@ebiggs1 wrote:
"I can do this in manual, but I don't want to do the metering myself."
Than you don't really want manual. Do you?
You are entirely correct, that's why people like Manual+Auto ISO, because it is not like "traditional" manual where you have to meter the scene yourself.
M+Auto ISO is no longer "manual". The cameras that support it engage the metering engine and the exposure will be correct because the camera will change ISO.
If you hold a camera that supports M+Auto ISO to the sky, you will see ISO go down, if you hold it to the ground, ISO will go up, M+Auto ISO, for all intended purposes, is no longer manual in the traditional sense (even though your dial is set to "manual").
M+Auto ISO is a way to FIX your Aperture and Shutter speed to a specific number, and let the camera determine correct exposure by allowing it to set ISO by enabling Auto ISO.
No other camera setting allows you to fix aperture AND shutter, while still letting the camera meter and expose the scene correctly through variable ISO, only M+Auto ISO allows you to do this.
The fact you have complete control over aperture and shutter speed, while still being able to shoot any scene with correct exposure at a fraction of a second, because the camera is dialing in ISO, is why this setting is increasingly popular and why more and more manufacturers are starting to support it.
Not only that, many cameras now support exposure compensation in M+Auto ISO, making it one of the most powerful modes you can use. You have complete control over your Aperture and Shutter settings, yet, you are still engaging the metering engine of the camera and you get access to exposure compensation.
