Can someone explain aperture as simply as possible.?

Question

Aperture is one of the things that I just cannot seem to get.

Would anyone care to explain in plain English what it is?

Answer 1

It's just how wide the opening in the lens is.

Answer 2

Aperture is the simply put the diameter of the hole in the lens letting light go through.  The terms "Aperture" and "f/stop" are more or less interchangeable.  Each "stop" is equal to one change in exposure value, just like each doubling or halving of shutter speed is equal to one exposure value (EV).  The lower the number the brighter the lens, and the less depth of field you will have.  The sequence of f/stops is as follows

f/1

f/1.4

f/2

f/2.8

f/4

f/5.6

f/8

f/11

f/16

f/22

f/32

Etcetera

Notice that the stops are doublings of 1 and 1.4.   5.6 doubled is really 11.2, but it just gets rounded to 11.  These numbers are derived from an equation related to the ratio of the diameter of the aperture to the focal length of the lens.  

Changing aperture has many effects, such as lens sharpness, depth of field, am mount of chromatic aberration, amount of light falloff, etc.  

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Plain English:

You're probably most interested in its effects on brightness and depth of field.  f/4 is TWICE as bright as F/2.8.  This means in low light situations, or situations where you require a faster shutter speed, lower numbered f/stops are preferred.  Experiment and see what works best for you!

Answer 3

Aperature is the size of the opening that allows light through the lens. The larger the opening the more light. Now just to keep things confusing the smaller the number the larger the opening., Every F stop you open the aperature doubles the light. So F22 to F16 doubles the light. F22 to F 11 is 4 times as much light etc.

Once you have a proper exposure aperature can be adjusted reciprical to the shutter speed.Again this works because when I double the time the shutter is opened I doublle the light. If I could shoot at F11 at 250th of a second I can shoot at F22 at 125th of a second.

Now just to add to it all aperature is also one of the factors contributing to depth of field. The smaller the aperature the larger the depth of field or area that is in focus.

I hope this helps if you need more email me and I will send you more on this.

Answer 4

Ok ,simplify

The aperture is located in the lens.  The wider the aperture is open the more light hits the film plane or sensor.  A wide aperture (a low number f/4.5) is letting in a lot of light.  A narrow aperture (a higher number f/22). less light in hitting the film plane or sensor.  Notice the f/4.5 and f/22.  Aperture is measure in f stops. If you want everything in focus, such as in a landscape use a higher number. If you want to blur out a distracting background  such as in outdoor portrait, use a  lower number.  

Lower number= wider aperture and shallow depth of field (portraits,closeups)

Higher number= narrower aperture deeper depth of field  (landscapes )

Answer 5

Aperture controls the depth of field. Depth of field is how much focus there is in the photo. A wide aperture (smaller number, such as F/2.8) has less depth of field (background blurry and subject in focus or vice versa). A small aperture (bigger number, such as F/45) has more depth of field (everything is in focus).

Answer 6

It is the opening in the lens. Think of it as doors that can be open a small amount or a large amount. The more the "doors" are open, the more light that can come in.

The aperture is expressed in fstop numbers. The confusing part to most people is that the SMALLER the number, the LARGER the opening is in the lens and the MORE light can get to the film or digital sensor. Conversely, the larger the number, the smaller the opening.

A large aperture limits the amount of focal plane, in other words, your subject can be in focus, but areas in front of or behind the subject will be out of focus. A small aperture, (higher number), will give more depth of field, in other words, more area in the photo will be in focus.

A large aperture opening will necessitate a faster shutter speed, a smaller aperture opening will necessitate a slower, (longer) shutter speed.

Hope that helps some.

steve

Answer 7

Look at the black part of your eye in the mirror, put a light closer to it and it gets smaller, with less light it opens. That's what you do with your camera's lens opening....ie: aperture.