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Photography Lesson #6 Aperture

We went over briefly the basic concept of aperture or f-stop.   When the f-stop is f/1.4 the lens of a camera is open to it’s fullest.  When the f-stop is at f/16 or higher then the lens of a camera is nearly closed.

A photographer might say the image is 2 stops overexposed.  That means too much light has entered the camera by 2 stops. Let’s assume the camera was at aperture f/2.8.  If the photographer says it was 2 stops over or overexposed then the ideal aperture should have been f/5.6. (Based on chart)

Also a photographer can say to add 1/3 of a stop or 2/3rds of a stop.  That means to make the hole bigger by 1/3rd or 2/3rds.  So if the aperture is at f/5.6.  The are two clicks when twisting the lens before you get to f/4.  1/3rd of a stop is one click closer to f/4 and 2/3rd of a stop is 2 clicks closer to f/4.


When you are shooting in a darkly lit environment and you do not want to use a flash, it is best to use a low aperature or bigger hole.  f/1.4 is the biggest  hole a camera can have.  The down side is that these lenses are very expensive.  1 stop makes a big difference in price.  Most wide angle lenses can open up to an f/3.5.

It’s good to know about aperture when buying a lens.  The bigger the hole the more expensive it is.

If you are shooting sporting events or using a zoom feature on your lens.  Than expect to have a high f stop.  Make sure there is a lot of lighting or you’ll need to compensate the light with a wider f stop.  A wider f stop will mean you will not be able to zoom in as much.

The zoom of a camera is directly correlated with the size of the hole.  35mm length of the lense is divided by the size of the hole.(in mm) And that’s how you deprive the number for f stop.

So an f/3.5 means that a 35mm/10mm=3.5

You don’t really need to know the technical details of how to derive f/3.5.  Just understand what 1 stop overexposed means and you’ll be fine.

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