Auto Iris question please help out

[Ronster]

So I like to use auto iris to give me a ball park of where I should set my iris. I often will set up my shot hit auto iris and get a general exposure and then tweak the iris in manual.

Now there are times when I am shooting documentary stuff that I just leave the auto iris on for a bit.

My question is what should I set the auto iris too?

I know the factory default when I am in 24p mode is AUTO IRIS "-2" on scene file 5

I believe i read somewhere that was to help preserve highlights

but honestly I always feel the auto iris is a bit dark. Now as you take it to "-1" that is a 1/2 more stop open. "0" takes you a full stop open, etc. So if you had auto iris on at "-2" and it came up at 5.6.....when you set the auto iris to "-1" it would open up to an F4.8 and when you went to "0" it would go to an F4.

I was just wondering where are most videographers setting their auto iris if they use it??????

I have always had mine on "-2" but I always switch to manual and open up about a 1/2 a stop....so I am contemplating switching to "-1" and letting auto iris play a bit more.

I know it is minor but I would really like to hear other peoples thoughts on this because it is a bit frustrating for me to try and nail the iris when I am doing documentary stuff and just want to leave it on auto iris sometimes

Ronster