What is Aperture?

Written by: Derek Watterson, Graphic Designer

THE APERTURE is built inside each lens and it controls the light entering a camera.  A lot like the shades on a window control the light:

“Stopped down” f16 or f22

“Optimum” f8 or f11

“Wide open” f2.8 to f4.5

Measuring Aperture

Aperture is measured in f stops. The larger the number under the f, the smaller the hole (aperture) and the less light that comes in.

A wide open aperture results in a shallow depth of field whereas a smaller aperture results in a great depth of field.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 9:27 am and is filed under Beginner, Photography Lessons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “What is Aperture?”

1. Jill on May 18th, 2010 at 9:26 am

   I’m interested in buying DSLR camera. From your lessons (very helpful, thank you) it seems like the reason my cheap digital camera photos are so “bad in quality” is because the aperture is not adjusted correctly. Reading through your lesson about aperture, it explains what the aperture is for, and how it should be adjusted, yet it does not explain how to adjust the aperture, or if it is even adjustable. Do I need to look for a camera that has a wide range of aperture settings? Do all cameras have the same range of settings?

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