Aperture is one of the three pillars of photography, the other two being ISO and Shutter Speed. Without a doubt, it is the most talked about subject, because aperture either adds a dimension to a photograph by blurring the background, or magically brings everything in focus. In this article, I will try to explain everything I know about aperture in very simple language.
Before reading any further, I highly recommend reading about what a DSLR camera consists of.
1) What is Aperture?
Simply put, aperture is a hole within a lens, through which light travels into the camera body. It is easier to understand the concept if you just think about our eyes. Every camera that we know of today is designed like human eyes. The cornea in our eyes is like the front element of a lens – it gathers all external light, then bends it and passes it to the iris. Depending on the amount of light, the iris can either expand or shrink, controlling the size of the pupil, which is a hole that lets the light pass further into the eye. The pupil is essentially what we refer to as aperture in photography. The amount of light that enters the retina (which works just like the camera sensor), is limited to the size of the pupil – the larger the pupil, the more light enters the retina.
So, the easiest way to remember aperture, is by associating it with your pupil. Large pupil size equals large aperture, while small pupil size equals small aperture.
2) Size of Aperture – Large vs Small Aperture
The iris of the lens that controls the size (diameter) of the aperture is called “diaphragm” in optics. The sole purpose of the diaphragm is to block or stop all light, with the exception of the light that goes through the aperture. In photography, aperture is expressed in f-numbers (for example f/5.6). These f-numbers that are known as “f-stops” are a way of describing the size of the aperture, or how open or closed the aperture is. A smaller f-stop means a larger aperture, while a larger f-stop means a smaller aperture. Most people find this awkward, since we are used to having larger numbers represent larger values, but not in this case. For example, f/1.4 is larger than f/2.0 and much larger than f/8.0.
Take a look at this chart (image courtesy of Wikipedia):
The size of the circle represents the size of the lens aperture – the larger the f-number, the smaller the aperture.
3) What is Depth of Field?
One important thing to remember here, the size of the aperture has a direct impact on the depth of field, which is the area of the image that appears sharp. A large f-number such as f/32, (which means a smaller aperture) will bring all foreground and background objects in focus, while a small f-number such as f/1.4 will isolate the foreground from the background by making the foreground objects sharp and the background blurry.
Image on left shot at f/2.8, Image on right shot at f/8.0
As you can see, just changing the aperture from f/2.8 to f/8.0 has a big effect on how much of WALL-E is in focus and how visible the background gets. If I had used a much smaller aperture such as f/32 in this shot, the background would be as visible as WALL-E.
Another example:
Mailboxes - Aperture set to f/2.8
In the above example, due to the shallow depth of field, only the word “Cougar” appears sharp, while everything else in the front and behind of that word is blurred. If I had used a larger aperture such as f/1.4 and focused on one of the letters, probably only that letter would have been sharp, while everything else would have been blurred out. The larger the aperture, the smaller the area in focus (depth of field).
4) Lens Apertures: Maximum and Minimum
Every lens has a limit on how large or how small the aperture can get. If you take a look at the specifications of your lens, it should say what the maximum (lowest f-number) and minimum apertures (highest f-number) of your lens are. The maximum aperture of the lens is much more important than the minimum, because it shows the speed of the lens. A lens that has an aperture of f/1.2 or f/1.4 as the maximum aperture is considered to be a fast lens, because it can pass through more light than, for example, a lens with a maximum aperture of f/4.0. That’s why lenses with large apertures are better suited for low light photography.
The minimum aperture is not that important, because almost all modern lenses can provide at least f/16 as the minimum aperture, which is typically more than enough for everyday photography needs.
This 50mm lens has a max. aperture of f/1.4
There are two types of lenses: “fixed” (also known as “prime”) and “zoom”. While zoom lenses give you the flexibility to zoom in and out (most point and shoot cameras have zoom lenses) without having to move closer or away from the subject, fixed or prime lenses only have one focal length. Due to the complexity of optical design for zoom lenses, many of the consumer lenses have variable apertures. What it means, is that when you are fully zoomed out, the aperture is one number, while zooming in will increase the f-number to a higher number. For example, the Nikon 18-200mm lens has a variable maximum aperture of f/3.5-f/5.6. When zoomed fully out at 18mm, the lens has an aperture of f/3.5, while when fully zoomed in at 200mm, the lens has an aperture of f/5.6. The heavy, professional zoom lenses, on the other hand, typically have fixed apertures. For example, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens has the same maximum aperture of f/2.8 at all focal lengths between 70mm and 200mm.
Why is this important? Because larger maximum aperture means that the lens can pass through more light, and hence, your camera can capture images faster in low-light situations. Having a larger maximum aperture also means better ability to isolate subjects from the background.
If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please post them in the comments section below.
About Nasim Mansurov
I am getting my new Nikon slr this week after using a good point and shoot, I was wondering about getting that 55 lens since it is obviously part of the 18-200. I guess I wonder if I can do the macro closeup with blurred backround with this lens… or it is best to get the 55 so I can have more choices?
Thanks so much for the tutorials, btw. They are really helpful to the novice!
Deana,
Could you let me know what Nikon camera you are getting so that I could recommend the lenses for it? If you are getting any of the entry-level DSLRs, they typically come with a Nikon 18-55mm VR lens, which is an excellent lens for everyday use.
For food photography though, I would recommend a different lens with a much larger maximum aperture. Take a look at this Nikon 50mm f/1.4 – we use it for our food photography and couldn’t be happier.
When you take pictures of food, having a small area of the food in focus while having the rest blurred makes pictures and the food look much more pleasant to the eyes.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Nasim, thanks for taking the time to write all the newbie tips for taking pictures. I have one question please. I have a Canon SX40 HS and i would like to take a great picture of my sons graduation. When he is on stage and i am about 20 30 yards away, what is the best setting so my picture does not become dark? I bought this camera as it has 35x zoom.
Any of your great input would be very much appreciated.
Thanks
Jose Santiago
Very helpful. Thanks a lot.
Just a question, when do we need smaller than 14..15.. etc “f” numbers ?
Average f no’s in my photos are between 6 and 10. (apart from some macros)
Shams, you are welcome. When not using flash, smaller f-numbers are needed for two reasons:
a) to decrease the depth of field (i.e. isolate subject from the background)
b) to allow more light into the lens in low-light situations
Nasim, after reading the article I was playing around with my Lumix FZ 35. I was trying to get a blurry background using Apperture priority mode but was not able to get one. Everything is in focus. I was using f2.8 and zoomed out all the way. What am I doing wrong?
Alisher, keep your aperture at f/2.8, get physically closer to your subject, then zoom in. Take a picture and your background should be blurred.
The distance between you and your subject, along with the focal length of your lens are both important to be able to blur the background. The closer you are to the subject and the more zoomed in the lens is, the less the depth of field should be, resulting in background blur.
Actually, I was shooting from realy small distance. I thought that in order to get a blurry background the lenses should be zoomed out all the way. I will try with zoom-in. Will let you know results.
Thanks
Alisher, sounds good. Since you are doing this with a point and shoot, the background might not appear completely blurred, because the lens aperture will increase to a higher number as you zoom in. This is normal, since the only way to completely blur the background is to use fast aperture prime lenses on DSLRs…
Yeah, I’ve noticed that aperture is increasing with zoom-in. The thing is that on specialized forums dedicated to this particular model I’ve seen a lot of pictures taken by FZ-35/38 with blurry background. I was just wondering what I am doing wrong. Last night I was able to get the background somewhat blurry, but as you said it was not complete blurry. Will keep playing around with aperture, may be need to go outside to shot same pictures – will see how it goes.
You said that you mostly shoot in “aperture priority” mode. What principle do you use to change the aperture number? Thanks for all comments.
PS. I’ve seen “Tesha akani o’gli” today, vspominali armiyu:)
Alisher, since the depth of field on point and shoot cameras is typically larger due to lens design, you need to make sure that there is nothing close in proximity to the object you are taking a picture of. The further the background, the more blurry it will appear. That’s probably why the background is not blurred – because it is very close to your depth of field.
Can you post any of the samples from your camera with the best and worst case scenario?
In terms of aperture priority mode, if your camera has that mode, set it to aperture priority, then set the aperture to the lowest number. That way the shutter speed will automatically be computed by the camera metering system. Once set to aperture priority mode, try pressing up/down buttons on the camera back to change aperture. I’m not sure how it is changed on your camera, but if those buttons don’t do anything, I would look at the manual and see how to change aperture of the lens.
Muminovu ogromniy privet! :) I miss him dearly!
Background WAS very close to the object indeed, since I was shooting indoors at home. I will try to shoot some pictures outdoors.
I already know what “apperture priority” mode means and how it works and I do have this mode on my camera. It is very handy to switch aperture using joystick. What I was asking for is what kind of situation or shooting object would be reason for you to change aperture, for example to increase it? Do I need to increase aperture only if I want larger depth of field?
I will pass your regards to Sher when I see him next time.
Aha! That’s the reason why it didn’t get that blurred :) Definitely give it a try outside, but keep the aperture at the lowest number.
In terms of increasing aperture – yes, you are right. You should increase the aperture to get a larger depth of field (when taking pictures of landscapes, etc).
Ok, got it. Thank you for all your advices. Will be waiting for new articles! Happy holidays to you and your family, bro!
Alisher, you are welcome! Happy holidays to you too! Domashnim ogromniy privet!
Alisher, you mentioned about the specialized forums dedicated to FZ-35 model. May I know the address to that forum? I also own the FZ-35 and would like to learn more about all the features it has. Thanks!
Hardjono, how about this one: http://forums.steves-digicams.com/panasonic-leica-29/
thank you! btw, I love your beginner’s guide articles!
You are most welcome! Let me know if you have any questions :)
Happy New Year!
Hi Mr. Mansurov,
I’ve read ur article since I was confused what type of dslr I have to bought. Now I had D90 for my first camera, & so happy to have it :p
I want to ask about apperture priority that u’re using mostly to take a picture.
I’m learning to use A-mode too in my D90, what i need to ask is when I want to take a picture in a room that have less light, which stop do u usually use?
Because the shutter speed is so slow, & I got blurry images.
FYI, I used 18-105 lens kit
Thx b4
Steven, the above article should work for any DSLR, including your D90.
When you photograph indoors or in a low-light environment, always decrease your aperture to the smallest number. That way, your aperture opens up and lets more light into the camera sensor and increases your shutter speed. For your 18-105mm lens, the aperture varies between f/3.5 and f/5.6, so try to keep it in that range.
If you are still getting blurry images, try increasing your ISO to a larger number such as ISO 800 or 1600. You will get some noise in the pictures, but the images should not be blurry, depending on the amount of light in the room.
Hope this helps.
Hi Nasim,
Thanks for the article. I need some advice on using macro lenses if you don’t mind :)
I’m thinking of getting a Micro-Nikkor AFS 60mm for food photography. As the pictures I’m thinking of taking are unplanned (restaurants etc) and might be low light, I’m planning on taking the photos at f2.8 or at most f3.5 to maximise ambient light.
I understand that for “real” macro photography, I need to stop down the aperture to get more DOF, or it’ll all end up looking blurry, but most probably I won’t be using 1:1 magnification for food shots.
Mostly I should be shooting the dishes with some background, utensils etc, so do you think f2.8~f3.5 would be enough DOF, or would it be too thin? Thanks for any advice :)
gnohz, why are you planning to buy a macro lens for food photography? Why don’t you get a fast aperture lens like the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G instead? Lola shoots all of her food with the Nikon 50mm and she loves it!
Hi Nasim,
Thanks for your reply.
The reason for getting a macro lens is because sometimes I felt like taking some close up shots of the food and I find the minimum focusing distance to be somewhat limiting. And also apart from food, I also plan to take close ups of other subjects/still life :)
Could you let me know what is the minimum f number you shoot for food so as not to get an overly small depth of field, but still able to shoot in slightly low light conditions (ie, indoors without flash)?
Thanks so much for your advice.
I see :) In that case, the 60mm macro seems like a good candidate. For food photography, the apertures that work the best for us are between f/2.0 and f/4.0, depending on subject distance.
Thanks for the help and information! Appreciate it a lot :)
Hi Nasim, Thank you very much for this guide. I just picked up the Nikon D5000 a couple of days back and totally lovin’ it ! So far as my reading goes, the Aperture mode seems to be the best way to play around with the settings than getting into pure play manual mode – at least from a dslr newbie point of view.
Currently i am on the 18-55 VR lens and i hope to purchase the 35mm f1.8 lens once ive learnt how to use the camera properly.
Thanks again.
D
David, you are most welcome! Yes, the 35mm f/1.8 will open up brand new opportunities for you and you will immediately fall in love with it :)
Congratulations with your purchase. Let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for your reply Nasim. Ive been taking pictures through the weekend and have taken some good ones and some not so good ones. However, Ive been reading your site extensively and figured the first proper foothold I could get is work on the ” aperture ” mode, Auto ISO – Max it to 1600 and min shutter speed to 1/100 and then take pictures.
the D5000 offers many other options – The scene mode , macro and so on… Im trying to find what can be used for what.
Another major difficulty Ive seen is taking pictures in Low Light. But after reading from your site, i guess i have quite a lot to work on.
I will come back with further questions. As of now, Its ‘A’ mode, ISO settings, Matrix metering and click pictures..
D
David, yes, learn how to use Aperture priority mode and turn Auto ISO on to get started. Min shutter speed 1/100 is good for most situations, but bear in mind that if you need to freeze action, you will need to watch your shutter speed and perhaps even increase it.
I wouldn’t worry about other modes, since all they do is tweak your aperture, shutter speed and ISO. In some cases they might change autofocus behavior, but you should just learn how to use those yourself and make changes manually. D5000 is a great camera to get started and once you learn all the functions, you can take some beautiful pictures with it.
In terms of low light situations, most photographers have challenges, not just you :) I have written a long article on low-light photography, which I recommend to read and learn from. Try taking pictures in all kinds of situations – from very bright to very dark. That way you will quickly understand what works and what doesn’t and your learning experience will be less frustrating :)
Thanks Nasim. I did just that.. I turned on the Auto ISO setting, set it to Max 1600 and the shutter to 1/100 and I immediately started noticing the difference.
Yes, I have been reading your article on low light photography and find it immensely useful. I, however, need to work on the standing posture as i have noticed the shake.
I am eager to learn as riding season starts soon and I wouldnt want to take blurry pictures of the places in riding to.
D
David, one of these days I need to ask my wife to take a picture of me holding the camera, so that I can explain how to properly hold a DSLR. Maybe we’ll do a video, we’ll see.
that will be absolutely fantastic. Thanks so much.
D
“David, one of these days I need to ask my wife to take a picture of me holding the camera, so that I can explain how to properly hold a DSLR. Maybe we’ll do a video, we’ll see.”
Nasim – just thought id let you know.. Im swapping the 18-55 lens for a 35 f 1.8 d prime lens tomorrow… i hope this opens a whole new world of photography..
cheers
D
David, it absolutely will! You will love the 35mm after 18-55mm for sure :)
Hello Nasim, i just love your articles, they are so helpful.
My question is related to blurry images. i bought Canon eos 550d not so long ago and when i shoot pictures, some of them are crystal clear ( that is one out of 20 ) and rest of them are just a litle bit blurry, but enough to be bad. they look like person is moving little bit in a low light with low iso, but im shooting them on sunny afternoon. im getting blur pictures even with iso 800 or 1600. im shooting in AV mode and i would like to get pictures if its possible on iso 100, 200 or 400. if i put f to 3.5 im having problem with depth of field even on small distances ( 5 to 10cm ). im geting clear focus on one person, and other one is blurry ( even though they are standing next to each other ). is it possible that my Auto focus is not doing good job?
i would appreciate if you could tell me how to make clear picture of my son with my wife holding him in her hands, and to make them both perfectly clear ( its not low light situation, its bright daylight shooting ). do i have to increase F and how much, and would EOS 550d do a good job on AV mode for that photo, and how much should my shooter speed be for clear photos. ( when i increase shooter speed, i need to pump up the iso, and i really hate the noise ).
tnx alot,
Sanny.
Sanny, what is the shutter speed when you shoot in AV mode? Just make sure that it stays fast enough to avoid motion blur.
In terms of depth of field, just don’t stand too close to your wife and your son and shoot from a further distance. What lens are you shooting with?
Hi,
if I’m not wrong, I think your shutter speed is a little on the low side and that causes the blur. Are you shooting indoors? Even if it’s bright daylight, shooting outdoors and indoors does make a difference. Generally, a prefered shutter speed is 1/n where n is the focal length. So if you’re shooting at 50mm, the shutter speed should be at least 1/50 secs so as to minimise any hand shake.
Hope this helps :)
Sorry, the above post was supposed to be meant for Sanny.
Thank you for your suggestion gnohz! I think his problem is that he is using a very small aperture like f/10 and is standing too close to his subjects, which is ultimately resulting in slower shutter speeds…
I have a question. I have the Olympus E-420 and it has an Aperture mode on it. I am taking a photography class and cant seem to get my depth of filed right. When I tried it yesterday, it worked fine, but today it just keeps taking the same picture. I have read too many articles about this until I got sick on my stomach and got a headache. Can you please tell me what I am doing wrong? I have the kit lens which is a 14-42 lens and I bought a 70-300mm lens. I wanted to use my 70-300 for close ups to show the intensity. I am stuck and at a loss. I have to turn an assignment in and I do not know what to do at this point.
Trisha, your depth of field depends on the subject distance – i.e. how far you are standing from the subject. If you are standing very close, you will get more background blur (obviously you need to shoot at your maximum aperture such as f/1.4 or f/3.5). If you have a zoom lens, zoom in all the way to get as close to the subject as you can. If you stand far away, you subject will be out of your depth of field and the background will not be blurred.
So, try this:
1) Stand as close to the subject as you can
2) Shoot at maximum aperture
3) Zoom in all the way
If your lens cannot focus, it means that you are standing too close. Move back a little and try again. And by the way, don’t try to produce bokeh with your 14-42 lens at 14mm. Use your 70-300mm instead.
Hope this helps.
Thank you, Nasim. I have been reading my manual and the 1985 edition of “Photography” and finally figured a lot of it out. Sometimes I like things broken down to me as if I were in junior high though. This really helped and I appreciate the feedback!
Trisha, I somehow missed your comment and never responded. Sorry about that!
Thank you for your feedback!
Hi Nasim,
I’m very new to DSLR world and I found your articles are very informative and what impress me a lot is not confusing. I see hundreds of article in internet but they have too much technical details which may confuse beginners. So many thanks to you for writing those great stuff.
I need one help I’m planning to buy one DSLR. And I see many Canon cameras. And as per my budget I like Canon Rebel T2i (550D). Please let me know which Nikon model you want to refer me as well.
Thanks,
Pritam
Pritam, the T2i is a great camera and will work great as an entry-level DSLR. Go with it if you prefer Canon.
In one of your posts you stated
” December 24, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Aha! That’s the reason why it didn’t get that blurred :) Definitely give it a try outside, but keep the aperture at the lowest number.
In terms of increasing aperture – yes, you are right. You should increase the aperture to get a larger depth of field (when taking pictures of landscapes, etc).”
By increasing aperture do you get a larger depth of field? …..do you mean by decreasing aperture (or increasing F-STOP) you get a larger depth of field?
Can you clarify? I am fairly new to photography.
Thanx!
I’m not trying to hijack the discussion, but you’re right. You need to close down the aperture (which is equal to increasing the f number) to get a larger depth of field :)
VJ, when I said “increase aperture”, I meant “increase f-number”. Yes, to get a larger depth of field, you need to stop down to a larger f-number.
I am preparing to shoot my first “assignment” for the coming Easter Day at my Church.
Activities under adequate light is fine but I am not too sure how to manage the low light conditions during the start of the drama e.g. Stage light only condition.
I have Nikon D80′ lenses I will be using is 18-200mm and tokina 12-24mm.
Appreciate some helpful pointers from u and recommended settings for white balance, and ISO.
Many thanks
Hello Nasim,
I recently stumbled upon your website and have enjoyed reading your articles thus far. I am new to photography and recently got my D90 + 18-55mm. I have read the manual and your Beginner’s Guides to ISO, Aperture…however, I am still at a loss as to where to start! Coming from a point-and-shoot, it suddenly seems like I have many variables to play with and although I can understand how each of those settings affect the photograph (from your guides), I have no idea how they should come together to make a great picture. I’d like your advice on how I should actually go about getting started with my camera [apart from shooting in Auto mode ;) ]. I have tried messing within each of the modes but all my pictures turned out worse than what I got with Auto mode; I must be doing something wrong somewhere and I hope you can lead me in the right direction.
Hi Naseem,
I am very new to DSLR world and have a basic DSLR for now (18-55mm/f3.5-5.6). I want to buy 50mm/f1.8. Also, at the same time I want a zoom lens as well (18-200mm). Let me know if I can use both the lenses together? Also, is there another lens that I should go for instead of buying two seperate lenses (one for wide angle and another for zooming).
Appreciate your help,
Mamta
Hi Nasim,
I am really hoping you still check this! I am really trying to understand aperture, but the one thing that keeps getting me is HOW a larger opening/aperture means LESS stuff, forward and back, that is in focus… and a smaller opening/aperture makes more things forward and back in focus… it just does NOT make sense to me.
I would think a larger opening would give a lot more, in foreground and background, in focus. Why does it not?
Also, I have the Nikon D5000 with the Kit lens (AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G)
Based on the last paragraph of this article I am a little confused – can I still take pictures that have a lower aperture?? Nevermind on this. I just played with my camera and realized that NO, I can only go as low as 3.5 or 5.6 depending on whether I am zoomed out or in respectively. Very interesting!
I am asking all this b/c I am doing photography of infants and children and would like to not only be able to achieve a shallow depth of field, but also to UNDERSTAND it.
Will an aperture setting of f/3.5 or f/5.6 still give me a shallow depth of field when doing children and infant photography? If not, what type of lens would you recommend??
Thank you!!
Andrea M
very informative :P
This information is amazing. I have ordered a canon 1100D with the standard 18-55mm lense and have been reading up info on getting started in photography and have learnt more from your page than all the others put together. Thank you SO much!
Ok I have a Nikon d5000. Just got a new lens 18-105. Tried to take action shots in action mode…they were blurry. I have a 55-200 and take action shots with it in same mode and they come out great. Why???
hello sir ,
I’m so much interested in photography that I would like to know about aperture settings for zoom lens.
There is also a setting like ‘point focus’, can it be possible to point focus on a subject by having more aperture? or achieve depth of field?
Can the aperture be changed for a zoom lens the is set up to the maximum focal length?As you said that “……while when fully zoomed in at 200mm, the lens has an aperture of f/5.6″
Just a question out of curiosity-Would this type of setting be helpful in focusing on the background rather than foreground ?
And What does ‘G’ refer to in ‘f/1.4G’ ?
I’m naive in photography and someone who hasn’t started eperimenting with the SLR(not owning one)…
Thanks !
Hi Nasim,
Thank you very much for sharing your extensive knowledge with the rest of us.
I was just wondering if you could recommend a good inexpensive lens for indoor portraits. I’m trying to capture my 4.5 yo daughter with 18-55 kit lens on D5100 Nikon and results are passable but not very impressive. Also could you maybe post a listing of default settings that you would use on DSLR such as max ISO, WB offset, max/min f stop etc. that you would use for 90% of the time, meaning daily photography of kids family parties for both indoors and outdoors environments. Scene modes are great but one of the reasons I have SLR is to have more control of my settings vs letting computer make all the decisions.
Thanks again for a great site.
Great tutorial for Bokeh and Aperture settings..The way you explain is tooo good.. thanks a lott for eye opening…:)
Hi! I have a Canon Rebel T3i EOS 600D which came with a Canon Zoom 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS II lense.
I am wanting to increase the blurred background on my portraits of people, bugs, etc. am thinking of purchasing the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. Is that a good idea? the best idea?
how much of an increase would I see in the blur? I don’t want the camera shake – so am interested in lenses that have the IS option, but am not sure if I am going to see much of a difference in the blur for the amount of money I’ll be spending on the 2nd lense. please advise.
For people portraits, if you already own the EF 50mm f/1.4, you should be fine getting blurred backgrounds. A point of note is that the subject should be quite distant from the background.
For Macro Photography, I will advise you invest in a good tripod and and not rely on the IS function of the lens you purchase.
I suspect you don’t have the EF 50mm f/1.4 lens and you are thinking the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM will cater to both portraits of people and bugs. On this note, I am curious as well.
I hope I have helped you some.
Hi Nasim Mansurov,
I am going to photo shot at Holi festival(which is full of colors + water) in India.
I have Canon 550D 18-55mm(1:3.5-5.6) IS II lens.
Could you please tell me what will be the best camera setting to click this event.
Regards,
Rajkumar Mundel
indokely@gmail.com
Nasim Mansurov,
I would like to say thank you for a well written post providing clarity to my Aperture and DOF issues.
Finally I have gotten rid f the confusion that has been plaguing me for a while.
Here’s to great photographs.
Best Regards
so how to improve light in a 55-200 mm when zoomed in at 200 mm? Would appreciate it! Ta
Great article and a great job! keep it going.
Im upgrading from a point and shoot to my first DSLR. I would fit in between the amateur and semi pro category. I have to decide between nikon D5100 Vs D7000. What would u suggest and what lens would u suggest for taking pics of my toddler and landscapes.
Best Regards
Hi. Thank you so much for sharing all this information and being available to answer questions! I am working with a Nikon D90 and a 18-105 lens (f-3.5-f29). My problem is that I am trying to take pictures with a large aperture but I can’t seem to get close enough to the subject. When I try to get close everything is blurry and my camera won’t focus. When I pull back however, I lose the whole effect I am going for. Any suggestions? Much appreciated.
~Anya
Thanks Nasim for your great tutorials.
I have a Nikon D5100 with the 18-55mm f/3.5-f/5.6 lens, and a 55-200mm f/1.4-f/5.6 lens. However, I am not able to set the aperture to less than f/4. What might be the cause of this issue? I am new to DSLR’s.
-Aharon
Ta Nasim! Very informative,in fact sometimes we need someone to reiterate points we have learnt before but tend to forget! Thanx again!
Cheers
Shibu
Sydney
Asking again.. so how to improve light in a 55-200 mm when zoomed in at 200 mm? Would appreciate it! Ta
Shibu,
Sydney
hi nasim…thanks for articles i read them n i like it so much.
here is my condition i like photography and planning to enter in this field.I will join commercial photography(fashion photography) course in next month and i m going to buy my first DSLR camera so plz suggest me which camera should i buy and my range is 1 lakh to 1.25 lakh (in Indian rupee) and also if possible suggest me some good institute for photography in India ……..plz reply me soon
does the iso increases (gets faster) does the aperture increase or decrease in size
as the iso increases (gets faster) does the aperture increase or decrease in size
Hi Nasim.
I am Tarun from India, a beginner in the field of DSLRs. Your blog is just amazing for people such as I to understand the basics in the most understandable and hassle free explanations. Keep it up.
Thanks. :)
Tarun
Hi, I have a Nikon D2Xs and doing a wedding next month for a friend. What kind of lenses are best for this camera.I have a 70 300mm . 50mm 1.4 . But I need to by a good lens, any ideas please? thank you so much
and another question please? Dont have the book, do you know anythink about the settings?
So I have a canon sx40 and I’m tring to figure out how to focus on one image and blur the backround I put it on av and they say to put it on f2.8 but it won’t let me do that I can see that but I can’t scroll to it any advice? I really want these types of pictures and I hoping my camer that I spend a good deal of money on can achieve this.