Nikon SLR Cameras

Light & Shutter speed aperture?

mera
mera

Guys I have a nikon D5100 and i'm trying to learn photography
when I increase shutter speed from 1/200 to 1/250 does this allow more light to be in the picture.
the same goes with the aperture if I increase from 5.3 to 7.0 for example will there be more light?

jeannie
jeannie

No on both counts. The shutter speed is measured in fractions - the larger the #, the faster the shutter, the less light hits the sensors - think about it - is 1/200 more or less cake than 1/250th?

On the aperture - the smaller the number the bigger the hole, the more light that is allowed through the lens. This is because the number actually represents how many times the hole could fit into the focal length. So a size 4 hole is bigger than a size 22 hole. So a change from 5.3 to 7 is roughly half the amount of light being allowed into the lens.

deep blue2
deep blue2

No to both.

Shutter speed is in fractions of a second - 1/250 of a second is faster than 1/200 of a second - so less light will be let onto the sensor as the shutter is open for less time.

Apertures take a bit of getting used to - the smaller the number, the bigger the opening (hole) the light gets through, so an aperture of 7 is smaller than an aperture of 5.3 so LESS light will get through.

It helps if you learn about the exposure triangle & think of all the parameters in terms of stops. Each whole 'stop' is a doubling or halving of the light;

Shutter speed whole stops
MORE LIGHT --> 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000 <--- LESS LIGHT

Aperture whole stops
MORE LIGHT --> f1.4, f2, f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8, f11, f16, f22, f32 <-- LESS LIGHT

ISO whole stops
MORE LIGHT --> 3200, 1600, 800, 400, 200, 100 <-- LESS LIGHT

If the camera tells you that the exposure is 'correct' at, say, ISO 200, f11 and 1/60 second but you want to shoot at f4 (for a shallower depth of field), then if you just change to f4 without changing anything else, then your shot would be 3 stops over exposed (you've just let 3 stops more light in).

On order to keep the same exposure and shoot at f4, you would need to change one (or both) of the other two parameters to let in less light by 3 stops. So for example you could change the shutter speed to 1/500 second (3 stops difference). Or you could reduce the ISO by 1 stop and change the shutter speed by 2 stops. This is called reciprocity

So an exposure at ISO 200, f11 and 1/60 sec will be the same as ISO 200, f4 and 1/500 sec which will be the same as ISO 100, f4 and 1/250 sec. Get it?

Rizzles
Rizzles

No, with 1/200 the sensor is only exposed for 1/200 of a second. 1/250 of a second is less time than 1/200 of a second, so the picture will be darker. An f-stop of 5.3 is wider than an f-stop of 7.0 thus letting more light through the lens.

andy w
andy w

In both instances there will be LESS light.

Increasing the speed of the shutter obviously will let in LESS light as the shutter is open for less time.

SO going from 1/200th of a second to 1/250th of a second will decrease the time the shutter is open and thus allow less light.

With the aperture, the larger the number the smaller the "hole".So going from 5.3 to 7.0 means a smaller aperture thus less light.