Comments on: Moving Toward Manual Settings: Understanding Aperture (a beginner’s guide)

By: Myron

Myron — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:40:59 +0000

Thank you finally a guide easy to understand. I literally read a whole book to try and understand it. Thank you it’s a great guide for beggining photographers like myself. A 17 year old boy.!

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:47:59 +0000

Thank you so much for you easy to understand explaining!! I’m a newbie to DSLR photography! I’ve spend all day TRYING to figure out what is an f/stop is :L and how the hell does it work! I was about to gave up but then i randomly clicked on your site gave it a try and understood the god damn thing :D

Thank you again and yea LoL at your drawings
Tim 16! Russian Kid :P

By: Debbi

Debbi — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:50:16 +0000

Can I just say…THANK YOU! I’m from a family of photographers but have just recently become interested myself. I have been scratching my head trying to grasp aperture, shutter speed, iso, depth of field, so on and so on. Not until reading your posts have I started to UNDERSTAND and put it all together. You have made it fun! I don’t know how many times I’ve laughed out loud while reading your articles. My husband thinks I’m nuts. Yeehaw! (or Yeehah or Yihaw or whatever!) Thanks again!

By: Viren

Viren — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:22:24 +0000

To be precise it is the receprocal of the square of the F stop. Each value is half of the previous one rounded.

Since the amount of light coming in is proportional to the area of the “hole” to make half the area the diameter has to be reduced by square root of 2 which is rounded to 1.4.

As Michael says F1 is the largest as there is no restriction. To get half the light the diameter has to be 1/1.4 of the previous..the F stop is the receprocal at 1.4

By: Michael Parkinson

Michael Parkinson — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:09:43 +0000

If you look at Fstops as reciprocals it all makes sense. F1 becomes 1/1, can’t get any bigger than having the lens all the way open, and F90 becomes 1/90, even the kid who failed math class knows 1/90 is a dramatically smaller number than 1/1. Save the TP for something more practical.

By: April Douglas

April Douglas — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:37:09 +0000

I love how you explain things. I get it. A light blub went off. I think my camera caught it with “low” aperture. lol.

By: Octavia

Octavia — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:02:40 +0000

I just recently found this site. I just got myself a new camera and its been a while for me so its like learning all over again..

I found this page extremely helpful. It broke things down to simple english for you to understand…

by the way, who was the person who designed the aperture numbers to go the way they do? Can I toliet paper their house too?? lol

Thank you..

By: johnny

johnny — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:46:39 +0000

Very well put . I agree about (low numbers big hole ) big numbers small hole , if i do find that peason (the F/ MAN) I will be there to . LOL! thanks alot for putting it the way you did .

By: Janet Missenden

Janet Missenden — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:50:39 +0000

Hi Natalie…. OMG I cant believe it, I was browsing the Designer Digitals website checking out the photography Q&A’s (to try and gain more knowledge) when a DD member ‘Aino’ from Israel added a link to your website…HOW HAPPY AM I !!!!! I have owned a Nikon DSLR D70 for about 2 years and havent had it out of ‘Auto’ mode, my photographs are generally alright, but I know I can improve on them, I am craving the crispness of professional photographs, so would like to learn more about Manual..I have been busy trying to take in your blog about Moving toward manual for beginners, I would just like to THANK you for making it easy to understand… (I hope, I havent got out my camera yet).. I am sooo excited I cant tear myself away from your page…

By: Shannon

Shannon — Sun, 24 May 2009 03:12:19 +0000

If you are shooting two people from 5 or more feet away is it still okay to use a small aperture opening? ie:2.8 Or does your subject have to be closer to you to still be in focus?