Choosing the right ISO

[bigone5500]

I want to know how I can know which ISO setting to choose in various situations. I mainly shoot in Aperture Priority mode on my D60 if that means anything.

My understanding is that if in a bright light situation, use ISO100. Low light, use ISO400 or 800. Fast moving subjects, ISO800. Am I right with these?

Is there a way for me to use my rangefinder to know which one to use?

Thanks.

[Nicole]

How I decide what ISO to use is basically based on my shutter speed and aperture. I figure out what shutter speed I want, what aperture I want, and if I need to, then I adjust the ISO until that shutter speed and aperture is possible.

If you're shooting in Aperture Priority, do you have Auto ISO on? If so, your camera is making that decision for you. If not, then I'd still work through it in a similar way. Figure out what aperture you want, see what shutter speed the camera is giving it, and then if you need to increase or decrease the shutter speed change the ISO.

I think the general ISO rules you have are good starting points. But what about fast subjects in bright lights? But overall, I'd say: use the lowest ISO you can to get the rest of your settings. Probably not quite the advice you were looking for, but maybe it will help a little

[bigone5500]

Thanks Nicole. Good information. This does help me to decide which ISO to go with. In times where I don't have to worry about having to hurry and grab a shot, I can try different settings and learn from each shot which ISO values are better for that particular type scene.

For fast subjects in bright lights, I want to think that ISO 400 would suffice. But as you say, adjust to get the speed I want.

[Sterling]

Like Nicole, I consider ISO selection to be subordinate to shutter speed and aperture selection. ISO alone changes nothing in the shot directly (other than adding noise if set too high). The only reason I would have to change the ISO would be to allow a specific aperture or shutter speed.

Auto ISO is a fantastic feature once you understand how to use it. It will automatically make the same ISO choices you would for 90+% of shooting situations.

[dcclark]

Yep, same as everyone else. I highly recommend Auto ISO. Choose a minimum shutter speed that's reasonable (I use 1/15, but I have hands of steel), and let the camera do the work for you. Pay attention to when you hit that minimum shutter speed, and consider whether the ISO might be climbing too high. Otherwise, sit back and don't worry too much.

[dbevisjr]

I use a D60 also and I have noticed that above ISO 400 I begin to get a significant amount of noise in the image. So I try to avoid anything higher. My goal is to shoot as often as possible at ISO 100 and compensate with slower shutter or wider aperture. Watch your meter and it will help you decide if your settings are in the correct range.

[bigone5500]

Originally Posted by dbevisjr

I use a D60 also and I have noticed that above ISO 400 I begin to get a significant amount of noise in the image. So I try to avoid anything higher. My goal is to shoot as often as possible at ISO 100 and compensate with slower shutter or wider aperture. Watch your meter and it will help you decide if your settings are in the correct range.

I've noticed it too. Maybe it's just a cheap camera...? I like to keep mine on ISO100 and use as narrow an aperture I can without letting the shutter speed get lower than around 1/30s. My hands shake too much and the longer I try to compose the scene, the worse it gets...

Is this bad practice?

[dcclark]

Choose the right aperture for the situation. Remember, a bigger aperture (f/2.8, f/3.5) makes for a smaller depth of field -- less in focus. A small aperture (f/10, f/11) puts more in focus, but also makes for longer shutter speeds and possible softness due to diffraction.

I usually keep the ISO at 200 on my D40, and let it rise up to 800, which still looks OK.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by dbevisjr

I use a D60 also and I have noticed that above ISO 400 I begin to get a significant amount of noise in the image. So I try to avoid anything higher. My goal is to shoot as often as possible at ISO 100 and compensate with slower shutter or wider aperture. Watch your meter and it will help you decide if your settings are in the correct range.

Quit blowing up the image to 100%+ on your monitor....
800 should print quite fine...
One cool thing about auto ISO is that the camera can choose settings you can't (like ISO 620)

[bigone5500]

I mainly shoot in Aperture Priority mode. I have tried to set it to auto while in that mode but to no avail. Is auto ISO available in select modes only?