Question about Aperture and Shutter Speed

[shrutis]

I have a Sony W5 that only has 2 F-stops: F2.8 and F5.6. My question is this - how do I know which aperture and shutter speed to use besides just deciding "this looks about right"?

I know aperture has to do with depth of field and shutter speed for how long the shutter is open... I understand the mechanics. But what if it's just a person posing? Or it's a group shot? Does it matter too much then?

Thanks for the help!

[Nicole]

Yep, it always matters :p Oh, you want a better answer than that?

Ok, just a refresher on the basics of exposure (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography/). So, aperture also has to do with how much light is let into the camera. Small number = more light = faster shutter speed. From reading about your camera, it says it has a "live histogram" I'm not sure if that means you can read it before you take the picture or after, but if it's before, then learn about how to read histograms (http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_histogram.html) and that will help you get better exposure.

As far as your last question about a single person posing v a group shot, I'd use the 2.8 for a single person and 5.6 for the group shots because that will get more of the shot in focus, which you really want with group shots.

Oh, and one more link for you: How to control aperture and shutter speed on an entry level point & shoot (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-control-aperture-and-shutter-speed-on-an-entry-level-point-and-shoot-digital-camera/). I realize your camera isn't an entry level camera, but maybe some of those tips will be helpful to you anyways.

Hope that helps :)

[shrutis]

Wow, I never thought about using the histogram - that does make sense!

I guess the way I was seeing is that if people are standing still, it doesn't make a difference if I use a low aperture and high shutter speed or high aperture and lower shutter speed because the colors would be the same...

But now I realize that I obviously have to take the DOF into account, as you mentioned in group/solo shots.

Or did I misunderstand you?

[Nicole]

Nope, you got it completely right, so it sounds like you understood. :) Hopefully some of that will help.