Aperture

The maximum aperture of the lens you choose can have a significant impact on the types of photos you can take with your digital SLR camera.

There is a standard scale for aperture numbers

1.4 / 2.0 / 2.8 / 4.0 / 5.6 / 8.0 / 11 / 16 / 22 / 32  let’s see picture below.

apertur

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Smaller Aperture Number (1.4) = Wider Aperture = More Light

Larger Aperture Number (16) = Narrower Aperture = Less Light

Maximum Aperture

The limit to how wide a lens can be opened is called the maximum aperture.

All lens apertures can be narrowed as much as you want. For example, every lens on the market today – regardless of manufacturer – can be set to f/16.

But every lens on the market cannot be opened up to f/1.4

Lens A might have a maximum aperture of f/2.8 while lens B will have a maximum aperture of f/4. While both lenses can be set to an aperture of f/8 (narrower than the maximum setting) the f/4 lens cannot be opened up to f/2.8.

The benefits of lenses with wide maximum apertures is

Natural Light Photos

A digital SLR camera sensor needs light to create an image.

There are two ways that it can get the light that it needs: it can keep the shutter open for a long period of time or open the aperture as wide as possible.

If you had a lens with more a maximum aperture Then you can use more a shutter speed which means that you can get clear photos without the flash.

Fast Shutter Speeds

Example: You set the aperture on your lens as wide as it can go (let’s say f/5.6), and check the shutter speed. The camera tells you that you can use a shutter speed of 1/125 of a second

If you had a lens with a wider maximum aperture you could get the shot. With a wider aperture (say f/2.8) your shutter speed could be 1/500 of a second.

Since the wide aperture lets in so much light, the shutter doesn’t have to stay open as long.

Reduced Depth of Field

Lenses with wide maximum apertures have shallow depth of field.

If you have a lens with a maximum aperture of f/5.6, you can’t reduce the depth of field as much as you can with a wider aperture.

Nature and portrait photographers use Wider Aperture all the time to reduce the impact of a busy background.

..Continue next time.
More info http://rebeldigitalslr.com Canon and Nikon DSLR review.

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