10 Important Point about  Aperture for Cinematographer 

Mar 31, 2018 Written by Ashish Rai Aperture

Share  

                                                        Cinematography Course Assignment No. :2       

10 Important Point about  Aperture for Cinmeatographer :  

  1. An aperture is simply defined as an opening, hole or gap.  In photographic terms, we use it to describe the hole in the middle of the lens that allows light to pass from the front of the lens, through the lens barrel and onto the camera’s sensor.
  2. Aperture settings are referred to as f-numbers and individual settings are f-stops (eg. f/8).  The larger the f-number, the smaller the aperture is.  For example, an f-stop of f/32 would be considered a very small aperture, whereas an f-stop of f/1.4 would be considered a very large aperture.
  3. The wider a lens’ maximum aperture, the shallower you can also get your depth of field!  This is why the maximum aperture of a lens is as important as knowing what its focal length is because it has a major effect on the look of your photo. 
  4. Only zoom position will affect maximum aperture values for a lens, so this of course means that a prime lens will always have a fixed maximum aperture as well as a fixed focal length.
  5. Aperture has a big impact upon depth of field. Large aperture (remember it’s a smaller number) will decrease depth of field while small aperture (larger numbers) will give you larger depth of field.
  6. Most DSLRs give you the option to choose whether your f-stop is adjusted in half-stop, or third-stop increments. The chart below provides you with the f-stop options for most modern equipment.
  7. The aperture setting is measured in f-stop values, with apertures such as f/1.4 and f/2.8 often referred to as 'wide' apertures, as they have the widest opening and let in the most light, while apertures with higher f-stop numbers (f/11, f/16 and so on) are (perhaps rather confusingly) referred as small, or narrow, apertures as they offer the smallest openings. 
  8. Aperture is the size of the opening in the lens. Some lenses have fixed apertures, but most photographic lenses have variable apertures in order to control the amount of light entering the lens
  9. Many photographers, when they are starting to understand aperture, think that the key to maximizing sharpness is a small aperture because of the effect that aperture has on depth of field. 
  10. When you open the aperture diaphragm to its maximum size, you allow the maximum amount of light into the lens and, with it, the maximum number of aberrations.