So-called ‘fast’ lenses can cost into the thousands of dollars! Since a fast lens lets more light in though, it’s much more suitable for low-light photography. When a lens has a wide aperture, like f/1.2 or f/1.4, this is often referred to as a “fast” lens. Unfortunately, the wider the maximum aperture, the more complex and expensive the lens design is. The wider a lens’ maximum aperture, the shallower you can also get your depth of field! This is why the maximum aperture of a lens is as important as knowing what its focal length is because it has a major effect on the look of your photo.
![aperture 3.5 example aperture 3.5 example](https://i0.wp.com/digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Small-Aperture-1.jpg)
Aperture 3.5 example iso#
More light can mean many things it would mean that you can shoot with a faster shutter speed, and also with a lower ISO for any given lighting scenario. Not all lenses are designed the same and some allow a lot more light to pass through them than others. We’ll get into the reason for this as we progress through the article.īryce Canyon landscape f/13 Maximum Aperture Most of the time, people do not care what the minimum aperture of a lens is, but they almost always care what the maximum aperture is. Different lenses have different maximum and minimum f-stops.
![aperture 3.5 example aperture 3.5 example](https://www.chocolatemoosey.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Understanding-Aperture.jpg)
For example, an f-stop of f/32 would be considered a very small aperture, whereas an f-stop of f/1.4 would be considered a very large aperture (see diagram below). The larger the f-number, the smaller the aperture is. Aperture Size – F-StopĪperture settings are referred to as f-numbers and individual settings are f-stops (eg. Not only does the aperture affect the brightness of our photos, but it also controls how blurry our background is. Varying the size of this aperture has a dramatic effect on the look of your photo and along with shutter speed and ISO, it’s also part of our exposure triangle. In photographic terms, we use it to describe the hole in the middle of the lens that allows light to pass from the front of the lens, through the lens barrel and onto the camera’s sensor.
![aperture 3.5 example aperture 3.5 example](https://abigailsorrelllovemediaproduction.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/6e5c9-equivalentexposure.jpg)
Bathing grizzly bear f/5.6 What Is Aperture?Īn aperture is simply defined as an opening, hole or gap.