use anything higher than 3200 and get good results??

 

Neil

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I feel conflicted with auto iso on the T.

I like to decide on my aperture and speed and let the auto iso get whatever it wants between iso 100 and up to 1600 on the T. Problem is if I do so I cannot change the EV compensation... this is annoying... :(

 

Anyway I am not sure to understand your point because you mention tripod use so why put your camera at iso3200 on a tripod ?

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

 

Anyway I am not sure to understand your point because you mention tripod use so why put your camera at iso3200 on a tripod ?

Because I forgot to switch auto ISO off :(

 

Neil

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I see^^

 

For landscape my 1st reflex is to switch to base iso on any camera then set the aperture required and see what speed I get (I've read diffraction is string at f16 on TL lenses so I avoid it). If the speed feels to low to freeze the picture (ie windy scnenery) I may then raise the iso a bit. If I have the feeling I may need to raise iso to much then I may prefer to open my aperture a bit.

 

Best,

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

I have no plans to shoot this camera with a tripod........it will be all hand held.

If I need to shoot on a tripod I will use a different camera

 

Neil

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I have the same problem - I like to control exposure directly (fix the ISO for the conditions, then select the aperture for depth of field and adjust shutter speed for overall exposure, as the least important).

 

Here's how it works for me - with the Monochrom, I'm less worried about the ISO, so I tend to leave that on Auto.  I understand pretty well how that camera is going to meter, so I either use aperture priority (shutter speed on A) and use the rear wheel for EV compensation, or I have it on manual and count back from the red dot using the arrows in the viewfinder.

 

With the SL, I've found that I don't use the meter at all.  I set the ISO, aperture and shutter speed manually and assess the exposure using the EVF set on exposure simulation (two presses on the fn button).  This is how I like to work, and I wish all Leica cameras with EVFs worked this way.  I understand this isn't practical with AF lenses needing to focus wide open then stop down.

 

With the TL, there isn't a quick and easy way to adjust EV compensation, and I haven't found a way to get exposure simulation (i.e., have the EVF show the final exposure), so I'm a bit stuck.  My method is to set the ISO at base (100?), and have the camera in manual mode - aperture on the left wheel, shutter on the right, and assess exposure using the little gauge at the bottom of the screen.

 

A nice trick with the TL2 is that I have auto-review turned off, but the image I've just taken stays in the viewfinder if I hold down the shutter release after taking a picture, giving me a very quick review of the exposure.  I know the TL2 is supposed to have great dynamic range, with the sensor working well into the high figures, but having left it on Auto ISO by mistake many times, I don't like ending up with grainy pictures taken in good light.

 

So, I tend not to use Auto ISO at all (except with the Monochrom).

 

How do others deal with ISO?

 

Cheers

John

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

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John

On any other camera 'well maybe not every camera' I like too use auto ISO. The reason being is that for me to hand hold say the SL with my Noctilux then I need a minimum of 1/100 shutter or say 2x focal length, 90mm APO I need 1/180 and so on, this way I take the camera shake out of the equitation. I choose what f stop I want at the same time looking at how high the ISO is in the viewfinder..................I then make a conscious decision if I am happy with the ISO ............and if so I take the picture, and if not if possible I will open up the f stop to reduce the noise.

 

This makes for a quick on the fly workflow. With my SL I used ISO 1600 as the top number, with my D810 I use ISO 3200 .................Until I see the capabilities of the TL2 I think I will start off at ISO3200 and see what I get.

 

Neil

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

John

On any other camera 'well maybe not every camera' I like too use auto ISO. The reason being is that for me to hand hold say the SL with my Noctilux then I need a minimum of 1/100 shutter or say 2x focal length, 90mm APO I need 1/180 and so on, this way I take the camera shake out of the equitation. I choose what f stop I want at the same time looking at how high the ISO is in the viewfinder..................I then make a conscious decision if I am happy with the ISO ............and if so I take the picture, and if not if possible I will open up the f stop to reduce the noise.

 

This makes for a quick on the fly workflow. With my SL I used ISO 1600 as the top number, with my D810 I use ISO 3200 .................Until I see the capabilities of the TL2 I think I will start off at ISO3200 and see what I get.

 

Neil

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That's all very rational, but you are stuck with the camera making the ultimate decision for you - shutter for camera shake, aperture for depth of field, ISO for what ... ?

 

Provided the image conforms to the roughly neutral grey algorithm of the meter, your results are fine.  But if, when you look through the viewfinder, you think your highlights might be blown, or the shadows not dark enough or sand not light enough, you'll need to make adjustments.  Not so easy on the fly with the TL2 as there's no exposure compensation available without diving into the menu.

 

When you set out for the day, if you get into the habit of saying to yourself "this is an ISO 100 day" and fixing the ISO, then the position changes dramatically - you can control the exposure directly using the aperture and shutter dials.

 

Edit - you can, of course, set the meter to multi-zone (which is effective) or carefully select where you meter, half press the shutter and recompose, but you've then also fixed your focus ...

Edited by IkarusJohn
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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

That's all very rational, but you are stuck with the camera making the ultimate decision for you - shutter for camera shake, aperture for depth of field, ISO for what ... ?

 

Provided the image conforms to the roughly neutral grey algorithm of the meter, your results are fine.  But if, when you look through the viewfinder, you think your highlights might be blown, or the shadows not dark enough or sand not light enough, you'll need to make adjustments.  Not so easy on the fly with the TL2 as there's no exposure compensation available without diving into the menu.

 

When you set out for the day, if you get into the habit of saying to yourself "this is an ISO 100 day" and fixing the ISO, then the position changes dramatically - you can control the exposure directly using the aperture and shutter dials.

 

Edit - you can, of course, set the meter to multi-zone (which is effective) or carefully select where you meter, half press the shutter and recompose, but you've then also fixed your focus ...

 

John

On any other camera 'well maybe not every camera' I like too use auto ISO. The reason being is that for me to hand hold say the SL with my Noctilux then I need a minimum of 1/100 shutter or say 2x focal length, 90mm APO I need 1/180 and so on, this way I take the camera shake out of the equitation. I choose what f stop I want at the same time looking at how high the ISO is in the viewfinder..................I then make a conscious decision if I am happy with the ISO ............and if so I take the picture, and if not if possible I will open up the f stop to reduce the noise.

 

This makes for a quick on the fly workflow. With my SL I used ISO 1600 as the top number, with my D810 I use ISO 3200 .................Until I see the capabilities of the TL2 I think I will start off at ISO3200 and see what I get.

 

Neil

I forgot to mention that all of the above is in a low light situation. When out in bright sunlight then of course I will use base ISO...............I wish I was shooting the camera next week

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Low light, I still set ISO where I want it - it just takes another variable out of the equation.

 

In low light, the meter is almost always going to try to force you to over expose, so you will need some level of intervention, won't you?  I assume you want low light images to look dark, rather than having the camera trying to turn everything into daylight?

 

To revert to your question, I have set my Auto-ISO settings to max exposure time 1/2 (that seems to deal with camera shake, and remember there's no mirror flapping up and down) and max ISO at 1600.

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I have only had my TL2 for two weeks so my experience is still a bit limited. Presently, on my TL2 for available light shots with the TL 35mm, I leave the auto ISO set at 6400 and giving some thought to trying auto ISO at 12500.  I have been surprised by the sensor quality at this ISO setting.  Like someone else mentioned, I sometimes mess up going outdoors and leaving the auto setting at 1/500 and ISO 6400.  I will have to try the manual idea someone else mentioned.  I often use a polarizer outdoors and still want to shoot at below ISO 400.

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...

With the TL, there isn't a quick and easy way to adjust EV compensation, and I haven't found a way to get exposure simulation (i.e., have the EVF show the final exposure), so I'm a bit stuck.  My method is to set the ISO at base (100?), and have the camera in manual mode - aperture on the left wheel, shutter on the right, and assess exposure using the little gauge at the bottom of the screen.

...

 

 

I was quite wrong on this.

 

Today, the 35 Summilux-TL arrived, and the ventilated hood from Thorsten.  I took the dog for a walk in the later afternoon winter sun. With the ISO set at 100, and in manual mode, the EVF does show the final exposure.  When I asked if this could be set as a default on the SL, I was told that this was not possible by Leica because of the AF requirement for the lens to be open.

 

Looking down the barrel of the lens, it appears stopped down a bit (I'd guess at f/5.6 or f/8).  When you half press the shutter, it opens wide.

 

Anyway, I'm not sure how they have done it, but through the EVF the TL2 with native lenses doesn't give exposure simulation (not sure if that is all settings).

 

Dog walking - ISO100, f/1.4 @ 1/3200

 

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I take many images of the kids with the TL2. Therefore I often set auto iso to 1/250 and max. ISO 6400 as my standard.

Now if I shoot sports or if they run fast I go to 1/500, if its more people at a table in the evening I go down to 1/125.

If light gets very low or in situations where I want to keep ISO low I will manually set ISO and not rely on auto iso.

But for me 70% is autoiso 1/250 max.6400.

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I take many images of the kids with the TL2. Therefore I often set auto iso to 1/250 and max. ISO 6400 as my standard.

Now if I shoot sports or if they run fast I go to 1/500, if its more people at a table in the evening I go down to 1/125.

If light gets very low or in situations where I want to keep ISO low I will manually set ISO and not rely on auto iso.

But for me 70% is autoiso 1/250 max.6400.

 

Why not use the SL in these situations?  It seems a lot better suited for the circumstances you describe.

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Why not use the SL in these situations?  It seems a lot better suited for the circumstances you describe.

 

For sports events and around the house I often use the SL. But when riding the bike, skiing, on vacation, or for casual events at friends, school etc a small camera like the TL system is my preferred choice.

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I like auto ISO..............I use it a lot when using my other digital cameras. I sometimes get messed up and forget to change it when putting the camera on a tripod to shoot a landscape and end up shooting that landscape at f16 1/100 and ISO 3200........

Anyway my question is what auto ISO setting do you use with your TL2? .................I haven't seen the camera or menu yet but I am thinking 2 x focal length and ISO3200

 

Has anyone been brave enough to use anything higher than 3200 and get good results??

 

Neil

 

With T & M coded lenses the camera defaults to a minimum speed of 1/2f anyway in auto settings so I don't think camera shake will be something you need to worry about. 

 

For general use I stick to Aperture Priority and let ISO vary as it likes up to 6400 .... but I tend to use low F's unless I specifically want high DOF. 

 

Tripod/Landscape ....... I always set everything to manual, and have a specific profile for this so I don't mess up .....

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

With T & M coded lenses the camera defaults to a minimum speed of 1/2f anyway in auto settings so I don't think camera shake will be something you need to worry about. 

 

For general use I stick to Aperture Priority and let ISO vary as it likes up to 6400 .... but I tend to use low F's unless I specifically want high DOF. 

 

Tripod/Landscape ....... I always set everything to manual, and have a specific profile for this so I don't mess up .....

So Gordon can we set profiles on the TL?. I think I have them set on my S but never use them................I wish I could be more disciplined :(

 

Neil

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

I going to have a meet up with a mate of mine in Kl (He has M-10 I will have TL2) and we will go and shoot some street photography and compare ........................I'm sure the TL2 will win as he is full of sh!t and I'm not :) :) For that exercise I will set the auto ISO to 6400 with 1/100 for the 35mm TL f1.4 lens and 1/157 when I use the Noctilux on the TL2................I'm so excited about getting this new camera I could burst :) :)

 

Neil

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