The hardest part to understand in photography is probably the aperture setting. With the shutter speed, the settings are based on time. So when you set it at 1/60, that means it's 1/60th of a second. At 1/500 it's set the open and close within 1/500th of a second.
But with aperture, it's a bit confusing. When people say small aperture or large aperture, you would think they mean F/2.8 or F/32. But it's actually the opposite. A small aperture is actually F/32 and a large aperture is F/2.8. Why is that?
To answer that, we need to do some math...I know, I know. You didn't come here for a math lesson. But bear with me for a moment.
The reason they set aperture setting like that is because you can't really measure the aperture blades properly and set it for that. Since every lens is different, if you set the numbers as a measurement of the aperture diameter, you'll have different numbers for every lens.
So the math is this. The aperture setting is not just the number 2.8 or 8 or 32. It actually has to include the F. The F is the Focal Length of the lens and the number 2.8 or 32 is what the quotient is after the Focal Length is divided by the diameter of the aperture blades.
For example, if you have a 50mm lens and the aperture diameter is 25mm. 50 divided by 25 equals 2. Another way to put it is
F = Focal Length = 50mm
Aperture diameter = 25mm
F/Aperture diameter or 50/25 = 2
So you get F/2. Get it? I don't either. But that's how it is calculated. Just remember the number is how big the aperture diameter is relative to the focal length.
Another example to confuse you further.
F=50mm
Aperture diameter = 6
F/Aperture diameter or 50/6 = 8.33 or 8
So you get F/8.
So if you read the F-stop as a fraction. F/2 is larger than F/8 and it is in turn larger than F/32. I just read it like 1/2 is larger than 1/8 and it is larger than 1/32.
You didn't think you'll be getting math lessons in photography did you?
But with aperture, it's a bit confusing. When people say small aperture or large aperture, you would think they mean F/2.8 or F/32. But it's actually the opposite. A small aperture is actually F/32 and a large aperture is F/2.8. Why is that?
To answer that, we need to do some math...I know, I know. You didn't come here for a math lesson. But bear with me for a moment.
The reason they set aperture setting like that is because you can't really measure the aperture blades properly and set it for that. Since every lens is different, if you set the numbers as a measurement of the aperture diameter, you'll have different numbers for every lens.
So the math is this. The aperture setting is not just the number 2.8 or 8 or 32. It actually has to include the F. The F is the Focal Length of the lens and the number 2.8 or 32 is what the quotient is after the Focal Length is divided by the diameter of the aperture blades.
For example, if you have a 50mm lens and the aperture diameter is 25mm. 50 divided by 25 equals 2. Another way to put it is
F = Focal Length = 50mm
Aperture diameter = 25mm
F/Aperture diameter or 50/25 = 2
So you get F/2. Get it? I don't either. But that's how it is calculated. Just remember the number is how big the aperture diameter is relative to the focal length.
Another example to confuse you further.
F=50mm
Aperture diameter = 6
F/Aperture diameter or 50/6 = 8.33 or 8
So you get F/8.
So if you read the F-stop as a fraction. F/2 is larger than F/8 and it is in turn larger than F/32. I just read it like 1/2 is larger than 1/8 and it is larger than 1/32.
You didn't think you'll be getting math lessons in photography did you?
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