Aperture Settings

There is a group of settings that work together to produce the overall exposure of the pictures taken. The first of these settings is the Aperture Setting. The aperture is the hole within the lens, that the light passes through after entering the lens and before hitting the image sensor.

The setting of the aperture is measured in f numbers, and each setting is called an f stop. The lower the f number, the larger the aperture opening. In the picture below the f number is clearly shown at the top of the screen as one of the main settings. On this camera f8 is a mid range f stop.

The aperture setting has a direct affect on depth of field, and therefore should be set to match the type of picture you wish to take. If you are taking a landscape picture that goes off in to the distance, the f number needs to be high, from f16 on a DSLR or f8 to the maximum on a compact camera.

The small opening created by the high f stop will not be appropriate for pictures taken indoors. With the aperture being small and the lack of light that goes with indoor photography, you will end up capturing dark, noisy and blurry images.

For indoor pictures a lower f number should be used as these settings open the aperture allowing more light to reach the image sensor. Nearly all modern cameras have a semi-automatic AV mode,. When selected you have the ability to choose the f stop you want, and the camera will automatically set a shutter speed that will produce a properly exposed image.