The Tool Desk
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What does aperture do on a camera?
Aperture is the adjustable opening in a lens’s diaphragm through which light passes. The setting is written as an f-number, or f-stop. The scale can feel backward at first: f/2.8 is a wider aperture than f/8, so it lets in more light. A higher number indicates a narrower opening and less light. Nikon’s guide to maximum aperture explains the lens specification, while Sony’s aperture overview describes how the setting affects exposure and focus.
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Aperture has two jobs in a photograph: it helps determine exposure brightness and shapes depth of field—the range in front of and behind the focus point that looks acceptably sharp.
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How does aperture affect exposure?
A wider aperture admits more light. If you want to keep the same brightness, that extra light can let you use a faster shutter speed or a lower ISO, depending on the scene and your other settings. A narrower aperture admits less light, so you may need a slower shutter speed or higher ISO to compensate. Sony’s exposure-controls explanation covers the relationship among aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
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These controls involve tradeoffs rather than a single universally best setting. A faster shutter speed can help limit motion blur, while a higher ISO changes another part of the exposure choice. Decide what matters most for the photograph, then adjust the remaining controls to suit.
How does aperture affect depth of field?
A wider aperture tends to create shallower depth of field: a smaller range of the scene appears acceptably sharp, which can make the background look more blurred. A narrower aperture tends to increase depth of field, bringing more of the scene into apparent focus.
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Aperture is not the only influence. Focal length and subject distance matter too: longer focal lengths and closer focusing tend to produce shallower depth of field. Nikon’s depth-of-field guide explains these factors. Because they work together, a particular f-stop does not guarantee the same background blur in every scene.
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Portraits
Try a wide aperture such as f/2.8 when you want shallow depth of field to help distinguish a subject from the background. Treat it as a starting point, not a rule. If the focus zone is too shallow, important parts of the subject may not all look sharp—for example, both eyes or multiple people in a group. Nikon uses f/2.8 as an example for portrait separation in its maximum-aperture guide.
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Landscapes
Try f/8 or f/11 when you want greater depth of field across a landscape. These are starting points, not guarantees of sharpness from foreground to background; focal length, focus distance, scene depth, and the camera-and-lens combination also affect the result. Check the photograph rather than assuming a particular number will cover every scene. Nikon gives f/8 and f/11 as landscape examples in its maximum-aperture guide.
Low light or moving subjects
A wider aperture lets in more light and may allow a faster shutter speed for a given exposure, which can help when the subject is moving. Consider whether the resulting shallower depth of field still keeps the important parts in focus.
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When more of the scene should look sharp
Stop down—choose a higher f-number—to increase depth of field as needed. Then inspect detail at the size you intend to use. The narrowest opening available is not automatically the sharpest choice: at small apertures, diffraction can soften apparent detail. The point where this becomes visible varies with the camera and lens combination. Nikon Imaging Support explains this effect in its diffraction guide.
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- Choose the in-focus range. Decide whether you want a blurred background or more of the scene to appear sharp.
- Set an aperture that supports that goal. A lower f-number gives a wider opening and tends toward shallower depth of field; a higher f-number gives a narrower opening and tends toward deeper depth of field.
- Balance the exposure. Adjust shutter speed and ISO to get the brightness you need while accounting for subject movement and the available light.
- Check focus and fine detail. Make sure the important parts of the subject are sharp. If you stop down substantially, review fine detail at the intended output size rather than assuming the highest f-number is best.
What maximum aperture tells you about a lens
A lens’s maximum aperture is its widest available setting, typically represented by its lowest f-number. It indicates how wide the lens can open; it does not mean you must always use that setting. Some zoom lenses have different maximum apertures at the wide and telephoto ends of the zoom range, while others maintain the same maximum aperture throughout. Nikon discusses both types in its maximum-aperture guide.
If a lens does not open as wide as your intended use requires, a compatible lens with a wider maximum aperture may be relevant. Any lens choice has to match your camera mount and intended focal length. Learning aperture or changing the setting on a compatible lens does not, by itself, require buying another lens.
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