Relationship Between Aperture, Shutter Speed And ISO

These are the three basic yet most important features of a camera settings and are required to master to take good photos. Two controls that affect the amount of light that enters into the camera and strikes the image sensor are aperture and shutter speed. On the other hand, the ISO refers to how much light is needed to produce a correct exposure.

APERTURE

The lens aperture is a diaphragm that is in the lens itself or immediately behind it which controls the amount of light that passes through the lens and is usually made up of a set of blades that open or close depending on the aperture setting that is selected. The aperture settings are commonly referred to as f-stops and have a specific numerical sequence, such as F1.4, F1.8, F5.6, F11, F22 and so forth. Lower f-stop settings (such as F1.8) have a larger diaphragm opening, allowing more light through the lens. On the other hand, Higher f-stop settings (such as F22) have a smaller diaphragm opening, allowing less light through the lens. One more thing that is affected by the aperture is the depth-of-field. With lower f-stops, the depth-of-field is shallower and with increase in f-stop number, the depth-of-field increases.

Note : Depth-of-Field is the distance between the nearest and the farthest objects that are in acceptably sharp focus in an image.

SHUTTER SPEED

Shutter speed can also affect the amount of light that enters into the camera and strikes at the image sensor by controlling how long the camera shutter remains open. The longer the camera shutter is left open, the more light is allowed to enter the camera which is achieved by using slower shutter speeds (such as 1/30). If the camera shutter is left open for a shorter duration, less light is allowed inside the camera which can be achieved by using faster shutter speeds (such as 1/250 or even faster). Shutter speeds can vary from fractions of a second to several seconds in duration. Another thing that is affected by the shutter speed is the motion blur. If it's an fast moving subject and the shutter speed is set to a lower speed like 1/60, then it can cause motion blur. So to avoid motion blur and to take acceptably sharp images, a faster shutter speed is required.

Note : There is a reciprocal relationship between shutter speed and aperture. One can get the same amount of light if they change the shutter speed and aperture settings at equivalent amounts. For example, increasing f-stop by one level and decreasing shutter speed by one level will produce the same result as images taken in previous settings. Essentially, using a fast shutter speed with a wide aperture can provide the same amount of light to the image sensor as when using a slow shutter speed with a narrow aperture.

ISO

ISO determines the sensitivity of the camera sensor to light. A higher ISO number increases the sensitivity means that less light is needed to produce a correct exposure. A lower ISO number decreases the sensitivity and requires more light to produce a correct exposure. Therefore, in well-lit environments, a lower ISO (100 or 200) should be used. When shooting in low-light situations, a higher ISO (800 or above) is recommended. It may also be necessary to use a higher ISO setting when shooting with a narrow aperture or high shutter speed since a narrow aperture and high shutter speed reduces the amount of light that strikes the image sensor.

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