I seem to be posting a lot on the Nikon system. The funny thing is, OSP is the only place I've found others who share a Nikon love. Most everyone I know shoots Canon and they have no clue about Nikon so here's another question....

Does anyone have experience using the auto ISO setting on the D200? I've gotten a lot better about switching back and forth but on occassion things get rushed and I'm not shooting optimum ISO for certain settings, so I'm just curious about your experience with this.

Thanks!

My personal experience taught me my brain works better when it's working on ALL cylinders. In other words, I have to shoot manual everything or else I start to get lazy and THAT'S when I mess it up. I get too secure with settings that I don't have to always be thinking about. For a long time I shot aperture priority, but found that in lower light, like in shady areas of a park, the action would be blurry. That's when I started scratching my head and wondering how to fix that. Shooting all manual has worked pretty well for me and I know my camera much better now.

The only time I use this feature is when I am inside taking pictures of the church before the bride arrives. Because many times I've been shooting inside at ISO 800 and 1/30 @ f2.8 or larger then the bride arrives I run outside and spray a few shots as she is getting out of the car or limo and they are al blown out. So to prevent this, I set my camera to auto ISO but only for this particular situation. After that is manual everything for the remainder of the day.

Yes, it's an awesome feature. Play with it and then use it! DJ posted something about how much he loves it on the new Canon MkIII, but Nikon's had it for a while and I really like it. Too bad I shoot Canon now...

Auto ISO works, and works well but it is dangerous because the camera is doing an extra layer of thinking for you and it might not know exactly what you want to do.

If you shoot Aperture-priority, the camera is already thinking about what shutter speed to select. Add Auto ISO to the mix and it starts thinking some more.

Jules is right. Manual really is the way to go. To be honest, I only have used Auto ISO for point-and-shoot family stuff. For real stuff, you need to be in total control.

Also Krystal there are plenty of Nikon users over at Nikonians.org, but it's a little more gear-oriented and less about creativity and community like it is here.

But if you have a hardcore equipment question, that's the place!

Thanks everyone, and especially the tip for gear over at Nikonians. That would be great for me since I'm really not a technical person and I need to be beaten over the head with it. : )

Matt, I've gotta disagree just a little. It is a pro feature. At a wedding or event where you're moving in and out of a darker space to bright daylight, it can be an extra couple stops of 'don't worry about it'. Sometimes shooting RAW and letting the camera get the exposure 'close' is what's best to allow you to remain alert and in the moment of what's going on rather than focusing too much attention on your gear. AV and Auto ISO are tools that have their place, just like TTL.

Knowing how to read the lighting conditions and use manual controls is certainly of primary importance, but I say learn how to use every feature of your gear, then when you need a feature or see a creative use for them, you'll be ready. ;-)

I just noticed that they changed the Auto ISO feature on the D200. Its much better than what was on the D70.
And honestly I think it is much better than my Mark III (except for the noise issues).

The best part about the Nikon version is that you can limit the ISO and shutter speed just for this feature. And this also works in Manual mode (doesn't work in manual on Canon). It will be a feature that I definitely use when the Nikon D3 is released.