Nikon D3100 Auto ISO & Flash - is this standard?

[frod]

Hi, I get consistently annoyed by the D3100s insistence on ramping up the ISO to match the scene prior to the flash firing, pretty much guaranteeing that the ISO will always be whatever the maximum value I've allowed it to be despite the scene being lit with the flash. It does this in all modes as far as I can tell.

I was just wondering if this behaviour is common across all Nikons or just the D3x00 and maybe D5x00? I'm kind of umming and ahh-ing over a D7100 or maybe pushing the boat out for a D600 and this kind of thing would be a large consideration if it was something the D7100 was lumbered with too.

 

[Tizer]

why the high iso if you are using flash? lock it down to 100/200?

of course it depends what you are taking pics of, a little more info needed.

 

[Nawty]

It's probably because it's trying to balance ambient lighting with the flash and/or by ramping up the ISO the flash appears more powerful which may be useful if your subject is a good distance away.

 

[ams99]

You should be able to take the ISO off auto.

On the D5000:

Menu
Shooting menu
ISO sensitivity settings
ISO sensitivity auto control ............. switch to OFF

Assuming the menus are the same of course.

Cheers
Alan

 

[frod]

why the high iso if you are using flash? lock it down to 100/200?

yes, that's my point... it doesn't make much sense that this is the default behaviour under Auto ISO.

Sorry I wasn't clear, I know you can do it, but I like to flip between using the flash or not from shot to shot, so I have to menu dive each time. It's just incredibly annoying that it isn't at least configurable, I have to stick ISO on the Fn button and be always tweaking it.

I like Auto ISO normally, but once you start using the flash it's just super-dumb. I was under the impression that it behaved differently on the entry-level SLRs, but I'm not sure, and that was my question... how far up the range does this default behaviour persist?

 

[frod]

Just discovered that this is now standard all the way up to the D800. Used to be that it wouldn't do this on the older bodies but now it seems like it's standard across everything. Bah. I'll just have to go FX and get 1.4's and forget about flash altogether

edit: apparently there are a few more options on the better bodies for working around the new default, I think it's just compounded for me by the general limitations of the D3100 as much as anything.

 

[martsharm]

Hiya,


Not sure I quite understand the problem here, forgive me. Are you saying that it chooses a higher ISO *because* it is using the flash, which does indeed sound a little odd. Or do you want it to stick with ISO 100, even though the flashless scene would require more, when you activate the flash because you are giving the scene extra light with the flash?

IMHO normally you would use flash in conjunction with natural light so as to avoid the rabbit-in-headlights look; having a high ISO would help achieve this balance. Although in general having auto exposure, auto ISO *and* auto flash exposure sounds like too much thinking is being done by the camera. Maybe venturing into manual settings will give you the control you require.