Apature/DOF: Hi ladies and gents, First post from a semi-experienced beginner, so please be gentle.😊 While shooting today, I realized that maybe I have been looking at apature...

paver Loc: Miami, Fl

Hi ladies and gents,
First post from a semi-experienced beginner, so please be gentle.😊

While shooting today, I realized that maybe I have been looking at apature settings wrong, in that I always used apature as a way to control the cameras ability to shoot in low/bright lighting situations, understanding depth of field is a function of this setting.

I do understand there are lighting situations where you must compomise, and may have to use a lower/higher f-stop to get the exposure right, while forgoing depth of field considerations.

I quess my question is, do most of you approach apature from a depth of field perspective FIRST, and then s. speed and ISO second, if possible, to provide proper exposure while in apature priority?

Thank you in advance, for trying to stuff, more stuff in my thick skull.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

paver wrote:

Hi ladies and gents, br First post from a semi-exp... (show quote)

I always set my WB first, according to the situation, then I set my aperture, so I will have the DOF I desire, then I decide which shutter speed and what ISO I want!

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

It depends on what you are shooting, in what light, and what you are trying to achieve.
For myself ISO is what I neeed to achieve the shutter speed and aperture I want to use. Normally it is the lowest native ISO for my current bodies.

With your pemission I can post some examples.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

paver wrote:

Hi ladies and gents, br First post from a semi-exp... (show quote)

I don't use a sequence as you describe. I look at a scene, decide what is most important to me, and set my camera to capture what I am looking for. If I am shooting a head shot, and the setting is proper with a lot of distance between the subject and the background, I will tend to use a larger aperture to create a nicely blurred, non-distracting background. I will also choose the widest opening when shooting wildlife. If I am doing a landscape, I will use a smaller aperture to get greater depth of field, and so on. Light obviously has a great impact, and if there is a lot of light, I can use shorter shutter speeds and lower ISO, and have a lot more flexibility as far as my creative options with depth of field might be.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

I am usually shooting subjects moving at decent speed, sports, drag racing and trains. I usually shoot in shutter priority mode because if you don’t stop the motion you don’t usually need to worry about the DOF. People seem to think that fast glass is an advantage but I encourage people to get a DOF app and play with the numbers to get a better understanding of DOF at various apertures, focal lengths and distances to the subject. DOF can be very very shallow at wide apertures with longer focal lengths and short distances to the subject.

par4fore Loc: Bay Shore N.Y.

paver wrote:

Hi ladies and gents, br First post from a semi-exp... (show quote)

My mind must always consider aperture first.
1. Can I open up all the way to optimize my shutter speed and ISO?
2. Can I sacrifice shutter speed and or ISO optimization to stop down to the sweet spot of the lens?
3. To what extent do I need to stop down the aperture for depth of field?
4. What speed should I use for motion and lens focal length?
5. ISO needed to accomplish 1-4!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Since I am usually shooting moving objects, I’m typically on manual shutter and aperture and auto ISO. My thought sequence is:

1) pick a shutter speed to freeze the motion - both subject and potential camera shake if no IS (unless I intentionally want it blurred, blurry shots are useless)
2) pick the aperture for the DOF I want
3) let the camera pick the ISO
4) I may re-evaluate with different priorities if that combination is unworkable for some reason.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

paver wrote:

Hi ladies and gents, br First post from a semi-exp... (show quote)

The larger the number, the greater the DOF. The smaller the number, the lesser the DOF. ie. 1.4, shallow DOF, 16, lots of DOF.
DOF increases faster as you move away from the camera, DOF increases slower closer to the camera. DOF is more noticeable closer to the camera, DOF is not as noticeable as your subject is further away from the camera (provided you are not using a telephoto lens.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I have no set routine. For landscapes, I generally start between f/32 and f/64. However, if there are breezes, the shutter speed will be the first choice and the f/stop adjusted next. If action is what I'm capturing, shutter speed is the first consideration then f/stop. So, the lesson to carry from this is the situation controls the settings.
--Bob

paver wrote:

Hi ladies and gents, br First post from a semi-exp... (show quote)

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

What speters said! That system works perfectly for my landscape and travel images.

ggenova64

HedgeHoggers Correct me if I am wrong, I leave ISO alone. I tweak Aperture (AKA F-Stop) and Shutter Speed.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

ggenova64 wrote:

HedgeHoggers Correct me if I am wrong, I leave ISO alone. I tweak Aperture (AKA F-Stop) and Shutter Speed.

Actually, I find that with today's digital wonders, there is a lot of "wiggle room" with ISO settings without noticeable image degradation.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

I shoot this and that, here and there, and use mostly shutter priority (AV on my Canon). I do like closeups, so many times I set the aperture as low as I can go - f 1.8 on my 50mm that's my goto lens. My ISO is usually set at 200 or 100. But, seeing as how weather here in Michigan has been excessively cloudy since September, I find myself changing the ISO more often to adjust for the lower light I often get. I get excessively excited when I see a ray of sunlight outside for a change.

ggenova64

I usually keep ISO 100 to 200 and sometimes 400 or 800.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Tv is Shutter Priority and Av is Aperture Priority on Canon...

BlueMorel wrote:

I shoot this and that, here and there, and use mostly shutter priority (AV on my Canon). I do like closeups, so many times I set the aperture as low as I can go - f 1.8 on my 50mm that's my goto lens. My ISO is usually set at 200 or 100. But, seeing as how weather here in Michigan has been excessively cloudy since September, I find myself changing the ISO more often to adjust for the lower light I often get. I get excessively excited when I see a ray of sunlight outside for a change.