Memorizing f stops

[Skoropada]

Yesterday I started a workshop on vision & composition, aiming to get a better understanding of those matters, but during the class the teacher asked about what would the shutter speed be if I switched from f/11 - 1/60s to f/8.

Of course I couldn't answer and so a doubt grew in me: should I memorize the f stop values?

I'm a self-taught amateur photographer and besides this workshop I have never had any formal education in photography or even in art.

I generally use the camera in M mode, using spot metering, so I can decide the exposure. But, if I chose an aperture value, I change the shutter speed until I get the EV I want.

So, what are your thoughts? Should I memorize the f stops values? should I memorize this table: http://www.photographyuncapped.com/a...peeds-f-stops/ ?


Looking forward to your comments.

Sounds like a trick question....

All depends on available light.

[faeriegodess612]

That's kinda what I was thinking. There are no set combinations for a photo. It all depends on what your going for when you take the shot, and like max said, the available light. If your taking a portrait shot at sunset and want a shallow depth of field, you might use f/11 and a 2 second exposure,...depending on how far down the sun is, and where your at in relation to it. But if you want a faster shutter so any slight movement that your subject makes wont blur your photo, then you might bump the ISO and set your shutter at 1/10. 1/10 still leaves room for blur, but its less likely than with a 2 second exposure. The two exposures will look very similar, but it all depends on what your trying to achieve for that shot.

[OsmosisStudios]

Assuming you want to keep exposure levels the same, going from xISO, f/11 and 1/60 to xISO f/8, you'd have to be at 1/125.

Depends on the type of light too: shutterspeed wont affect if youre using flash, but aperture will make a massive change.

[SwissJon]

It's worth figuring out f-stops to some extent.. F11 is one stop slower than f8.. I know this because it's 3 clicks on my thumb wheel. That's 3 1/3rd stop changes, making one whole stop I wouldn't say I know how many stops between f2.8 and f16 without sitting and figuring it out but I do know that there's no f15 on my camera.. The relationship between them, for me these days is dependant on counting clicks on the wheels or watching the exposure display.. I think a general knowledge of. Aperture and it's relationship to depth of field and speed is far more important than knowing the actual numbers.. The only time I use the numbers is when I use a filter and figure out how many stops it will change.. For example spot metering the sky and the ground to decide which nd grad filter to use.. But it's beginning to become like driving a car, and I don't always need to do anything more than look to decide if an ND .6 or ND .9 would be better in a particular situation.. Whether I should use f16 or f8 is like getting in the car and deciding on an appropriate speed.. Eventually you just know roughly how fast you are going and if it's appropriate to the conditions without looking at the speedo.

I think you should stop approaching this like a computer and start approaching it as an art form. Sure, f8 is one stop faster than f11 and that would mean a 1/50s shutter at f/11 gives 1/100s at f8 but once you've figured out the relationship, let your histogram do the donkey work for you and enjoy the experience and freedom that comes with chilling out with the camera. The best photos come from a photographer that's relaxed and looking, not one thats stressed about technical details and forgets the art.

[Skoropada]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

The best photos come from a photographer that's relaxed and looking, not one thats stressed about technical details and forgets the art.

Thanks!
That's where I'd like to be someday

[gturner]

Originally Posted by maxharvard

Sounds like a trick question....

All depends on available light.

only if you don't know the answer (and the answer isn't add a flash )


I just think in doubles and halves and I dont use 1/3 stops, only 1/2 stops.

just remember the full F numbers and know that each one you go up or down it either doubles or halves the light... and to achieve the same exposure you need to do the opposite to the shutter speed (assuming ISO remains)

F11 @ 1/60th

F8 @ 1/125th

F5.6 @ 1/250th

F4 @ 1/500th

not too tricky.

[zona5101]

I think it is good to know the fstop table when you start to talk the technical side of things...I agree with SwissJon that it's not that important when making a specific image. It comes more when talking about changes in exposure or lighting ratios. Knowing the fstop scale helps me to converse about what is happening with the differences in light. Same goes for ISO and shutter speed although ISO and Shutter are much easier to remember.

I learned the basic fstop by learning two stop scales:
2-4-8-16-32 are all 2 stops apart (and double or half the number)

1.4-2.8-5.6-11-22 are also 2 stops apart and follow the same 1/2 or doubling.

Intersperse them and you have the one stop scale:
1.4 - 2 - 2.8 - 4 - 5.6 - 8 - 11 - 16 - 22

[sk66]

Originally Posted by zona5101

I learned the basic fstop by learning two stop scales:
2-4-8-16-32 are all 2 stops apart (and double or half the number)

1.4-2.8-5.6-11-22 are also 2 stops apart and follow the same 1/2 or doubling.

Intersperse them and you have the one stop scale:
1.4 - 2 - 2.8 - 4 - 5.6 - 8 - 11 - 16 - 22

Nice! I've always figured it "the hard way" starting at f/1 and adding .4 of the current f-stop to get the next.

I don't think it's "critical" to know the actual numbers exactly. It is important to understand how they affect things. It's also important to understand how your camera is set up and how it behaves in relation to those factors.

You said you always work in manual mode....in that case I think it's more important to be very familiar with this stuff as it prevents/minimizes "searching". You know what to change, and by how much, to get the results you desire.

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by zona5101

Intersperse them and you have the one stop scale:
1.4 - 2 - 2.8 - 4 - 5.6 - 8 - 11 - 16 - 22

if it helps, each of these numbers is the nearest whole number ( or first decimal place) of the square root of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, the series continues if your lens can cope..