i was responding to the OPs level of knowledge. based on that, seems auto iso is just as good as shutter priority.

Beaverhelmet wrote:joema1 wrote:Of course best of all (for video) is manual mode.Amen to that.I agree manual mode is the best, tougher to learn on for me at least.The statement was qualified regarding frame rates, which are not always straightforward for the intended look or final product.

carlgorski wrote:Wow you bought this $3000 camera for that. You should have just bought a Panasonic G series. More native lenses that are lighter and cheaper. 4K also with the awesome 4K burst mode.Or not?If the A7S II is too much 4k camera for someone, they need to be aware that m43 requires $3k+ in lenses to match little 1" bridge sensors on the FZ1000 and RX10 II.The new Sony is a stunner, though, and gives a lot of flexibility with frame rates, low light, crop modes, etc.  I think it's expensive, but the advantages over the competition are not marginal.

Beaverhelmet wrote:Auto ISO in video? Never.My documentary team often uses auto ISO in manual exposure mode. It is very handy. In a few cases (depending on the camera) it can put a slight jump in the exposure but these can usually be edited around or processed out in post using Digital Anarchy's Flicker Free tool:http://www.digitalanarchy.com/Flicker/main.htmlWe have shot test material with s-log2, but that is a highly technical process. Proper use of s-log2 requires fully and completely understanding all the issues discussed in this training video, which is far beyond the scope of the OP question. IOW if the objection to auto ISO is because of s-log2, he shouldn't be using s-log2 anyway, so why mention it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRI40Gl4I8g

Mirakaski wrote:how is auto iso any different than shutter priority in terms of usabilty? i dont use auto iso, but others were mentioning shutter priority...Auto ISO allows balancing the exposure while shooting in manual exposure mode with a fixed aperture and shutter speed.The shutter speed must generally be locked at 2x the frame rate (e.g, 1/60th for 30 frames/sec). Usually aperture is fairly wide, else why use a DSLR. So while aperture could vary if in shutter priority, for creative control you normally want manual aperture control.This leaves only ISO or an ND filter to balance the exposure. ISO can obviously be manually controlled, and that is often best. However with all the other parameters a videographer struggles with it's sometimes helpful to use auto ISO. This would especially be so for someone like the OP who has "zero experience with video".

Ok. We used Auto ISO on a very tricky shot a couple of weeks ago on an airborne A7S. Unfortunately the transition between ISOs was not smooth at all and the production team preferred having the shot partially under exposed (and lift in post) rather than mess with the not so smooth transition. A variable ND pull or iris pull is also doable, if circumstances allow.With regard to the OP being new to videography, going all manual is to me the best approach. If you start adding automation in the mix, the outcome becomes harder to understand. It's a little bit like all those people lugging around a DSLR constantly in green mode. Yes, they have a nice camera, and yes, they occasionally manage to take great photos, but no, they have no idea why those great photos are great.

Ok. We used Auto ISO on a very tricky shot a couple of weeks ago on an airborne A7S. Unfortunately the transition between ISOs was not smooth at all and the production team preferred having the shot partially under exposed (and lift in post) rather than mess with the not so smooth transition. A variable ND pull or iris pull is also doable, if circumstances allow.With regard to the OP being new to videography, going all manual is to me the best approach. If you start adding automation in the mix, the outcome becomes harder to understand. It's a little bit like all those people lugging around a DSLR constantly in green mode. Yes, they have a nice camera, and yes, they occasionally manage to take great photos, but no, they have no idea why those great photos are great.off topic. but have you seen the variable electonic nd in the FS55. that seems awesome and really the answer to a lot of challenging shots. it all depends on how well the programming applys it though. looking forward to testing it out.

I suppose you mean FS5? Well, it's not the first camera to feature an integrated electronic ND filter. I have not yet seen any samples of the smoothness when changing the ND value. But yeah, we are getting way off-topic now.