What is Aperture?

“What is Aperture?” This topic can be a little confusing for some. I admit it was for me at first too. It’s not that aperture is itself a particularly confusing topic, there a couple common misconceptions that need to be cleared up. One of those being Aperture is NOT a feature of your camera it is the. So you ask what is it than where do I find it? Well we will get into that in a little bit. Second is that a larger aperture number is NOT does not mean wider aperture. Okay now that we have that figured out. We can ge t down to what it is and how it works. So what is aperture? well Aperture indicates how wide your lens is open and how much light it lets it. So you say thats it, well not really theres a little more to understanding it and how it works. Why do people think that Aperture is in the camera? well this is do to the new technology in digital SLR cameras. As now a days instead of changing the setting on the lens it self you change them on the camera, which is why it is so misunderstand. Over time Camera manufacturer’s decided that it was easier to create an electronic bridge between the lens and the camera so that you no longer had to turn that lens ring to set the aperture. Which also allows you to save setting you like to the camera it self. Also allowing you to make changes as much as you want just using the camera. So far we have learned that aperture is a feature of your lens, and that it’s an indication of how wide your lens is open. Its just like your Eyes. When there is less light outside your pupils get large and when its bright and sunny out side your pupils are small and tinny. So now if you think of Aperture as how your pupils function -we can begin to understand the most confusing part that always complicates the answer to the “what is aperture?” question. Important: The aperture number on your camera is related to the width of the amount of light let though opening with in the lens.

• SMALL aperture number = WIDE opening = Lots of light
• LARGE aperture number = NARROW opening = Minimal light

See what’s happening here? As the number gets bigger, the opening gets smaller. See example below: A small aperture makes everything in an image appear sharper and more in focus. This is creates what is called a long depth of field (DOF) where everything is in focus. The complete opposite which is a large aperture will only allow your selected subject to be in focus. This is referred to a Short Depth of field. The short depth of field or Large aperture is used widely in portrait photography. To allow less distraction with the background. How to change the Aperture on a Nikon D300? To change the Aperture on the Nikon D300 Hold down the mode button and rotate the dial the letter A appears in the control panel on the top left corner. Which is located on the back easily accessed by your thumb. Then change the Aperture number with the second command dial on the front of the camera easily accessed with your index finger. Once you have the chosen f-stop you wish to use push down the shutter half way to focus your camera. Take your photo. Everyday our electronics devices are advancing with new technology born every second.

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