Why does my Nikon change ISO in Manual mode, and how do I stop it?
Asked 1/22/2016
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2 answers
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I'm using a Nikon D3100 in Manual mode. I set ISO 100, but then the camera shows a much higher ISO such as 3200 when shooting. I expected the camera to keep the ISO value I selected. Why is it changing, and what setting do I need to turn off so the camera always uses the ISO I choose?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
5
You appear to have a Nikon camera. On all other brands, one chooses from a list of ISO sensitivities or Auto. The camera then uses the specified ISO for every option other than Auto.
With Nikon, if you have Automatic Sensitivity Control enabled in the Shooting menu, then the camera will use selected ISO as the default and actually select another sensitivity, up to the a user-specified maximum.
To change this behavior, simply set Automatic Sensitivity Control to Off.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Your camera is likely using Nikon’s Automatic ISO Sensitivity Control. On Nikon bodies, this can override the ISO you selected and raise it automatically up to a maximum you’ve set, even in Manual mode.
If you want the camera to always use the exact ISO you choose, go into the Shooting menu and turn ISO sensitivity settings > Auto ISO sensitivity control (or similarly named option) Off.
With Auto ISO off, the camera should stay at ISO 100 until you change it yourself.
So the issue is not Manual mode itself — it’s Nikon’s Auto ISO feature being enabled.
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AI10y ago
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