C100: Please write to Canon to ask them to add auto-ISO to the C100!

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Firefox39

Active member
I think auto ISO would be a great feature on the C100. Please write to Canon asking them to add this feature to the C100 if you agree. If enough of us do this, it might happen. :) Below is what I wrote them.

TO: 'njcpservice@cusa.com'

"Dear Canon, I am a wedding videographer and I use the Canon C100 as my main camera at weddings. I recently had the Dual Pixel CMON installed in my camera. I am happy with this added feature! Now that the C100 has auto-focus, the MAJOR factor lacking, I believe, is that it is missing auto ISO. The Canon 5d MK III has it.

If the C100 had an auto ISO option, it would be a HUGE help during a run-n-gun situations like a wedding. I cannot tell you how many times I wish the C100 had this option when shooting a wedding. There are many times I either miss a shot or change the ISO setting while recording (which looks bad) because I am always changing the ISO to get the right exposure.

Recently, at a wedding, while the bride was walking down the aisle. The bride started in a bright area, then walked under the balcony, which was much darker, and when she got closer, it got much brighter. It was so hard to keep a good exposure. Also, it is nice to follow a couple when they start in the church and go outside after the ceremony with their guests outside to greet them. So you go from a dark church, to a very bright situation. It is not practical to stop and hit the auto IRIS button. An auto ISO option would work great in these situations.

I like to shoot with the IRIS wide open to have a nice shallow depth-of-field, so the push button IRIS option is not what I am looking for. Please add an auto-ISO option that you can assign to one of the buttons so you have the option of quickly turning off and on the feature. If I got the auto-ISO option on the C100, I would be super happy!
 
Why not use cinema lenses, it's a better option to change aperture on the lens (declicked smooth iris) then have to stop and miss a shot, with practice it's fairly easy to operate a follow focus in one hand while using a finger on the other to tweak the iris. However I rarely shoot wide open, I certainly want to shoot within the sweet spot of my lens which is usually between f4-8, so with manually adjusting the iris exposure change is not all that drastic, nor is dof. Why do you sacrifice sharpness+contrast to shoot wide open all the time? your losing the best part of the lens unless your shooting Zeiss compacts.
 
I think that he is looking for a push button auto iso option that functions like the push button auto iris option. Auto ISO for video that is always on is a terrible idea, but a push button auto ISO is no worse an idea than a push button auto iris.
 
Eric, the way it is implemented in cameras like the FS700 it wouldn't have to swing. You can run into drastically different lighting environments push the auto iso once, set exposure and push it a second time to turn it off. That way it doesn't swing during capture, it simply locks ISO at the new setting. It's just a down and dirty way to expose well enough when your 3 presets won't do, and until you have time to set it "professionally."

A shooter can go months without using it, but when you need it, you're really happy to have it. It beats the pants out of explaining to your client why you missed the shot.

@Rayden- be nice.

@Firefox. Ignore Rayden. And don't give up the fight, it would be a handy feature. But Eric has a valid point. If you were to get this in a firmware update or something, you probably wouldn't want to leave it on auto, especially in the situation you described when your subject is dipping in and out of bright light.

But even without auto ISO you can handle this. Expose a little darker than normal, so it doesn't clip the highlights. Shoot C-log if you can to give yourself more useful dynamic range to work with later. Set your ISO presets to cover 2 stops or less (say 800, 400, 200) and flip between those and your ND wheel to allow yourself to stay in your ideal aperture range. And when the shot is critical don't be afraid to ride the iris down as needed (a little extra DOF won't hurt now and then), and then when the action allows (say a cut could cover it) flip to an appropriate ISO/ND combination that let's you get back to your F/2.8.

I imagine you are doing most of this already; sometimes it's just nice to hear how other people do it. I don't shoot weddings, but I do shoot mission-critical documentary pieces so I understand the pressure not to miss the shot. An auto ISO button would be an elegant solution for sure, and I hope you get it, but until then you can work around it.
 
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Nope, not a joke. A serious request. I would settle for having the option to assign the dial to change the ISO and not the iris, that way it would be a little quicker to change. I change the ISO much more then the iris on a typical wedding.

The push button ISO might be more practical. I have have used the auto-ISO it a few times on the MK III and it worked well. Thanks djangosan for your input!
 
You can change one of the custom buttons like 8 (MAGN) to ISO and use the joystick to scroll.

Another issue is noise. Canon recommends performing ABB (black balance) when changing the ISO to prevent noise issues.
 
Firefox39 said:
Nope, not a joke. A serious request. I would settle for having the option to assign the dial to change the ISO and not the iris, that way it would be a little quicker to change. I change the ISO much more then the iris on a typical wedding.

The push button ISO might be more practical. I have have used the auto-ISO it a few times on the MK III and it worked well. Thanks djangosan for your input!
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Cool. was not trying to be rude. I shoot weddings also. I would recommend you using cine lenses that are de-clicked and have manual aperture control. That way, you can adjust your aperture accordingly. If you like me, you right hand never leaves the lens anyway. This will put you in the perfect position to adjust without the noticeable difference of adjusting iso. Just an option
 
Guys.....if the original poster is extremely happy with the new DP auto focus feature....and now wants a similar auto function for the ISO.....why would you be suggesting Cine lenses? I mean....gaining the ability to control the iris on the lens but losing the DP autofocus (which he just paid $500+ for) would be like 1 step forwards and 2 steps back.

The Cine lenses are great for controlled shooting and narrative work but I think they are far less valuable in a run and gun documentary environment....especially a wedding scenario.

Just my 2 cents here.
 
The OP also seems to prefer the riding the ISO rather than the iris. There is certainly something to be argued for maintaining the iris and relative depth of field rather than maintaining the gain. I was actually checking and you can't assign a button to directly increase or decrease the ISO, which I thought was strange since you can do that with the aperture.
 
Firefox39 said:
I like to shoot with the IRIS wide open to have a nice shallow depth-of-field, so the push button IRIS option is not what I am looking for. Please add an auto-ISO option that you can assign to one of the buttons so you have the option of quickly turning off and on the feature. If I got the auto-ISO option on the C100, I would be super happy!
Click to expand...

+1. I would settle for auto iris that was smooth and not stepped, btw, but this may be a physical constraint of the EF and EF-S lenses.

As for auto ISO, as someone mentioned the FS cameras have it, and it works great. You can even use it with exposure compensation in order to get an extra measure of safety on your highlights. So I see no reason why this is impossible for Canon to implement. Perhaps not in firmware, but certainly in a new camera. My guess is that for some reason they really don't see this as a selling point. It's unfortunate. Perhaps someday they'll understand that many of us work as one-man shooters on real-life sets. When I'm shooting verite, following someone from a well-lit spot in the room to a corner, and the say something profound, I can't ask them to "go back and say it again but please stay near the window."

And please don't ask me to use Cine primes. I shoot docs about real people in real settings. I would like the convenience of a stabilized lens so I don't need a steadycam or a rig that makes everyone on the block come and want to talk with you about your gear, and preferably one that takes advantage of the fantastic auto-focus they just added. I'd take auto ISO over 4K or 60p ANY day, btw. I've been hoping since the C100 was introduced for a C200 that has good auto-focus (check), auto-ISO, and the EVF of the C300. 10-bit and/or 4:2:2 would be nice too.

I don't think the OP and I are alone in this, but go ahead and flame away.
 
More features = higher cost, one way or another. I'd rather not "spend money" on this feature. I do not believe changing the iso that frequently is necessary, or good for the image, and if you do need to, I don't find using the button/joystick that tough.

The more you become accustomed to your camera the better/faster you'll be at changing the necessary attributes on the fly. That's why experience-- and owner/operators-- gets a higher day rate.
 
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