understanding aperture - a beginner's guide

7/22/2019 Understanding Aperture - A Beginner's Guide

1/37


http://photographylife.com/what-is-aperture-in-photography 1

dec192009

HOME/ PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS/ UNDERSTANDING APERTURE A BEGINNERS GUIDE

Understanding Aperture A Beginners GuideBY NASIM MANSUROV 190 COMMENTS

Aperture is one of the three pillars of photography, the other two being ISOand Shutter Speed. Without a

doubt, it is the most talked about subject, because apert ure either adds a dimension to a photograph by

blurring the background, or magically brings everything in focus. In this article, I will try to explain everything

I know about aperture in very simple language.

Before reading any further, I highly recommend reading about what a DSLR camera consists of.

1) What is Aperture?

Simply put, aperture is a hole within a lens, through which light travels into the camera body. It is easier tounderstand the concept if you just think about our eyes. Every camera that we know of today is designed like

human eyes. The cornea in our eyes is like the front element of a lens it gathers all external light, then bends

it and passes it to the iris. Depending on the amount of light, the iris can either expand or shrink, controlling

the size of the pupil, which is a hole that lets the light pass further into the eye. The pupil is essentially what

we refer to as aperturein photography. The amount of light that enters the retina (which works just like the

camera sensor), is limited to the size of the pupil the larger the pupil, the more light enters the retina.

So, the easiest way to remember aperture, is by associating it with your pupil. Large pupil size equals large

aperture, while small pupil size equals small aperture.

Connect with Us

Search

Google Search... SEARCH

Login

Username

Password

Remember Me

LOGIN

Register

Lost Password

Categories

Photography Te chniques (88)

Photography Tutori als (64)

Photography News (85)

Post Processing (87)

Cameras and Lenses (489)

Accessories (67)

Composition and Art (6)

Flash Photography and Lighting (47)

Interviews (3)

Tours and Travel (115)

Videography (3)

Miscellaneous (93)

Subscribe via Email

Enter your e mail address to subscribe to

this blog and receive notifications of

new posts by email.

Join 7,099 other subscribers

Email Address SUBSCRIBE

HOME REVIEWS PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FORUM LENSES GEAR GUIDE SUBSCRIBE

about us gallery contact us submit content current d eals our gear shop
http://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttps://photographylife.com/my-account/lost-password/http://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/what-is-a-dslrhttp://photographylife.com/category/interviewshttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/category/cameras-lenseshttp://photographylife.com/shophttp://photographylife.com/our-gearhttp://photographylife.com/current-dealshttp://photographylife.com/submit-contenthttp://photographylife.com/contact-ushttp://photographylife.com/galleryhttp://photographylife.com/about-ushttp://photographylife.com/subscribehttp://photographylife.com/gear-guidehttp://photographylife.com/lenseshttp://photographylife.com/discussionshttp://photographylife.com/photography-tips-for-beginnershttp://photographylife.com/reviewshttp://photographylife.com/http://photographylife.com/http://photographylife.com/category/miscellaneoushttp://photographylife.com/category/videographyhttp://photographylife.com/category/tours-travelhttp://photographylife.com/category/interviewshttp://photographylife.com/category/flash-photography-lightinghttp://photographylife.com/category/composition-and-arthttp://photographylife.com/category/accessorieshttp://photographylife.com/category/cameras-lenseshttp://photographylife.com/category/post-processinghttp://photographylife.com/category/photography-newshttp://photographylife.com/category/photography-tutorialshttp://photographylife.com/category/photography-techniqueshttps://photographylife.com/my-account/lost-password/http://photographylife.com/wp-login.php?action=registerhttp://photographylife.com/what-is-a-dslrhttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046.jpghttp://photographylife.com/what-is-bokehhttp://photographylife.com/what-is-shutter-speed-in-photographyhttp://photographylife.com/what-is-iso-in-photographyhttp://photographylife.com/author/megazhttp://photographylife.com/category/photography-tutorialshttp://photographylife.com/


2/37



2) Size of Aperture Large vs Small ApertureThe iris of the lens that controls the size (diameter) of the aperture is called diaphragm in optics. The sole

purpose of the diaphragm is to block or stop all light, with the exception of the light that goes through the

aperture. In photography, aperture is expressed in f-numbers (for example f/5.6). These f-numbers that are

known as f-stops are a way of describing the size of the aperture, or how open or closed the aperture is. A

smaller f-stop means a larger aperture, while a larger f-stop means a smaller aperture. Most people find this

awkward, since we are used to having larger numbers represent larger values, but not in this case. For

example, f/1.4 is larger than f/2.0 and much larger than f/8.0.

Take a look at this chart (image courtesy of Wikipedia):

The size of the circle represents the size of the lens aperture the larger the f -number, the smaller the

aperture.

3) What is Depth of Field?One important thing to remember here, the size of the aperture has a direct impact on the depth of field,

which is the area of the image that appears sharp. A large f-number such as f/32, (which means a smaller

aperture) will bring all foreground and background objects in focus, while a small f-number such as f/1.4 will

isolate the foreground from the background by making the foreground objects sharp and the background

blurry.

Image on left shot at f/2.8, Image on right shot at f/8.0

As you can see, just changing the aperture from f/2.8 to f/8.0 has a big effect on how much of WALL-E is in

focus and how visible the background gets. If I had used a much smaller aperture such as f/32 in this shot, thebackground would be as visible as WALL-E.

Another example:

Current Promotions
http://www.adorama.com/?kbid=65109http://www.bhphotovideo.com/?BI=5562&KW=&KBID=6400http://photographylife.com/current-dealshttp://photographylife.com/support-ushttp://photographylife.com/shophttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Depth-of-Field.jpghttp://photographylife.com/what-is-bokehhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aperture_diagram.svg


3/37



Mailboxes - Aperture set to f/2.8

In the above example, due to the shallow depth of field, only the word Cougar appears sharp, whileeverything else in the front and behind of that word is blurred. If I had used a larger aperture such as f/1.4

and focused on one of the letters, probably only that letter would have been sharp, while everything else

would have been blurred out. The larger the aperture, the smaller the area in focus (depth of field).

4) Lens Apertures: Maximum and MinimumEvery lens has a limit on how large or how small the aperture can get. If you take a look at the specifications

of your lens, it should say what the maximum (lowest f-number) and minimum apertures (highest f-number)

of your lens are. The maximum aperture of the lens is much more important than the minimum, because it

shows the speed of the lens. A lens that has an aperture of f/1.2 or f/1.4 as the maximum aperture is

considered to be a fast lens, because it can pass through more light than, for example, a lens with a maximum

aperture of f/4.0. Thats why lenses with large apertures are better suited for low light photography.

The minimum aperture is not that important, because almost all modern lenses can provide at least f/16 as the

minimum aperture, which is typically more than enough for everyday photography needs.

This 50mm lens has a max. aperture of f/1.4

There are two types of lenses: fixed (also known as prime) and zoom. While zoom lenses give you the

flexibility to zoom in and out (most point and shoot cameras have zoom lenses) without having to move

closer or away from the subject, fixed or prime lenses only have one focal length. Due to the complexity of

optical design for zoom lenses, many of the consumer lenses have variable apertures. What it means, is that

when you are fully zoomed out, the aperture is one number, while zooming in will increase the f-number to a
http://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Nikon-50mm-f1.4-AF-S.jpghttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20091030-Boulder-558.jpg


4/37



Share this article: 382Like Share 23 Tweet 23

higher number. For example, the Nikon 18-200mm lens has a variable maximum aperture of f/3.5-f/5.6. When

zoomed fully out at 18mm, the lens has an aperture of f/3.5, while when fully zoomed in at 200mm, the lens

has an aperture of f/5.6. The heavy, professional zoom lenses, on the other hand, typically have fixed

apertures. For example, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8lens has the same maximum aperture of f/2.8 at all focal

lengths between 70mm and 200mm.

Why is this important? Because larger maximum aperture means that the lens can pass through more light,

and hence, your camera can capture images faster in low-light situations. Having a larger maximum aperture

also means better ability to isolate subjects from the background.

If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please post them in the comments section below.

Support Photography Life!

We constantly work hard on adding unique content, gear reviews and up-to-date photography news, in addition to

continuously expanding the site with new sections and useful content. However, we need your continuous support to deliver

the best content and allow our website to expand its reach. If you would like to help us out, please consider purchasing gear

from our links to our trusted partners like B&H Photo Videoand Adorama. It won't cost you anything, but it will help us pay

our contributors, hosting and other expenses to run this website. In addition, if you feel like we do a good job, you can pledge

one-timeor monthly. We do not run any advertising at Photography Life to keep it clean for your viewing pleasure, so your

support is extremely important for us to keep it that way.

Please see the Support Uspage for our partner links and a donation form. Also, don't forget to follow us on

Facebookand Twitter!

Related posts:

1. How to Change Aperture on Nikon D80 and D90

2. Understanding ISO A Beginners Guide

3. How to Change Aperture on Nikon D40, D40x and D60

4. What is Bokeh?

5. How to buy a DSLR camera DSLR Purchase Guide

FILED UNDER: PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS TAGGED WITH: APERTURE, DSLR CAMERA, PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS, TIPS FOR

BEGINNERS

About Nasim Mansurovis a professional photographer based out of Denver, Colorado. He is the author and founder of

Photography Life, along with a number of other online resources. Read more about Nasim here.

Comments

1) deana@lostpastremembered

December 20, 2009 at 5:33 am

I am getting my new Nikon slr this week after using a good point and shoot, I was wondering

about getting that 55 lens since it is obviously part of the 18-200. I guess I wonder if I can do the macro

closeup with blurred backround with this lens or it is best to get the 55 so I can have more choices?

220
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fphotographylife.com%2Fwhat-is-aperture-in-photography&media=http%3A%2F%2Fphotographylife.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2009%2F12%2F20080329-Barr-Lake-State-Park-046-650x431.jpg&guid=MKnqX1BGeEAW-0&description=Understanding%20Aperture%20-%20A%20Beginner%27s%20Guidehttp://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/http://photographylife.com/about-ushttp://photographylife.com/http://photographylife.com/tag/tips-for-beginnershttp://photographylife.com/tag/photography-tipshttp://photographylife.com/tag/dslr-camerahttp://photographylife.com/tag/aperturehttp://photographylife.com/category/photography-tutorialshttp://photographylife.com/dslr-purchase-guidehttp://photographylife.com/what-is-bokehhttp://photographylife.com/how-to-change-aperture-on-nikon-d40-d40x-d60http://photographylife.com/what-is-iso-in-photographyhttp://photographylife.com/how-to-change-aperture-on-nikon-d80-and-d90http://twitter.com/KillerPhotoTipshttp://www.facebook.com/photographylifebloghttp://photographylife.com/support-ushttps://photographylife.com/donate-subscriptionhttps://photographylife.com/donatehttp://photographylife.com/go/adoramahttp://photographylife.com/go/bhhttp://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-70-200mm-f2-8g-vr-iihttp://twitter.com/search?q=http%3A%2F%2Fphotographylife.com%2Fwhat-is-aperture-in-photographyhttps://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fphotographylife.com%2Fwhat-is-aperture-in-photography&text=Understanding%20Aperture%20-%20A%20Beginner%27s%20Guide%3A&tw_p=tweetbutton&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphotographylife.com%2Fwhat-is-aperture-in-photography


5/37



Thanks so much for the tutorials, btw. They are really helpful to the novice!

REPLY

2) Nasim Mansurov


Deana,

Could you let me know what Nikon camera you are getting so that I could recommend the lenses for it?

If you are getting any of the entry-level DSLRs, they typically come with a Nikon 18-55mm VR lens,

which is an excellent lens for everyday use.

For food photography though, I would recommend a different lens with a much larger maximumaperture. Take a look at this Nikon 50mm f/1.4 we use it for our food photography and couldnt be

happier.

When you take pictures of food, having a small area of the food in focus while having the rest blurred

makes pictures and the food look much more pleasant to the eyes.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

REPLY

53) Jose Santiago

November 18, 2011 at 11:43 am

Nasim, thanks for taking the time to write all the newbie tips for taking pictures. I have

one question please. I have a Canon SX40 HS and i would like to take a great picture of my sons

graduation. When he is on stage and i am about 20 30 yards away, what is the best setting so mypicture does not become dark? I bought this camera as it has 35x zoom.

Any of your great input would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

Jose Santiago

REPLY

104) polly


Hi Nasim,

I am a beginner at food photography and I have done a couple of assignments with my 50mm 1.8lens. Would you rather that I trade my lens for the faster 1.4? Just curious. I have mostly shot in

natural light and I have not felt the need to use a tripod (it restricts my angles, surely). But

sometimes my focus goes awry.I mean I noticed a portion of the food would be in focus while the

other not quite. Frustrates me. I feel I am not focussing right! Any tips for that?

I also was wondering if there is a anywhere I could read about using light for food photography.

That would be great. Asking for your recommendation cause I feel then I just cant go wrong.

Thanks a bunch.

Cheers.

REPLY

137) Mohamed

May 22, 2013 at 10:51 pm

Nasim,

I am new to photography and have found your site extremely helpful. My interests are in

Landscape and Wildlife photography, which I believe both require very different lenses.which

lenses do you recommend? I currently own a Nikon D3200, do you think I would be better off with

an FX format camera like the D600?

Greatly appreciate the effort you guys put into this site,

Many thanks

Mohamed

REPLY
http://photographylife.com/go/bh/nikon-50mm-f14ghttp://photographylife.com/


6/37



184) jay vargus

January 22, 2014 at 9:34 pm

Nasim,

I am doing clothing photography. I am using a white seemless background as all picture need to be

in a total white background. I need the entire shirt to be in focus. This will be done sometimes on a

model and other times using a mannequin. I am completely lost to get the best crispest pictures. I

am using a Nikon D7000 camera.

REPLY

84) Gracie

July 9, 2012 at 8:23 am

Very helpful! I just bought a Nikon D5100 and I am a beginner so your article was great! It

came with the standard 18-55mm lens. I am on somewhat of a budget, what would you recommend

for lens that takes good portraits and I would like to know what lens would be good for shooting

landscape/wildlife. Thanks!

Gracie

REPLY

153) MITRA

September 4, 2013 at 1:34 am

THNKS A LO T FOR GIVING VALU ABLE OPINION AGAINST APERTURE . I AM A BEGINNER AND

BUY A CANNON 550D. IF U GIVING MORE ADVISE TO ME ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY ITS VERY HELPFUL

TO ME.

REPLY

3) shams


Very helpful. Thanks a lot.

Just a question, when do we need smaller than 14..15.. etc f numbers ?

Average f nos in my photos are between 6 and 10. (apart from some macros)

REPLY

4) Nasim Mansurov


Shams, you are welcome. When not using flash, smaller f-numbers are needed for two

reasons:

a) to decrease the depth of field (i.e. isolate subject from the background)

b) to allow more light into the lens in low-light situations

REPLY

5) Alisher


Nasim, after reading the article I was playing around with my Lumix FZ 35. I was trying to get a

blurry background using Apperture priority mode but was not able to get one. Everything is in focus. I

was using f2.8 and zoomed out all the way. What am I doing wrong?

REPLY

6) Nasim Mansurov


Alisher, keep your aperture at f/2.8, get physically closer to your subject, then zoom in.

Take a picture and your background should be blurred.

The distance between you and your subject, along with the focal length of your lens are both

important to be able to blur the background. The closer you are to the subject and the more zoomed in
http://photographylife.com/http://photographylife.com/


7/37



the lens is, the less the depth of field should be, resulting in background blur.

REPLY

7) Alisher


Actually, I was shooting from realy small distance. I thought that in order to get a blurry

background the lenses should be zoomed out all the way. I will try with zoom-in. Will let you know results.

Thanks

REPLY

8) Nasim Mansurov

December 22, 2009 at 3:52 pm

Alisher, sounds good. Since you are doing this with a point and shoot, the background

might not appear completely blurred, because the lens aperture will increase to a higher number as

you zoom in. This is normal, since the only way to completely blur the background is to use fast

aperture prime lenses on DSLRs

REPLY

9) Alisher


Yeah, Ive noticed that aperture is increasing with zoom-in. The thing is that on specialized

forums dedicated to this particular model Ive seen a lot of pictures taken by FZ-35/38 with blurry

background. I was just wondering what I am doing wrong. Last night I was able to get the background

somewhat blurry, but as you said it was not complete blurry. Will keep playing around with aperture, may

be need to go outside to shot same pictures will see how it goes.

You said that you mostly shoot in aperture priority mode. What principle do you use to change the

aperture number? Thanks for all comments.

PS. Ive seen Tesha akani ogli today, vspominali armiyu:)

REPLY

10) Nasim Mansurov


Alisher, since the depth of fieldon point and shoot cameras is typically larger due to lens

design, you need to make sure that there is nothing close in proximity to the object you are taking a

picture of. The further the background, the more blurry it will appear. Thats probably why the

background is not blurred because it is very close to your depth of field.

Can you post any of the samples from your camera with the best and worst case scenario?

In terms of aperture priority mode, if your camera has that mode, set it to aperture priority, then set

the aperture to the lowest number. That way the shutter speed will automatically be computed by the

camera metering system. Once set to aperture priority mode, try pressing up/down buttons on the

camera back to change aperture. Im not sure how it is changed on your camera, but if those buttons

dont do anything, I would look at the manual and see how to change aperture of the lens.

Muminovu ogromniy privet! :) I miss him dearly!

REPLY

11) Alisher


Background WAS very close to the object indeed, since I was shooting indoors at home. I will

try to shoot some pictures outdoors.

I already know what apperture priority mode means and how it works and I do have this mode on my

camera. It is very handy to switch aperture using joystick. What I was asking for is what kind of situation

or shooting object would be reason for you to change aperture, for example to increase it? Do I need to

increase aperture only if I want larger depth of field?

I will pass your regards to Sher when I see him next time.
http://photographylife.com/http://photographylife.com/


8/37



REPLY

12) Nasim Mansurov


Aha! Thats the reason why it didnt get that blurred :) Definitely give it a try outside, but

keep the aperture at the lowest number.

In terms of increasing aperture yes, you are right. You should increase the aperture to get a larger

depth of field (when taking pictures of landscapes, etc).

REPLY

13) Alisher


Ok, got it. Thank you for all your advices. Will be waiting for new articles! Happy holidays to

you and your family, bro!

REPLY

14) Nasim Mansurov


Alisher, you are welcome! Happy holidays to you too! Domashnim ogromniy privet!

REPLY

15) Hardjono


Alisher, you mentioned about the specialized forums dedicated to FZ-35 model. May I know the

address to that forum? I also own the FZ-35 and would like to learn more about all the features it has.

Thanks!

REPLY

16) Nasim Mansurov


Hardjono, how about this one: http://forums.steves-digicams.com/panasonic-leica-29/

REPLY

17) Hardjono

January 2, 2010 at 1:51 am

thank you! btw, I love your beginners guide articles!

REPLY

18) Nasim Mansurov


You are most welcome! Let me know if you have any questions :)

Happy New Year!

REPLY

19) Steven Tan

March 24, 2010 at 9:00 am

Hi Mr. Mansurov,

Ive read ur article since I was confused what type of dslr I have to bought. Now I had D90 for my first

camera, & so happy to have it :p

I want to ask about apperture priority that ure using mostly to take a picture.

Im learning to use A-mode too in my D90, what i need to ask is when I want to take a picture in a room

that have less light, which stop do u usually use?
http://photographylife.com/http://forums.steves-digicams.com/panasonic-leica-29/http://photographylife.com/http://photographylife.com/http://photographylife.com/


9/37



Because the shutter speed is so slow, & I got blurry images.

FYI, I used 18-105 lens kit

Thx b4

REPLY

20) Nasim Mansurov

March 24, 2010 at 11:02 pm

Steven, the above article should work for any DSLR, including your D90.

When you photograph indoors or in a low-light environment, always decrease your aperture to the

smallest number. That way, your aperture opens up and lets more light into the camera sensor andincreases your shutter speed. For your 18-105mm lens, the aperture varies between f/3.5 and f/5.6, so

try to keep it in that range.

If you are still getting blurry images, try increasing your ISO to a larger number such as ISO 800 or

1600. You will get some noise in the pictures, but the images should not be blurry, depending on the

amount of light in the room.

Hope this helps.

REPLY

21) gnohz

May 22, 2010 at 1:00 am

Hi Nasim,Thanks for the article. I need some advice on using macro lenses if you dont mind :)

Im thinking of getting a Micro-Nikkor AFS 60mm for food photography. As the pictures Im thinking of

taking are unplanned (restaurants etc) and might be low light, Im planning on taking the photos at f2.8

or at most f3.5 to maximise ambient light.

I understand that for real macro photography, I need to stop down the aperture to get more DOF, or

itll all end up looking blurry, but most probably I wont be using 1:1 magnification for food shots.

Mostly I should be shooting the dishes with some background, utensils etc, so do you think f2.8~f3.5

would be enough DOF, or would it be too thin? Thanks for any advice :)

REPLY

22) Nasim Mansurov

May 24, 2010 at 12:05 am

gnohz, why are you planning to buy a macro lens for food photography? Why dont you

get a fast aperture lens like the Nikon 50mm f/1.4Ginstead? Lola shoots all of her food with the Nikon

50mm and she loves it!

REPLY

23) gnohz

May 24, 2010 at 5:30 pm

Hi Nasim,

Thanks for your reply.

The reason for getting a macro lens is because sometimes I felt like taking some close up shots of

the food and I find the minimum focusing distance to be somewhat limiting. And also apart from

food, I also plan to take close ups of other subjects/still life :)

Could you let me know what is the minimum f number you shoot for food so as not to get an

overly small depth of field, but still able to shoot in slightly low light conditions (ie, indoors without

flash)?

Thanks so much for your advice.

REPLY

25) Nasim Mansurov

June 4, 2010 at 5:08 pm

I see :) In that case, the 60mm macro seems like a good candidate. For food

photography, the apertures that work the best for us are between f/2.0 and f/4.0, depending

on subject distance.
http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/http://www.truphotos.com/http://photographylife.com/go/bh/nikon-50mm-f14ghttp://photographylife.com/members/megaz/http://www.truphotos.com/http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/


10/37



REPLY

27) gnohz

June 4, 2010 at 5:15 pm

Thanks for the help and information! Appreciate it a lot :)

REPLY

24) David

June 1, 2010 at 1:04 pm

Hi Nasim, Thank you very much for this guide. I just picked up the Nikon D5000 a couple of

days back and totally lovin it ! So far as my reading goes, the Aperture mode seems to be the best way to

play around with the settings than getting into pure play manual mode at least from a dslr newbie point

of view.

Currently i am on the 18-55 VR lens and i hope to purchase the 35mm f1.8 lens once ive learnt how to use

the camera properly.

Thanks again.

D

REPLY

26) Nasim Mansurov

June 4, 2010 at 5:09 pm

David, you are most welcome! Yes, the 35mm f/1.8 will open up brand new opportunities

for you and you will immediately fall in love with it :)

Congratulations with your purchase. Let me know if you have any questions.

REPLY

28) David

June 7, 2010 at 12:34 pm

Thank you for your reply Nasim. Ive been taking pictures through the weekend and

have taken some good ones and some not so good ones. However, Ive been reading your siteextensively and figured the first proper foothold I could get is work on the aperture mode,

Auto ISO Max it to 1600 and min shutter speed to 1/100 and then take pictures.

the D5000 offers many other options The scene mode , macro and so on Im trying to find what

can be used for what.

Another major difficulty Ive seen is taking pictures in Low Light. But after reading from your site, i

guess i have quite a lot to work on.

I will come back with further questions. As of now, Its A mode, ISO settings, Matrix metering and

click pictures..

D

REPLY

29) Nasim Mansurov

June 8, 2010 at 10:57 am

David, yes, learn how to use Aperture priority mode and turn Auto ISO on to get

started. Min shutter speed 1/100 is good for most situations, but bear in mind that if you need

to freeze action, you will need to watch your shutter speed and perhaps even increase it.

I wouldnt worry about other modes, since all they do is tweak your aperture, shutter speed

and ISO. In some cases they might change autofocus behavior, but you should just learn how

to use those yourself and make changes manually. D5000 is a great camera to get started and

once you learn all the functions, you can take some beautiful pictures with it.

In terms of low light situations, most photographers have challenges, not just you :) I have

written a long article on low-light photography, which I recommend to read and learn from. Try

taking pictures in all kinds of situations from very bright to very dark. That way you will

quickly understand what works and what doesnt and your learning experience will be less
http://photographylife.com/low-light-digital-photography-tipshttp://photographylife.com/members/megaz/https://mustang0312.wordpress.com/http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/http://www.truphotos.com/


11/37



frustrating : )

REPLY

30) David

June 8, 2010 at 11:43 am

Thanks Nasim. I did just that.. I turned on the Auto ISO setting, set it to Max

1600 and the shutter to 1/100 and I immediately started noticing the difference.

Yes, I have been reading your article on low light photography and find it immensely useful.

I, however, need to work on the standing posture as i have noticed the shake.

I am eager to learn as riding season starts soon and I wouldnt want to take blurry picturesof the places in riding to.

D

REPLY

31) Nasim Mansurov

June 8, 2010 at 2:10 pm

David, one of these days I need to ask my wife to take a picture of me holding

the camera, so that I can explain how to properly hold a DSLR. Maybe well do a video,

well see.

32) DavidJune 8, 2010 at 4:19 pm

that will be absolutely fantastic. Thanks so much.

D

David, one of these days I need to ask my wife to take a picture of me holding the

camera, so that I can explain how to properly hold a DSLR. Maybe well do a video, well

see.

33) David

July 23, 2010 at 2:46 am

Nasim just thought id let you know.. Im swapping the 18-55 lens for a 35 f 1.8 d prime

lens tomorrow i hope this opens a whole new world of photography..

cheers

D

REPLY

34) Nasim Mansurov

July 29, 2010 at 2:56 am

David, it absolutely will! You will love the 35mm after 18-55mm for sure :)

REPLY

35) Sanny

August 7, 2010 at 3:00 pm

Hello Nasim, i just love your articles, they are so helpful.

My question is related to blurry images. i bought Canon eos 550d not so long ago and when i shoot

pictures, some of them are crystal clear ( that is one out of 20 ) and rest of them are just a litle bit blurry,

but enough to be bad. they look like person is moving little bit in a low light with low iso, but im shooting

them on sunny afternoon. im getting blur pictures even with iso 800 or 1600. im shooting in AV mode and

i would like to get pictures if its possible on iso 100, 200 or 400. if i put f to 3.5 im having problem with

depth of field even on small distances ( 5 to 10cm ). im geting clear focus on one person, and other one is

blurry ( even though they are standing next to each other ). is it possible that my Auto focus is not doing
http://www.didakta.ba/http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/http://mustang0312.wordpress.com/http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/https://mustang0312.wordpress.com/


12/37



good job?

i would appreciate if you could tell me how to make clear picture of my son with my wife holding him in

her hands, and to make them both perfectly clear ( its not low light situation, its bright daylight shooting

). do i have to increase F and how much, and would EOS 550d do a good job on AV mode for that photo,

and how much should my shooter speed be for clear photos. ( when i increase shooter speed, i need to

pump up the iso, and i really hate the noise ).

tnx alot,

Sanny.

REPLY

38) Nasim Mansurov

August 18, 2010 at 3:02 pm

Sanny, what is the shutter speed when you shoot in AV mode? Just make sure that it stays

fast enough to avoid motion blur.

In terms of depth of field, just dont stand too close to your wife and your son and shoot from a

further distance. What lens are you shooting with?

REPLY

36) gnohz


Hi,

if Im not wrong, I think your shutter speed is a little on the low side and that causes the blur. Are you

shooting indoors? Even if its bright daylight, shooting outdoors and indoors does make a difference.

Generally, a prefered shutter speed is 1/n where n is the focal length. So if youre shooting at 50mm, the

shutter speed should be at least 1/50 secs so as to minimise any hand shake.

Hope this helps :)

REPLY

37) gnohz


Sorry, the above post was supposed to be meant for Sanny.

REPLY

39) Nasim Mansurov

August 18, 2010 at 3:03 pm

Thank you for your suggestion gnohz! I think his problem is that he is using a very small

aperture like f/10 and is standing too close to his subjects, which is ultimately resulting in slower

shutter speeds

REPLY

40) Trisha

August 29, 2010 at 2:30 pm

I have a question. I have the Olympus E-420 and it has an Aperture mode on it. I am taking a

photography class and cant seem to get my depth of filed right. When I tried it yesterday, it worked fine,but today it just keeps taking the same picture. I have read too many articles about this until I got sick on

my stomach and got a headache. Can you please tell me what I am doing wrong? I have the kit lens which

is a 14-42 lens and I bought a 70-300mm lens. I wanted to use my 70-300 for close ups to show the

intensity. I am stuck and at a loss. I have to turn an assignment in and I do not know what to do at this

point.

REPLY

41) Nasim Mansurov

September 1, 2010 at 10:39 pm

Trisha, your depth of field depends on the subject distance i.e. how far you are standing

from the subject. If you are standing very close, you will get more background blur (obviously you

need to shoot at your maximum aperture such as f/1.4 or f/3.5). If you have a zoom lens, zoom in all the
http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/http://www.truphotos.com/http://www.truphotos.com/http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/


13/37



way to get as close to the subject as you can. If you stand far away, you subject will be out of your

depth of field and the background will not be blurred.

So, try this:

1) Stand as close to the subject as you can

2) Shoot at maximum aperture

3) Zoom in all the way

If your lens cannot focus, it means that you are standing too close. Move back a little and try again.

And by the way, dont try to produce bokeh with your 14-42 lens at 14mm. Use your 70-300mm

instead.

Hope this helps.

REPLY

42) Trisha


Thank you, Nasim. I have been reading my manual and the 1985 edition of Photography and

finally figured a lot of it out. Sometimes I like things broken down to me as if I were in junior high though.

This really helped and I appreciate the feedback!

REPLY

46) Nasim Mansurov

November 17, 2010 at 6:08 pm

Trisha, I somehow missed your comment and never responded. Sorry about that!

Thank you for your feedback!

REPLY

43) Pritam Karmakar


Hi Nasim,

Im very new to DSLR world and I found your articles are very informative and what impress me a lot is not

confusing. I see hundreds of article in internet but they have too much technical details which may

confuse beginners. So many thanks to you for writing those great stuff.

I need one help Im planning to buy one DSLR. And I see many Canon cameras. And as per my budget I like

Canon Rebel T2i (550D). P lease let me know which Nikon model you want to refer me as well.

Thanks,

Pritam

REPLY

47) Nasim Mansurov


Pritam, the T2i is a great camera and will work great as an entry-level DSLR. Go with it if you

prefer Canon.

REPLY

44) VJ


In one of your posts you stated


Aha! Thats the reason why it didnt get that blurred :) Definitely give it a try outside, but keep the

aperture at the lowest nu mber.

In terms of increasing aperture yes, you are right. You should increase the aperture to get a larger depth

of field (when taking pictures of landscapes, etc).

By increasing aperture do you get a larger depth of field? ..do you mean by decreasing aperture (or

increasing F-STOP) you get a larger depth of field?
http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/http://www.facebook.com/pritam83http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/


14/37



Can you clarify? I am fairly new to photography.

Thanx!

REPLY

45) gnohz


Im not trying to hijack the discussion, but youre right. You need to close down the

aperture (which is equal to increasing the f number) to get a larger depth of field :)

REPLY

48) Nasim Mansurov


VJ, when I said increase aperture, I meant increase f-number. Yes, to get a larger depth

of field, you need to stop down to a larger f-number.

REPLY

49) Maureen

March 22, 2011 at 9:39 pm

I am preparing to shoot my first assignment for the coming Easter Day at my Church.

Activities under adequate light is fine but I am not too sure how to manage the low light conditions

during the start of the drama e.g. Stage light only condition.

I have Nikon D80lenses I will be u sing is 18-200mm and tokina 12-24mm.

Appreciate some helpful pointers from u and recommended settings for white balance, and ISO.

Many thanks

REPLY

50) JX

April 11, 2011 at 8:39 pm

Hello Nasim,

I recently stumbled upon your website and have enjoyed reading your articles thus far. I am new to

photography and recently got my D90 + 18-55mm. I have read the manual and your Beginners Guides to

ISO, Aperturehowever, I am still at a loss as to where to start! Coming from a point-and-shoot, it

suddenly seems like I have many variables to play with and although I can understand how each of those

settings affect the photograph (from your guides), I have no idea how they should come together to

make a great picture. Id like your advice on how I should actually go about getting started with my

camera [apart from shooting in Auto mode ;) ]. I have tried messing within each of the modes but all my

pictures turned out worse than what I got with Auto mode; I must be doing something wrong

somewhere and I hope you can lead me in the right direction.

REPLY

51) Mamta

June 15, 2011 at 1:58 pm

Hi Naseem,

I am very new to DSLR world and have a basic DSLR for now (18-55mm/f3.5-5.6). I want to buy 50mm/f1.8.

Also, at the same time I want a zoom lens as well (18-200mm). Let me know if I can use both the lenses

together? Also, is there another lens that I should go for instead of buying two seperate lenses (one for

wide angle and another for zooming).

Appreciate your help,

Mamta

REPLY

52) Andrea M

July 21, 2011 at 11:26 am

Hi Nasim,

I am really hoping you still check this! I am really trying to understand aperture, but the one thing that
http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/http://www.truphotos.com/


15/37



keeps getting me is HOW a larger opening/aperture means LESS stuff, forward and back, that is in focus

and a smaller opening/aperture makes more things forward and back in focus it just does NOT make

sense to me.

I would think a larger opening would give a lot more, in foreground and background, in focus. Why does

it not?

Also, I have the Nikon D5000 with the Kit lens (AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G)

Based on the last paragraph of this article I am a little confused can I still take pictures that have a lower

aperture?? Nevermind on this. I just played with my camera and realized that NO, I can only go as low as

3.5 or 5.6 depending on whether I am zoomed out or in respectively. Very interesting!

I am asking all this b/c I am doing photography of infants and children and would like to not only be able

to achieve a shallow depth of field, but also to UNDERSTAND it.

Will an aperture setting of f/3.5 or f/5.6 still give me a shallow depth of field when doing children and

infant photography? If not, what type of lens would you recommend??

Thank you!!

Andrea M

REPLY

54) kulpuia


very informative :P

REPLY

55) Rose


This information is amazing. I have ordered a canon 1100D with the standard 18-55mm lense

and have been reading up info on getting started in photography and have learnt more from your page

than all the others put together. Thank you SO much!

REPLY

56) Tammy


Ok I have a Nikon d5000. Just got a new lens 18-105. Tried to take action shots in action

modethey were blurry. I have a 55-200 and take action shots with it in same mode and they come outgreat. Why???

REPLY

57) pragadeesh

January 11, 2012 at 10:21 am

hello sir ,

Im so much interested in photography that I would like to know about aperture settings for zoom lens.

There is also a setting like point focus, can it be possible to point focus on a subject by having more

aperture? or achieve depth of field?

Can the aperture be changed for a zoom lens the is set up to the maximum focal length?As you said that

while when fully zoomed in at 200mm, the lens has an aperture of f/5.6

Just a question out of curiosity-Would this type of setting be helpful in focusing on the background

rather than foreground ?

And What does G refer to in f/1.4G ?

Im naive in photography and someone who hasnt started eperimenting with the SLR(not owning one)

Thanks !

REPLY

58) Anatoly


Hi Nasim,

Thank you very much for sharing your extensive knowledge with the rest of us.

I was just wondering if you could recommend a good inexpensive lens for indoor portraits. Im trying to


16/37



capture my 4.5 yo daughter with 18-55 kit lens on D5100 Nikon and results are passable but not very

impressive. Also could you maybe post a listing of default settings that you would use on DSLR such as

max ISO, WB offset, max/min f stop etc. that you would use for 90% of the time, meaning daily

photography of kids family parties for both indoors and outdoors environments. Scene modes are great

but one of the reasons I have SLR is to have more control of my settings vs letting computer make all the

decisions.

Thanks again for a great site.

REPLY

59) Anbu

February 12, 2012 at 2:14 pm

Great tutorial for Bokeh and Aperture settings..The way you explain is tooo good.. thanks a

lott for eye opening:)

REPLY

60) Lisa

February 21, 2012 at 7:24 am

Hi! I have a Canon Rebel T3i EOS 600D which came with a Canon Zoom 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS II

lense.

I am wanting to increase the blurred background on my portraits of people, bugs, etc. am thinking of

purchasing the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. Is that a good idea? the best idea?

how much of an increase would I see in the blur? I dont want the camera shake so am interested in

lenses that have the IS option, but am not sure if I am going to see much of a difference in the blur for theamount of money Ill be spending on the 2nd lense. please advise.

REPLY

62) Mayowa Obigbesan

March 15, 2012 at 5:57 am

For people portraits, if you already own the EF 50mm f/1.4, you should be fine getting

blurred backgrounds. A point of note is that the subject should be quite distant from the background.

For Macro Photography, I will advise you invest in a good tripod and and not rely on the IS function of

the lens you purchase.

I suspect you dont have the EF 50mm f/1.4 lens and you are thinking the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS

USM will cater to both portraits of people and bugs. On this note, I am curious as well.

I hope I have helped you some.

REPLY

164) Tokunbo


I just finished taking some pictures with my Nikon D90 on its 18 to 103mm and most of

the pictures came out blurry. What could be responsible ?

REPLY

61) Rajkumar MundelMarch 5, 2012 at 5:24 am

Hi Nasim Mansurov,

I am going to photo shot at Holi festival(which is full of colors + water) in India.

I have Canon 550D 18-55mm(1:3.5-5.6) IS II lens.

Could you please tell me what will be the b est camera setting to click this event.

Regards,

Rajkumar Mundel

[email protected]

REPLY
mailto:[email protected]


17/37




March 15, 2012 at 6:00 am

Nasim Mansurov,

I would like to say thank you for a well written post providing clarity to my Aperture and DOF issues.

Finally I have gotten rid f the confusion that has been plaguing me for a while.

Heres to great photographs.

Best Regards

REPLY

155) Olumide


Hi Mayowa, I am still absolutely confused about DOF ! The alternate between aperture

numbers and aperture. What affects DOF? What makes a large Or small DOF ? What causes blurry

background?

REPLY



Hi Olumide,

Are you familiar with the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II prime lens? I would like to use it as an example in

aiding me answer your questions.

1a. This lens has f/1.8 as its maximum aperture value and f/22 is its minimum aperture value; the

smaller numbers apparently represent higher aperture values.

1b. At its max. aperture value (f/1.8), the aperture (lens opening) will be wide open, which allows in

a lot of light. Whereas, at its min. aperture value (f/22), the aperture (lens opening) will be really

small, which allows in less light. Im sure youve experienced how this affects your shutterspeed

i.e. faster shutterspeeds at max. aperture value against slower shutter speeds at min. aperture

value.

2. At its max. aperture (f/1.8), it will have the smallest DOF (area that is sharp and in focus) and at

its min. aperture (f/22), it will have the largest DOF ( a wider area that is sharp and in focus).]

3. At its max. aperture (f/1.8), since the DOF is small, your subject will be in focus and the

background will be blurry; provided that there is adequate distance between your subject and the

background. At its minimum aperture (f/22), the focus area is wider and therefore your subject andhis/her/its background will all be in focus. Nothing will be blurry irrespective of the distance

between your subject and the background.

I hope I have answered your questions adequately. If theres more youd like to know, feel free to

send a reply.

Best regards

Mayowa

REPLY

161) Oluide


Hi Mayowa. That was a splendid explanation. I got it now. How can I connect with

you personally ? Need some other assistance. Thank u

REPLY



Hi Olumide,

Glad I was able to help. Im available via [email protected]

Best regards,

Mayowa

REPLY
mailto:[email protected]


18/37



64) Shibu

April 6, 2012 at 5:21 am

so how to improve light in a 55-200 mm when zoomed in at 200 mm? Would appreciate it! Ta

REPLY

65) GanApril 21, 2012 at 3:22 pm

Great article and a great job! keep it going.

Im upgrading from a point and shoot to my first DSLR. I would fit in between the amateur and semi pro

category. I have to decide between nikon D5100 Vs D7000. What would u suggest and what lens would u

suggest for taking pics of my toddler and landscapes.

Best Regards

REPLY

66) anya

April 24, 2012 at 2:00 pm

Hi. Thank you so much for sharing all this information and being available to answer questions!

I am working with a Nikon D90 and a 18-105 lens (f-3.5-f29). My problem is that I am trying to take pictureswith a large aperture but I cant seem to get close enough to the subject. When I try to get close

everything is blurry and my camera wont focus. When I pull back however, I lose the whole effect I am

going for. Any suggestions? Much appreciated.

~Anya

REPLY

67) Aharon Yosef

April 28, 2012 at 6:41 pm

Thanks Nasim for your great tutorials.

I have a Nikon D5100 with the 18-55mm f/3.5-f/5.6 lens, and a 55-200mm f/1.4-f/5.6 lens. However, I am not

able to set the aperture to less than f/4. What might be the cause of this issue? I am new to DSLRs.

-Aharon

REPLY

68) Shibu

April 28, 2012 at 7:03 pm

Ta Nasim! Very informative,in fact sometimes we need someone to reiterate points we have

learnt before but tend to forget! Thanx again!

Cheers

Shibu

Sydney

REPLY

69) ShibuApril 28, 2012 at 7:07 pm

Asking again.. so how to improve light in a 55-200 mm when zoomed in at 200 mm? Would

appreciate it! Ta

Shibu,

Sydney

REPLY

70) sushil

April 30, 2012 at 2:33 am

hi nasimthanks for articles i read them n i like it so much.

here is my condition i like photography and planning to enter in this field.I will join commercial
http://photographylife.com/http://www.eatpayrove.com/http://www.eatpayrove.com/


19/37



photography(fashion photography) course in next month and i m going to buy my first DSLR camera so

plz suggest me which camera should i buy and my range is 1 lakh to 1.25 lakh (in Indian rupee) and also if

possible suggest me some good institute for photography in India ..plz reply me soon

REPLY

71) cyndi

April 30, 2012 at 12:14 pm

does the iso increases (gets faster) does the aperture increase or decrease in size

REPLY

72) cyndi

April 30, 2012 at 12:15 pm

as the iso increases (gets faster) does the aperture increase or decrease in size

REPLY

73) Tarun Gupta

May 1, 2012 at 1:04 pm

Hi Nasim.

I am Tarun from India, a beginner in the field of DSLRs. Your blog is just amazing for people such as I to

understand the basics in the most understandable and hassle free explanations. Keep it up.Thanks. :)

Tarun

REPLY

74) Regina Mannings

May 14, 2012 at 5:05 pm

Hi, I have a Nikon D2Xs and doing a wedding next month for a friend. What kind of lenses are

best for this camera.I have a 70 300mm . 50mm 1.4 . But I need to by a good lens, any ideas please? thank

you so much

REPLY

75) Regina Mannings

May 14, 2012 at 5:08 pm

and another question please? Dont have the book, do you know anythink about the settings?

REPLY

76) Hillary

May 17, 2012 at 3:25 pm

So I have a canon sx40 and Im tring to figure out how to focus on one image and blur the

backround I put it on av and they say to put it on f2.8 but it wont let me do that I can see that but I cant

scroll to it any advice? I really want these types of pictures and I hoping my camer that I spend a good deal

of money on can achieve this.

REPLY

77) Alberto

May 25, 2012 at 4:08 am

I still have an old D40x but Ive equipped with 16-85Vr and a 70-300Vr. Im pretty satisfied by

the results although I would buy a brand new camera. Do you think that my lens are fine?

REPLY

78) Joy

May 25, 2012 at 7:23 am


20/37



Good day sir. Im new into photography and im very much eager to learn all the basics. I keep on surfing

the net til i came across your website. I have a nikon d5100 and i love taking pictures my 4 kids. I want my

background to be blurry but i cant get a lower aperture. Sometimes it just sticks to F5, i keep on clicking to

make it lower but to no avail. Another thing is, i have to take 2 to 3 pictures before i can be satisfied with

the results. The first pic would always be dark. And Im wondering why?. im using an A mode..AF-S. Do i

still have to set my ISO to 1600 or leave it to 200 only?. How about the shutter speed? I still have hard time

understanding the shutter speed. Please, let me know. Thank you so much for this very informative

articles of yours. More power.

REPLY

79) Siva

May 29, 2012 at 7:01 pm

Hi, excellent article. Very easy to understand in a simple language.

Very usefull.

Thanks a lot.

Siva Visveswaran

REPLY

80) Lynn Cooper

June 21, 2012 at 10:33 pm

Hi there

First I would like to say thank you soo much for this article it was very easy to understand for someonewho is trying to teach themselves! I look forward to reading your other articles as well!

I have a problem with my Nikon D5000 and I am having such a hard time trying to find any answers online

as I dont know exactly what to ask :(I shoot with my camera daily including today and when i went out

to take some pictures this evening of the kiddos I realized my camera wasnt working right. What I mean is

that my flash was up but doesnt seem to be working even thou it is on. I also am having a problem with I

guess it would be my shutter speed. When I take a picture no matter where I am at or what setting (I really

like the child setting right now) It clicks to take the picture then its about 7-10sec before it actually takes

the picI am not sure if this has something to do with the flash or not! The pictures come out blurry and

infocusedi am so frustrated b/c I dont know how to fix it let alone where to begin! I reset the camera

just on a whim and that did nothing. Also even though the flsh is up it clicks everytime I am getting ready

to take a pic like it is popping up? I am sorry I may not be making much sence but this is the best way I can

describe it! Please let me know if you can help point me in the right direction! I am open to any

suggestions! Thank you so much for your time and I look forward to your reply!

REPLY

81) VISHAL CHAUHAN

June 28, 2012 at 12:45 am

Dear Mr. Mansurov,

First of all, I am so grateful to you for the much valuable information about digital photography shared on

this website. Its really wonderful! I am a doctor from India, working in the state of Rajasthan. I used to

shot with my Kodak Easyshare compact camera till now. Also posted my images on TrekEarth

(http://www.trekearth.com/members/vishaal/). Now, I want to upgrade to a DSLR. And I like the Canon

Eos. Please tell me if I am right in my decision. I planned for Caon Eos 550 D. Is it going to fulfill my needs

to get better quality pictures? Please also tell me about the best lenses which can be used with 550 D to

get a bluured background with my camera. Is the blurred background is same with Bokeh ?

Is Canon Eos 550 D compatible with all interchangeable lenses ?

Please help me to get a right DSLR. I will be so thankful to you !

Best regards,

Vishal.

REPLY

82) Anand

June 29, 2012 at 5:34 am

Hi Nasim,

I own a Nikon D5100 for over 6 months now. I have 18-55 VR kit lens and Tamron 70-300 macro lens. I am

planning to add 50 F1.8 lens to my arsenal. But things start getting confusing from here on.

There are 2 versions of the same lens available from Nikon, G and D. With the G version costing almost
http://www.trekearth.com/members/vishaal/


21/37



twice of that of D. Although the D version would not auto focus on my camera I am perfectly all right with

that. Also would get the aperture ring with the D version, which would help me with the extension tubes

and lens reversal. I would like to know if there are any major differences as far as the image quality is

concerned, so that I should spend double the amount and go for the G version.

BR,

Anand.

REPLY

83) Mandy

July 5, 2012 at 3:02 am

I just got a Nikon p130 which has a f/1.8 lens but I cant get my backgrounds to blur. When I

bring it as low as 1.8 everything is still really sharp. Its set to single autofocus. Is there anything else I

need to change?

REPLY

85) Alexsandra

July 10, 2012 at 8:25 am

Tenho que comprar uma lente, mais estou na dvida se compro:

nikon 105mm 2.8

nikon 85mm 1.8

nikon 85mm 1.4

A finalidade para mim fazer ensaios de noivos durante o dia, gosto muito de fotos abertas com o fundodesfocado, qu al lente vai me atender melhor

Desde j agradeo

REPLY

86) Alexsandra

July 10, 2012 at 8:28 am

That Tenho Buy UMA lens, NA estou Mais Dvida if I buy:

Nikon 105mm 2.8

Nikon 85 mm 1.8

Nikon 85 mm 1.4

A MIM paragraph Finalidade and Fazer Ensaios of Noivos During or day photo Muito gosto Abertas com

or desfocado Fundo, qua lens vai meet me Melhor

FROM J agradeo

REPLY

87) Hamza

July 24, 2012 at 9:48 am

Respected Sir, Ive bought the Nikon D7000, and am trying to get get any results with the DoF

button below the lens.

I havent been able to figure out how to get the expected blur results from my 18-105VR Kit lens.

I try pressing the DoF button. It produces a loud click sound but i dont get any different results.

Is this because the camera wont support it, of does this have to do something with the capability of the

lens ?

And what lens should I invest in, in order to get the desired blur results, like the ones youve

demonstrated with the WALL-E picture ?Waiting for your response !

Thank You.

Hamza

REPLY

88) Naveen

July 25, 2012 at 1:04 am

Hello Everyone

verry useful article..thanks for that..

Now my question..in day light we need to have aperture setting closer to f/8 and in night closer to f/2.8

Agreed..but what is the concept of having f/2.8 in day light for dept of fieldpls explain


22/37



thanks in advance

REPLY

101) Fraidy

October 4, 2012 at 5:37 pm

Hi Naveen..

Its explained before, that bigger aperture also means more bokeh.. with f/2.8, it can warp your

subject with blurry background

REPLY

89) Sibasis Dhar

August 1, 2012 at 2:43 am

Understanding aperture is a very useful article.

Thanks.

REPLY

90) Allen


Hi.

I am a bit puzzled. Yesterday I entered a question here believing I had followed all the prompts and done

all the right things, this morning it came up blank. I will re ask my question. Is there a step by step guide

for raw beginners on how to learn Photoshop and Photoshop Light Room on a Windows 7 platform. Any

help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

REPLY

91) Virginia


Thank you for your tips..I am really enjoying the simple way in which you explain everything

for a beginner such as I! I am using a Canon 400D while my husband who is far more experienced than I

but doesnt explain things as simply as you, bless him :o) uses a Nikon D 7000. I cant wait to try out the

moon photos just as soon as I figure out how to change all the settings, as I usually just used Automatic!Sort of PHD (push here dummy!) usually works best for me.up until now!

REPLY

92) Jeannette Aracri

August 3, 2012 at 11:35 am

Greetings, I just stumbled across your web site and have to say that for the first time I can

understand the three important settings on the camera, (ISO, SHUTTER, APERTURE) I shoot with a D700

and love the camera, dont know why I have a mental block about the three things above. So glad that I

found you.

Ciao Jeannette

REPLY

93) ravs

August 4, 2012 at 12:51 am

How to calculate subject distance based on lens , or f ,ISO and shutter speed for better crisp

shots.

Most of the modern canon lens is not having distance meter , can you help me to explain.

Kind regards,

Ravs

REPLY


23/37



100) Fraidy


i wonder what do you mean by calculate subject distance?

REPLY

94) mgmjtech

August 26, 2012 at 10:49 am

Hi,

the site is very helpful. I have less than 1 week to decide if I should keep the Canon 60D with 18-200MM

lens or Nikon D7000 with 18-105mm lens. I have been readying and alot of expert indicated the nikon

body has a better camera but 18-105mm on the D60 is a better lens. Any thoughts from the Pros.

REPLY

95) Shriram


Great artical, Thanks for indeep understanding for aperture.

REPLY

96) Kim


Hi, I have a Canon sx40. I have been taking pictures at my sons Varsity football games. We are

playing at night under the lights. Almost all of my actions shots are blurry. When I take these pictures

during a day game they come out crystal clear. I usually set the camera to the burst mode. I have tried

sports, night time, just reg automatic. None of them are giving me clear pictures. I am not familiar with the

programmable settings with the ISO, aperture, shutter speed and all that yet. But I do want to learn how

to utilize the camera to get the most out of it I can.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Kim

REPLY

97) Sundar


Hi,

I really liked the way you clearly explained about the aperture, depth field.

Im a newbie to DSLR camera. My interests include our day to day general photography and video. I

would like to buy a DSLR, and thinking to buy Canon EOS T4i 18 MP camera. Can you recommend me a

single good lens that serve purpose of long shots, in motion shots, focusing shots like the Wall-E in your

pictures, and video purpose ? I dont know if im asking too much for a single lens to perform, the thing is

im not a professional photographer and dont like to carry bulky lenses along with me.

If you suggest a complete new body all together ( Alternative to EOS T4i, please let me know).

One more question about the raw images DSLR captures, do we need to process all the images in some

Adobe photoshop kind of software ?

Any suggestion will be highly appreciated.

REPLY

98) Sundar


One more additional requirement for the lens.I like wide shots as well. Please suggest me

a lens than can serve my interests. Thank you

REPLY

99) ruchi


i have a nikon d3100 and i want a zoom lens for this camera for landscape photogarphy.is

nikkor 55-300 ed vr a good lens for my purpose?can u please suggest me.thnak u


24/37



REPLY

102) Fraidy


Hi Ruchi..

55-300 is a zoom lens.. you should go to the wide lens one for landscape..

REPLY

103) irenalana

October 22, 2012 at 7:00 am

Hi i just got canon 550d with kit lens and i want to take food pictures with blurred background.

What setting should i chose. I am totally beginner in photography so i need detail instructions

REPLY

105) Pankaj


Hi,

First of all this article helped me a lot, being totally layman to these technical terms of photography, you

simply written article helped me to understand a lot about aperture.

I have a doubt, when you say low aperture setting say f/1.2 allows more light to come inside the camera on

the other hand it focus more at object on the foreground and blur the background. When it allows more

light inside then how does it blur the foreground object, ultimately it allows all light including background

or foreground object.

Please clarify :)

thanks again

REPLY

107) Fraidy


Hi,

allows more light inside then how does it blur the foreground object?Light and the blurry object were not stand together.. you can also blurring the images in low light

condition the aperture condition can change the depth of field of the images, that depth of field can

make your background sharp or blurry

f/1.2 can blurry your images nicely, but more than f/11 your background images will sharp.

with f/1.2 you can blurring your images even in low light condition, but f/11 couldnt do that. thats

why panorama or landscape images use f/10 or more to get the sharp background

hope you can understand

REPLY

106) Nadine


Hello -

I live in the Yukon in Canada, and I am getting a new lens soon, which I would like to use for landscape

photography, as there are vast and very beautiful scenery up here.

I am wondering about photographing Aurora Borealis, Northern Lights?

Might the SIGMA 8-16mm 4-5.6 EX DC HSM be a good lens for me to buy?

Thanks for the easy to understand language!

REPLY


25/37



108) zeeshan


respected naseem,

thanx for giving informative replies, i want to buy a canon camera,but i m low in budget,i want the camera

which take blurred pictures of people,scene,flowers and so on,what about canon EOS 1100D,

and tell me is this DSLR camera,can i change its lenses prime or zoom,and tell like 16 mega pixels are

important or like 8X zoom,what should be prefferd while buying a camera.pixels or x zoom,

thanx.

REPLY

109) Mo


Hello Nasim,

First I must thank you for your tutorials. They are truly helpful and your photos are truly amazing and

beautiful. I have only recently been getting into the more technical side of photography and I was lucky

enough to come by this wonderful website by chance.

At present, I have just 1 question that has been puzzling me: I realize that a smaller aperture results in a

greater depth of field. However, I have come across many landscape photos that display their EXIF

metadata showing larger apertures of f4 & 5.6 and yet the whole photo is sharp and in focus from the

foreground to the horizon.

I would truly appreciate and be grateful if you could explain how this is possible, when I thought only

apertures of f16 or so could achieve such DoF.

Thankyou greatly

REPLY

110) Nafeeza Lieb


Hello Mr. Mansurov,

I have a simple Nikon coolpix s2600, and Ive been wondering if its possible to even change the aperture

settings on it as to render an image with a blurred background? All my images are sharp, however at times

I wish to focus so as to remove background distractions. I believe the widest aperture it has is f/3.2, and

from some internet research it seems thats wide enough to decrease the clarity of the background. Im not

sure, though. Im quite clueless about cameras and am just wondering whether I can manipulate the

settings on my camera, and if so, how. Thanks in advance

REPLY

111) amey


Hi ,I am using canon 550d with default lens 18-55mm ,how to take foreground subject blur and

background in focus..

REPLY

112) Janelle Knight

January 10, 2013 at 10:13 am

I recently received a Nikon D3200 as a gift from my husband to start pursueing myphotography passion. It only goes down to f/5.6 and to create the blurred background from everything

that I have read I need a lense that goes to at least f/1.4. I just wanted to make sure this is correct before I

purchase the lense. Thanks for the help:)

REPLY

113) Renee E.


First time writing and reading your blog. Thank you for so much information very helpful. I

have a Nikon d5100. My 55-200mm lens says: 1:4-5.6G. Does this mean my highest f-stop is only 4-5.6? Very

disappointed if so. I just got my camera a few months ago and the lens at Christmas. Do i need to buy

ANOTHER lens in order to get the lens foreground crisp and background blurred? Im a newly professed

professional photographer picking up new tips here and there.
http://photographylife.com/


26/37



Thank you so much.

REPLY

114) SS


Thank you so much for the information you provided, it was really very helpful! It helped me a

lot understanding my new dslr camera. Thanks again!

REPLY

115) Marcie Wilson


I am new to the DSLR world just purchased a Cannon Rebel T3. I took some pictures a few days

ago out side making changes to the apature from f4-f22 trying to get used to the different settings. Today

I went to take some more pictures again outside and all of the pictures are coming out white. I dont know

what I did to cause this. If I put the settings an auto it does not do this. I have the ISO set at 100 as I was

outside on a sunny day. WB was set to AWB. What am I doing wrong.

REPLY

116) Raju


Excellent article, made my eyes open and think about this..

REPLY

117) SAMIT SUBBA

January 27, 2013 at 11:40 am

Hi Nasim,

I just came across your article regarding the basics terms used in photography and these are very helpful

to me, as I am a novice in the field of photography. Moreover, I bought myself a Canon 600D with 18-55 Is

lens recently and trying my hands in taking some nighttime photography (esp. low-light condition), but

the pictures taken in low light are not as not clear as I have desired with enhanced ISO value and faster

shutter speed with aperture fully open preferably in AV mode, TV mode (for moving vehicle, etc.), and

manual mode..I used all these modes while taking the pics but something is going wrong and i dont

know where it is. Could you help me solving these issues and explain me the protocol at length for low-light photography with 18-55 mm IS lens..Thanks and would be expecting a good input on thisTake

care.

REPLY

118) hannah


hi. i enjoyed reding this and understand a little more about apeture. i just wanted to ask you a

little more.

im planning on going to iceland in december, and im hoping to be lucky enough to get a glimpse of the

northern lights. everywhere i have read tells me i need an apeture of f1.4 or f2.8. i already own a fujifilm

camera and its apeture is f3.1-5.6. when i eventually track down a lens to fit my camera, how would i go

about setting the apeture to the right lenght. is it a case of zooming in and out or will i have to go througha menu settings.

REPLY

119) Sammie Hight


I am setting my aperture and it is at its lowest and i am trying to get my middle object focus and

the rest blurry but everything seems to be blurry. Am i doing something wrong?

REPLY


27/37



120) Devaney

February 14, 2013 at 4:21 am

Could i still use aperture priority mode without blurrying it out all the time? sometimes,i just

love how crisp and in focus it makes my photos. sometimes,i just dont care about a photo being blurry

REPLY

121) Komal Ganatra


Hey..

Love your articles and Ive been hooked on to them since quite a few days now.

I have a Nikon D40 with 18-55mm lens. Ive been trying to achieve these image results but havent reached

there yet.

I keep my camera on Aperture Priority and accordingly select different apertures as you mentioned. But i

end up getting very bright and blurry image. Could you help me out with this?

And could you also tell me that if i try this on Manual Mode then what should the aperture and shutter

be?

Thanks =)

REPLY

122) anoop k

March 5, 2013 at 10:51 am

hi,

I am new to the photographic field, and i have greater interest in that. I bought a new SLR last week

canon

60D with 18-55mm IS lens .. I got a few ideas regarding aperture, ISO and shutter speed from various

blogs and all. From that tips i got many awesome snaps. But i dont have any idea about manual settings

regarding an object that moves continuously in low light . i tried many times. but it fails. All the images i

got are scattered .. can you help me in that..

Thanks

REPLY

123) jemma

March 28, 2013 at 2:39 pm

Hi, Im wondering if you could help, I am new to photography but will soon be purchasing the

Nikon D600. I will be using it mainly for portrait photography and I hoping you could recommend a few

lenses, possibly a cheap one, a medioka priced one and an expensive one? I was thinking the 85mm f/1.8

or the 85mm f/1.4 but wondering why the it seems the f/1.8 is more expensive when sure the f/1.4 is the

better lens for background blur? Also the Nikon AF DC Nikkor 135mm f/2D but would appreciate any

advice, I guess there would be the odd occasion where I might like to do just head and shoulders but as I

will mainly be doing children and familys it will be mainly sit down or stand up poses or any pose with half

body or full body in the photo so Id assume anything 85mm or above lense wise would be best?

REPLY

124) Pappu

April 18, 2013 at 8:42 pm

Hi Naseem, Thank you for the excellent tips you have shared. It is wealth for us trying to learn

on our own.

I am currently using a point and shoot Cannon SX30IS. I am trying to experiment with the aperture mode.

I used the Av mode and started playing with the lower f number , the max it makes me go below is 2.7,

but i dont get the depth i want.

Am i trying to do much with my simple point and shoot or am approaching it in a wrong way. Will the light

factor during the time i was experimenting it affect how much low I can go ( since it was cloudy and quite

dark outside)

REPLY


28/37



125) Sandeep Prasad

April 21, 2013 at 1:57 am

Hi Nasim

Your articles are simply amazing , for the fact that you have explained the details in such a easy to

understand manner .

I have purchased a Nikon D5100 and currently thinking about the type of lens which I need to buy . Will be

shooting portraits /landscape and interest in low light photography ..

Can you suggest ??

Regards

Sandeep

REPLY

128) Nasim Mansurov

April 21, 2013 at 5:47 pm

Sandeep, for low light photography, check out my response below to Janet the 35mm is a

great lens for the D5100. For landscapes, the 18-55mm kit lens will do just great.

REPLY

126) Janet

April 21, 2013 at 4:51 pm

Hi Nasim,

I just bought the Nikon D5100. I am a beginner. I want to buy a new lens, I currently have the 18-55mm .I

have children who play sports and would like to take pictures from far and get a clear phone of their

funny face expressions. LOL. I am also looking for something to use an everyday basis but also looking for

good sharpness. I was comparing and debating in between the 35mm and 50mm. Which one would you

recommend, also is there any other one you like and recommend for beginner?

Thank You,

Janet

REPLY

127) Nasim Mansurov

April 21, 2013 at 5:46 pm

Janet, get the Nikon 35mm f/1.8Glens it is a superb all around lens for your camera.

REPLY

130) Janet

April 23, 2013 at 10:13 pm

Hello Nasim,

Thank you for your time. I will buy the Nikon 35mm. A friend suggested to also buy the 55-200mm

or 55-300mm, she said either one with the 35mm will be the best kit for me as a starter. What do

you recommend?. Will any of those two lens help zoom and take good photos of my kids while

playing soccer? I also like to take pictures of close flowers and making the background blurry (like

you did on the mailboxes and wall-e), what lens do I need to take a photo like that?. I am new at

this :) I will appreciate any information or suggestions you might have.

Thanks,

Janet

REPLY

129) Vrushali

April 23, 2013 at 1:43 pm

Hello Nasim,

I have a nikon d5000 camera and the basic lens 18-55mm. i want to know that how much larger aparture

can i set for this lens?

also if you can advice me on how to take portraits of kids. i have a 2 year old daughter who is very active

and keeps moving all the time. so if you could give me some guidlines on how can i take very good

pictures of her with the basic lens i have, it would be very helpful for me.
http://photographylife.com/go/bh/nikon-35mm-f18ghttp://photographylife.com/members/megaz/http://photographylife.com/members/megaz/


29/37



REPLY

131) Janet

April 24, 2013 at 11:05 pm

Hello Nasim,

Thank you for your time. I will buy the Nikon 35mm. A friend suggested to also buy the 55-200mm or 55-

300mm, she said either one with the 35mm will be the best kit for me as a starter. What do you

recommend?. Will any of those two lens help zoom and take good photos of my kids while playing soccer?

I also like to take pictures of close flowers and making the background blurry (like you did on the

mailboxes and wall-e), what lens do I need to take a photo like that?. I am new at this :) I will

appreciate any information or suggestions you might have.Thanks,

Janet

REPLY

132) Sarah

May 8, 2013 at 8:27 am

Hi Nasim,

Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge. =D

I am a beginner and Im trying to understand the language of photography. I have a Nikon D40 with a 18-

55mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens. I have been practicing with friends and family for portrait shooting, but my photos

are not as sharp and clear as I would like. I do most of my shooting outdoors and would really like to see

better results. What is your advice? What settings should I have or must I purchase another lens?Thank you,

Sarah

REPLY

136) Yvon

May 22, 2013 at 1:15 pm

I have the same camera with the 18-55 and the 55-200 and i get the same problem. I am still

trying to align the back ground and foreground on the same level. I get the foreground right and the

background blurry. I am a landscape photographer but not professionally. The D40 is a great camera;

Ive had it for about 6 years.

REPLY

133) aperture

May 14, 2013 at 1:33 am

thanks for sharing your knowledge about aperture. hope to read more about photography in

this blog in the future :) kaycee mcnally

REPLY

134) kim

May 14, 2013 at 1:35 am

is a d5100 a good dslr for beginners?

REPLY

135) Yvon

May 22, 2013 at 1:09 pm

I understand aperture a lot better after reading this article but when i practice it, i still get a

blurry picture. I have a Nikon D40 with both Nikkor lenses 18-55mm and 55-200mm and when i try to take

a picture on A mode, i

understanding aperture - a beginner's guide

Documents