In Professional Photography what exactly is aperture ?

9 Responses to “In Professional Photography what exactly is aperture ?”

Galan F says:
August 31st, 2010 3:23 am

The aperture is the opening in the lens (created by an adjustable iris or diaphragm) that allows light to pass through. The exposure of the image is determined by the combination of shutter speed and the opening of the aperture. The larger the aperture, the more light is allowed to pass through the lens. The aperture is measured in f-stops, and each stop represents a factor of two in the amount of light admitted. The aperture setting (f-stop), combined with the focal length of the lens, determines the depth of field of an image.
Depth of field is the acceptable area of focus a photographer determines to have by manipulating both the aperture and shutter speed. Think of it like using an airbrush to paint an image. In order to get an image painted very fast, the artist has to sacrifice detail. The artist (camera) uses a larger spray nozzle (aperture) to get more paint on the canvas in less time (shutter speed). By painting fast, there is less detail (or depth of field) but the essential elements of the image are captured.
If the artist (camera) decides to allow for more time (shutter speed) he can get more detail by using a smaller spray nozzle (aperture). This is accomplished by allowing time to permit light details to form on film (or in the case of digital… sensors).
I like the Nikons too.
youkillme says:
August 31st, 2010 3:23 am

The aperture is the diameter of the whole created by metal leaves inside the lens that can be adjusted by turning the aperture or f/stop ring. It is similar to the eye’s iris. The smaller the diameter the greater the depth of focus. As the diameter decreases, the speed or time needed to make an exposure increases.
Some lenses are designed to be less unsharp at given apertures. Most shorter length older Nikkor lenses are sharpest at f/5.6. Just stopping down a lens to its smallest aperture will not necessarily produce the sharpest image and may also result in blurring because the exposure time is longer and movement is inevitable.
Lenses are marked with increments on the lens barrel called f/stops. Although there are some obvious differences in scale like f/1.8, f/5.6, f/11…full stops are permutations of the number 2, as in f/2, f/4, f/8,…f/64, f/128, f/256…
I think you might benefit from a workshop once you have become accustomed to your camera. I would suggest you look into the Rocky Mountain School of Photography started by my friend Neil Chaput, and find an area that interests you.
Having made my living at this for about 18 years, I can attest that this is a competitive field that requires tremendous personal fortitude.
Paco C says:
August 31st, 2010 3:23 am

Joshua i too am starting novice level and also looked at those models but in the end, for now, till i know more, i got the FUJI finepix S8100
whihc is a cam that has it all in one go, times 18 optical zoom, wide angle lens and macro and super reviews.
I dont need to carry extra lens just one cam does it all and it was alos cheaper, i can aways get a better cam later if i need one.
Haylz says:
August 31st, 2010 3:23 am

aperture in the hole in the camera lens which diameter you can change by turning the f-stop ring. it controls how much light is let into the camera. when it is lowered however, often the shutter speed must be decreased to compensate.
Ellenas says:
August 31st, 2010 3:23 am

aperture is the same is any form of photography……
aperture is the the size of the hole in the lens that lets light in to hit the sensor of your camera if using digital
read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aperture
now your comparing canon point and shoots with nikon dslrs? i dont know what to say to that
keep asking questions, but try googling or wikipedia also…….
FritoLay says:
August 31st, 2010 3:23 am

I know this won’t get a best answer, but it’s good to point out:
A one stop change of the widest aperture can make a lens cost $1700 or $1000.
gladivs@sbcglobal.net says:
August 31st, 2010 3:23 am

Your exposure is controled by three things – ISO setting, shutter speed, and aperture. To keep the correct exposure, when you change one of these you (or the camera automatically) change another.
The aperture is in the lens. Picking an F-stop picks the size of the hole in the lens that will allow light through the lens. Large apertures (which have small F-stop numbers, like F1.8) are great for low lighting situations, times when you need a high shutter speed, and cases where you want to keep the subject in focus, but blur the background.
Small apertures (Large F-stop numbers, like F16) are useful for landscapes and other times when you want most of the photo in focus. You pay a little bit of a price in the shutter speed, which tends to be slow at small apertures.
As far as the cameras go, they are all fine models but I would put the nikon DSLRs above the others if you are serious and intend to pursue photography, as they have more flexibility. You can purchase a wide variety of lenses in the future for the d40 or d60 is you decide you are interested in macro photography or sports or something else.
hflockwood says:
August 31st, 2010 3:23 am

Just a slight correction to one of the answers you received: youkillm… said that "…full stops are permutations of the number 2, as in f/2, f/4, f/8,…f/64, f/128, f/256…"
Full stops differ by a factor of 2 in the area of the aperture or a factor of 1.4 in the diameter. Therefore, the doubling order is f/1, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, etc. because f/n is the diameter of the aperture where f is the focal length of the lens. For example, for a lens with focal length 50 mm, f/2 suggests an aperture diameter of 25 mm.
I recommend that, before buying any camera, you thoroughly read a book on the basics of picture taking, film or digital.
HFL
Zanthus says:
August 31st, 2010 3:23 am

well there are two MAIN things which affect the exposure of an image at any given film speed or ISO setting, and these are
1. How FAST the shutter clicks
2. How BIG the opening that allows light into the camera body is
when the shutter clicks (the aperture setting)
Typically, the aperture can be adjusted to give a range of photographics effects. If you want the type of photo where a main subject is in sharp focus, and the background is blurred, you use a Large aperture (which is the smallest aperture number on your lens) This is also called shooting "wide open"
If you are shooting a lanscape scene, where you want everythign from the object two feet away to the distant mountains to be in clear sharp focus, you select a SMALL aperture (the biggest number on your lens)

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