Open and closed aperture. What is aperture, shutter speed and ISO

You have already learned about what aperture is and how its settings affect the results of shooting. Now it's time to learn how to set the aperture settings on your camera and put the knowledge into practice!

It so happened that all the time that I do digital photography, I shoot with Canon cameras. Therefore, rejoice, owners of canons, I can literally take you step by step! Owners of cameras Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Pentax, etc., I can only help with general advice. In fact, fundamentally, the management of digital SLRs from different brands is not much different. Only the location of the buttons and functions in the menu differs. I am sure you will figure it out quickly - the instruction book for your camera will help you!

We will consider the method of setting the aperture on the camera using the example of Canon 450D and Canon 550D digital SLR cameras, since these are the most common models among amateur and novice photographers.
To begin with, let's see in what general modes the camera will allow us to control the aperture. Pay attention to the rotating wheel on the top of the camera - this is the shooting mode switch.

Now look at the camera display: at the top of the screen you see two rectangles. We need the upper right, it is in it that the aperture value F is displayed.

Now switch between different shooting modes. As you can see, in most of them, the upper right rectangle remains empty, i.e. the camera itself sets the shooting parameters and does not consider it necessary to inform us about the set values. Only in two modes - Av (aperture priority) and M (manual setting) we can control the aperture value.

How to set aperture in aperture priority modeAv.

The meaning of this mode is that we ourselves set the aperture value, and the automatic camera selects the appropriate shutter speed. In this case, the upper right square contains the aperture value and is highlighted (i.e., active). This means that when you move the control wheel marked in the picture, you will open or close the aperture.

Practice setting your aperture in this way and see how your camera changes the shutter speed (shown in the upper left box next to the aperture value).

How to set the aperture in manual shooting mode.

When switching the camera to manual mode, the exposure value is automatically highlighted on the display (the value in the upper left box). This means that when you turn the wheel - the exposure settings switch, only the shutter speed will change. How to set the aperture?

Everything is very simple! To do this, hold down the Av button (shown in the figure) with your thumb and hold it in this position, twist the exposure wheel, thereby changing the aperture value.

And now the most interesting. I'll give you a little homework.

To reinforce what you've learned about aperture and how to set it, shoot at least 3 days of shooting in Av (Aperture Priority) mode only. Try shooting the same scene with different apertures: F=min, F=6.3, f=9, f=11.

F=min is the minimum possible for your lens. For whale amateur lenses, this is usually 3.5-5.6, for faster optics - from 1.2 to 2.8.

Remember the tip: if you want to blur the background more, open the aperture more (values ​​from 1.2 to 5.6); if you want to show all the objects in the frame as sharply as possible, close the aperture to a value of at least 8.0).

If you have any questions about setting the aperture, ask them in the comments to the article. I would also like to see your first shots with different aperture values.

Good luck with your pictures!

Anyone who was not too lazy and read the instructions for the camera may not read further. But for those who are too lazy to do this, perhaps the “explanation on the fingers” will be informative.

In any camera, there is such a thing as an aperture. Photographers in jargon also call it a hole or a relative hole. The diaphragm is a kind of mechanism that is most often located in the lens and can have the property of narrowing and expanding.

As this hole narrows, less light reaches the camera's sensor. Thus, it is possible to regulate - if there is a lot of light, then due to the narrowing of the aperture, its amount is reduced, and the frame is exposed normally. The reverse action is also true - the larger the relative aperture, the more light will hit the camera sensor and, accordingly, you can shoot in fairly dark conditions.

But this is not the only useful property of the diaphragm. Aperture has a strong effect on the final result - the photograph.

There are two ways to influence an image with aperture. Firstly, the effect on the depth of field, and secondly, on the bokeh pattern. Since the article is intended for amateurs, of course, below we will definitely explain the meaning of these words, but for now we will make a small remark about aperture numbers - that is, about aperture designations.

The aperture is not measured in any units, that is, it is not a millimeter and not a second. It's just a number! And the larger the number, the smaller the hole.

The example below shows how the exposure of the image changes depending on the size of the aperture.

Aperture is usually denoted by the letter "F"

Another important fact about the aperture that you need to know is the relative value, it does not depend on the type of camera you are using. That is, if you measured (for example,) that, other things being equal, the aperture should be 5.6, then this parameter will be true for both a compact soap dish and a medium format camera.

Influence of aperture on depth of field

DOF stands for Depth of Field, or simply Depth of Field. If you are photographing an object and focusing on it, then how sharp it will be and how far the space behind this object will be sharp depends primarily on the aperture. An example will demonstrate this best. Here the cakes are shot with different shutter speeds and apertures.

The pictures show how blurred the extreme cakes are to a greater or lesser extent, depending on how the aperture was opened. Depth of field can be calculated using simple formulas that are available on the Internet, but in reality, depth of field is calculated on purpose very rarely, more often they use the accumulated experience.

In addition to the aperture, the focal length of the lens also affects the depth of field. We will not go into the physics of the process in this article, we recommend just remembering - the larger the focal length of the lens used, the more the background will be blurred. That is, the telephoto blurs the background better than the width.

For example, in the photos above, the model was shot with the same aperture on lenses with different focal lengths.

Effect of aperture on bokeh

First of all, let's define what is bokeh? Bokeh is blurry, fuzzy. Most often, the name refers to the blurry background in the photo. We have already mentioned that the aperture is precisely responsible for the blurring of the background, what else to talk about then? The fact is that, along with optics, the shape of the aperture - the number of petals and so on, affects the bokeh pattern.

Modern manufacturers try to make the shape of the diaphragm opening as round as possible. But you can still find photos where the shape of the aperture appears in the bokeh.

The shape of the aperture is most clearly visible if there are bright dots in the background. For example, glowing light bulbs. Now you can often find pictures in which bokeh is artificially shaped in a special way. How to do this, we wrote in the article

Conclusion

We tried very hard not to overload the information with terms. We will be glad if, after reading, you finally get the instructions and read them. Much will become clearer to you. It is important for photographers to know and understand substances like aperture and ISO. These are the tools that every photographer needs and everyone should definitely try to shoot at the maximum open aperture and maximum closed aperture in order to understand the limits of their camera. And maybe your shots will become more expressive when the background is blurred and the main subject of the shooting becomes even better as a result, or when shooting a landscape you will no longer trust the automation, but clamp the hole all the way so that the foreground is worked out clearly and , and back.

The aperture of a camera is one of three factors that affect exposure. Therefore, understanding the action of the aperture is a prerequisite in order to take deep and expressive, correctly exposed photographs. There are both positives and negatives to using different apertures, and this tutorial will teach you what they are and when to use which.

Step 1 - What is a camera aperture?

The best way to understand what a diaphragm is is to think of it as the pupil of the eye. The wider the pupil is open, the more light enters the retina.

Exposure consists of three parameters: aperture, shutter speed and ISO. The aperture diameter regulates the amount of light entering the matrix, depending on the situation. There are various creative uses for aperture, but when we are talking When it comes to light, it's important to remember that wider holes let in more light, and narrower ones less.

Step 2 - How is aperture determined and changed?

Aperture is determined using the so-called aperture scale. On the display of your camera, you can see the F/number. The number means how wide the aperture is, which in turn determines the exposure and depth of field. The lower the number, the wider the hole. This can cause confusion at first - why does a small number correspond to a large aperture? The answer is simple and lies in the plane of mathematics, but first you must know what the f-series or standard f-stop scale is.

Diaphragm row:f/1.4f/2,f/2.8f/4,f/5.6f/8,f/11,f/16f/22

The main thing you need to know about these numbers is that there is one exposure step between these values, that is, when moving from a smaller value to a larger one, half the light will enter the lens. In modern cameras, there are also intermediate aperture values ​​that allow you to more accurately adjust the exposure. The tuning step in this case is ½ or 1/3 steps. For example, between f/2.8 and f/4 there will be f/3.2 and f/3.5.

Now for more complex things. More precisely, why the amount of light between the main aperture values ​​\u200b\u200bis two times different.

It comes from mathematical formulas. For example, we have a 50mm lens with an aperture of 2. To find the diameter of the aperture, we have to divide 50 by 2 to get 25mm. The radius will be 12.5 mm. The formula for the area is S=Pi x R 2 .

Here are some examples:

50mm lens with f/2 = 25mm. The radius is 12.5 mm. The area according to the formula is 490 mm 2. Now let's calculate for f / 2.8 aperture. The diaphragm diameter is 17.9 mm, the radius is 8.95 mm, the hole area is 251.6 mm 2 .

Dividing 490 by 251 is not exactly two, but that's only because f-numbers are rounded to the first decimal place. In fact, the equality will be exact.

This is how the ratios of the diaphragm openings really look.

Step 3 - How Does Aperture Affect Exposure?

As the aperture size changes, the exposure also changes. The wider the aperture, the more strongly the matrix is ​​exposed, the brighter the image is obtained. The best way to demonstrate this is to show a series of photographs where only the aperture changes and the rest of the parameters remain unchanged.

All images below were taken at ISO 200, shutter speed 1/400 sec, no flash, and only the aperture was changed. Aperture values: f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22.

However, the main property of the aperture is not exposure control, but a change in the depth of field.

Step 4 - Depth of field effect

Depth of field is a vast topic in itself. To open it, you need several dozen pages, but now we will consider it very briefly. We are talking about the distance that will be transmitted sharply in front and behind the subject.

All you really need to know, in terms of the relationship between aperture and depth of field, is that the wider the aperture (f/1.4) the shallower the depth of field, and the narrower the aperture (f/22) the greater the field of field. Before I show you a selection of photos taken with different apertures, take a look at the chart below. It helps to understand why this is happening. If you do not understand exactly how it works, it's okay, as long as it is important for you to know about the effect itself.

The image below shows a photo taken at f/1.4. It has a pronounced DOF effect (Depth of Field)

Finally, a selection of photos taken in aperture priority, so the exposure remains constant, and only the aperture changes. The aperture row is the same as in the previous slide show. Notice how the depth of field changes as you change the aperture.

Step 5 - How to use different apertures?

First of all, remember that there are no rules in photography, there are guidelines, including when it comes to choosing an aperture. It all depends on whether you want to apply an artistic technique or capture the scene as accurately as possible. To make it easier to make a decision, here are some of the most traditionally used aperture values.

f/1.4: Excellent for shooting in low light, but be careful, this setting has very little depth of field. Best used for small objects or to create a soft focus effect.

f/2: The use is the same, but a lens with this aperture may cost one third of a lens with aperture 1.4

f/2.8: Also good for low light conditions. It is best used for portraits, as the depth of field is greater and the entire face will be included, not just the eyes. Good zoom lenses usually have this aperture value.

f/4: This is the minimum aperture used to take a picture of a person in sufficient light. Aperture can limit autofocus performance, so you risk missing wide open.

f/5.6: Good for 2 person photography, but for low light it is better to use flash light.

f/8: Used for large groups as it guarantees sufficient depth of field.

f/11: At this setting, most lenses are at their sharpest, so it's good for portraits.

f/16: Good value when shooting in bright sunlight. Great depth of field.

f/22: Suitable for shooting landscapes where attention to detail in the foreground is not required.

Greetings, dear readers of my blog. I'm in touch with you, Timur Mustaev. Yesterday I stumbled upon a series of photographs by a so-called "professional" photographer, and it seems that many simply do not understand the aperture of the camera.

Therefore, I decided to write a detailed article about this factor so that people at least understand the main points and how to use it. Do you know that aperture affects the quality of photos? Are you wondering how? We will talk about this in this article.

Before continuing to read the article, first read and. The quality of your photo depends on these parameters.

After reading the material, you will understand the basic principle of the aperture, as well as learn how to set various parameters for shooting your scenes. Well, is it time to get started?

When buying a camera, many immediately begin to practice, without affecting the theoretical part. After some time, the ardor and mood of photographers becomes weaker and weaker, many leave their “cars” to gather dust on the shelves, because, after digging a little in the settings, they get pictures that do not satisfy their ambitions.

To prevent this from happening to you, you must first understand the theory in order to get better work, to please yourself and your loved ones, and in the future, partners!

What is a diaphragm?

What is the aperture in the camera, a similar question is often asked by beginners in photography, and after a little acquaintance with the aperture device, they immediately start shooting without understanding the essence and nuances of using the “hole”, thereby obtaining very typical photos without plot and highlights.

You are probably wondering "hole"? And what about her? In the vocabulary of photographers, the diaphragm is also called a hole, a hole. So, this is a special mechanism in the form of a ring, consisting of petals, regulating the passage of a given amount of light to the camera matrix.

The more open the petals, the more light enters the matrix, and vice versa, the less open the petals, the less light.

For beginners, this designation of the term may seem very complicated, and in order to enlighten what it is and how the hole mechanism works, you can simply imagine the eye, namely, the wider the pupil is ajar, the more light falls on the retina and vice versa. The light determines the level of exposure.

Principle of operation

After getting acquainted with the mechanism of action, it is necessary to understand how it works, is defined and changed. Everyone who has worked with a camera has come across the value of f and a number of numbers, this is the definition of aperture, which can be changed and adjusted to different scenes.

The aperture row is a certain number of numbers with a value of f, namely: f / 1.4; f/2; f/2.8, etc. Basically, the aperture line ends at f/22. These numbers indicate how open the petals are in the lens, thereby determining depth of field and exposure.

The main feature is that the smaller the value, which, by the way, is expressed in numbers, at the aperture, the wider the aperture. Therefore, it will be maximally open at f/1.4, and at f/22 the "hole" will be minimally open. This mechanism of operation applies to all cameras, Nikon, Senon and others.

How Aperture Affects Exposure

Now we come to the question of the effect of the width of the opening of the petals on the exposure. The bottom line is that the wider the open, the lighter the photo will be. Working with light is very important when shooting any scenes. If we talk about practice, then, for example, when shooting in a darkened room, it is better to open the aperture wider (up to f / 5.6), and when shooting on a clear day outside, the aperture should be covered (from f / 8 to f / 16 ), so that there is no so-called "overexposure".

Here you also need to consider what effect you want to achieve. If you want to blur the background, then the hole should be as open as possible, 2.8 or 3.5.

Effect of Aperture Values ​​on Depth of Field

Aperture settings change the depth of field, and this is perhaps one of the main things in photography. This designation is understood as a certain zone in the image, which is sharp, or rather, not an easy zone, but, one might say, a range of distances.

Aperture and depth of field are related. This connection is based on the aperture parameters, namely, if the ring is fully open, f / 1.8, then there can be no talk of great sharpness.

With a wide aperture, the depth of field is very shallow, and the specific subject you are focusing on will be in focus, while the background will be “blurred”, but this method is also “popular”, for example, when shooting portraits, where attention is focused on the eyes of the model and the background is blurry.

For portrait shots, it is desirable to use a width from f / 4 to f / 8, with such a width of the “hole”, the model will be visible in the picture, and at the same time the background from behind will be slightly pleasantly blurred, which will give a beautiful photo effect.

Aperture value settings

How to choose the right size for shooting? It's pretty easy, the main thing you need to know is how to set the necessary values ​​for shooting. So, aperture (f / 1.8) is suitable for shooting in poorly lit rooms. Such photos should be taken when photographing various miniature objects or if you want to highlight a specific detail, for example, an eye or a button on a shirt.

A width of f/4 is good for portraits, with an average amount of light in the room. The main thing when shooting with such values ​​is not to "miss", thereby highlighting, for example, the shoulder, and not the desired face of the model.

With a width of f / 5.6, you can safely “click” a model in full growth, and with a value of f / 8, it is worth shooting a group of people.

In sunlight, f/16 and f/22 should be used as they will blend in beautifully with landscapes.

Today, the market for types and manufacturers of cameras is crowded, these are the well-known Canon and Nikon, and other lesser-known brands, such as Fujifilm, Pentax and others. It doesn't matter what kind of camera you have, as long as you know the basics of photography, choose the right light, and understand things like shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

After reading this article, you clearly need to understand what aperture is, how to use it and how to control it for shooting your own scenes. It remains only to pick up a camera and start such a wonderful art as photography!

My big advice to you. Take as many pictures as possible, practice. Take your camera everywhere with you. And never stop there!

And yet, I would like to recommend you, just a super video course " Digital SLR for beginners 2.0". In great detail, with the help of video, all the subtleties of obtaining high-quality photographs are described. Why this particular course? It's simple, I got acquainted with many courses on the Internet, and not one of them surpassed the course recommended by me in terms of quality and volume of information. Some of them even mislead me.

Good luck in creativity! See you soon on my blog.

All the best to you, Timur Mustaev.

Aperture is one of the three main factors that affect. It follows from this that understanding how the aperture works is a prerequisite for obtaining deep, expressive and correctly exposed photographs. There are both negative and creative influences of various apertures on the final result, and this lesson article is intended to acquaint you with what a diaphragm is, what it is and how to use it to your advantage.

Step 1: Diaphragm - what is it?

The best and, at the same time, the easiest way to understand how the diaphragm works is to imagine it as the pupil of the human eye. The wider the pupil becomes, the more light it lets in.

Aperture, along with shutter speed, are the main exposure parameters. By changing the aperture diameter, you can adjust the amount of light that enters your camera's sensor, depending on the lighting. There are many creative uses for different aperture sizes, which we'll look at in the next section, but when it comes to amount of light and exposure, remember that the wider the aperture, the more light it will let in, and thus the narrower the aperture, the less light.

Step 2: Aperture Scale

Different aperture values ​​are described by the so-called aperture scale. On the camera display, you can see the aperture value in the form of a denominator of a fraction - “f / number”. This number indicates how wide the aperture opening is, which ultimately affects the exposure itself, and also determines . It is important to remember here: the smaller the numerical value of the aperture, the wider its aperture is open. This may cause confusion at first - why does a small number correspond to a larger hole? The answer is quite simple and involves mathematics, but first let's get acquainted with the standard aperture scale.

Standard aperture range: f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22

The most important thing to know about all of these numbers is that as you move from a smaller number to a larger one, the aperture is halved and therefore lets 50% less light into the lens. On the camera lens, you can see the inscription in the form of ratios of numerical values, for example, 1:2, which means that the diameter of the aperture of your camera lens is half its focal length. Almost all modern cameras have not only standard aperture values, but also intermediate ones. So, if the setting step is 1/3 of a step, then between f / 4 and f / 2.8 there will be other aperture values: f / 3.2 and f / 3.6. Their main purpose is the possibility of even greater accuracy of exposure settings.

Now let's move on to more complex things. If you think that this is too difficult and confusing for you, feel free to move on to the next section. And here we will try to figure out why, when moving from a smaller aperture value to a larger one, exactly twice less light passes through the camera lens.

Let's look at everything with an example. Let's say we have a 50mm f/2 lens. First, we calculate the aperture diameter, for this we need to divide 50 mm by 2, we get 25 mm. Then we find the radius (half the diameter), we have 12.5 mm. And finally, we find out the area of ​​​​the aperture opening by the formula S = pi * R2(pi times squared radius): 490 sq. mm. Now we will make similar calculations for the same “fifty dollars”, but with a different aperture value - f / 2.8: the diameter will be 17.9 mm, respectively, the radius = 8.95 mm, and the area = 251.6 square meters. mm. It doesn't take a genius to notice that the second area turned out to be almost half the size of the first. You should not pay attention to the fact that the number 2 is approximate, the reason for this is the rounding of the diaphragm number to the first decimal place, but if you carry out calculations without rounding, you will get exactly 2.

Here's what the aperture scale looks like in reality:

Step 3: Effect of Aperture on Exposure

With a change in the radius of the aperture hole, the exposure also changes: the wider the aperture is opened, the more light will fall on the matrix and, accordingly, the picture will be brighter. To get a better idea of ​​the dependence of exposure on aperture, I propose to consider a series of shots that were taken with different aperture values. All photos were taken without flash and at constant exposure settings: shutter speed 1/400, ISO 200; only the aperture changed: f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22.

It should be noted that, after all, the main creative task of the aperture is to influence not the exposure, but the depth of field.

Step 4: Effect of Aperture on Depth of Field

Depth of field is a fairly voluminous topic and a separate one will be required for its detailed study. As part of this article, we will consider it briefly and generally. The main thing to remember is that when we talk about depth of field, we mean the distance at which all subjects will be transmitted sharply and clearly.

As for the influence of the aperture on the depth of field, everything is simple here: the wider the aperture is open (do not forget that the numerical values ​​​​will be smaller), the shallower the depth of field will be; with a narrower aperture, the field of sharpness will be larger. Before looking at a series of shots showing the effect of aperture on depth of field, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the diagram below, which shows how it all works. And if you do not quite understand the whole principle of operation, it does not matter - at this stage it is enough to have at least the most elementary idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe effect of aperture on depth of field.

In the bottom shot, which was taken at f/1.4, it's nice how a wide aperture creates a shallow depth of field:

And finally, a selection of shots that were taken in aperture priority mode, that is, all exposure settings except aperture remained constant. The aperture changed in the following order: f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22. Notice how the depth of field increases as the aperture decreases:

Step 5: Using Different Apertures for Different Purposes

First, it should be noted that there are no rules for choosing an aperture. Everything will depend on what goals you are pursuing: to convey the scene as accurately as possible or to apply some kind of artistic technique. To make it easier for you to make decisions, here are some examples of using the most traditional aperture values.

f/1,4 : Suitable for shooting in very low light conditions. I advise you to use this value very carefully, as this is the smallest depth of field. Use to capture small subjects or to create a soft focus effect.

f/2 : has similar f/1.4 performance, but a similar aperture lens will cost slightly less than a 1.4 aperture lens.

f/2.8 : Great for low light conditions. It is best used for, because, due to the greater depth of field, you can highlight or emphasize individual facial features. As a rule, for all good zoom lenses, the aperture range starts from this number.

f/4: The smallest aperture used for portraiture in well-lit conditions, as a wider aperture makes autofocusing more difficult.

f/5.6 : It is believed that this aperture is well suited for shooting 2 people, but in poor lighting it is still better to use a flash.

f/8: this aperture is considered ideal for , as it ensures that all subjects are in focus.

f/11: at this aperture, most lenses are sharpest, so this aperture is good for portraits.

f/16: suitable for shooting in bright sunlight. Thanks to the narrow aperture opening, a large depth of field is achieved, the foreground and background are as clear as possible.

f/22: with such a diaphragm, they usually shoot that do not require attention to objects in the foreground.

And remember that these are not strict rules, but only recommendations. Well, now that you have a complete understanding of how aperture values ​​affect the final picture, start putting your knowledge into practice and enjoy the process of photography itself.