Camera Settings Quiz — Test Your Exposure Knowledge

Going from f/4 to f/11 makes the aperture opening smaller, cutting the light by three stops, so only one eighth as much light gets through. A smaller opening also increases depth of field, so more of the scene is sharp. In manual mode, shutter speed and ISO do not change by themselves.

Birds in flight move their wings very quickly, so a very short exposure is needed to stop them. 1/2000 second or faster freezes wings and feathers sharply. 1/250 second leaves the wings blurred even if the body looks sharp.

Going from ISO 400 to 800 doubles the sensitivity, which is one stop of extra brightness. That allows a shutter speed twice as fast or an aperture one stop smaller for the same exposure. The cost is more visible noise, and resolution does not change.

Depth of field gets shallower with a wider aperture, a longer focal length and a closer subject. f/1.8 with a long lens on a nearby subject combines all three, giving a very thin zone of sharpness. Small apertures and distant subjects do the opposite.

The exposure triangle describes how aperture, shutter speed and ISO work together to set exposure. Changing one changes brightness, so another must move to keep the same exposure. Each also has a side effect: depth of field, motion blur and noise.

Going from f/2.8 to f/5.6 cuts the light by two stops, to one quarter. To keep the same exposure, the shutter must stay open four times longer, for example 1/250 to 1/60 second, or the ISO must rise two stops, such as from 100 to 400. Changing focal length does not restore the lost light.

The higher the f-number, the smaller the aperture and the deeper the depth of field. Of these settings, f/16 is the smallest opening, so it keeps the most of the scene sharp. f/1.4 is the widest and gives the shallowest depth of field.

Silky water needs a long exposure, around 1 to 2 seconds, so the moving water blurs into smooth streaks. f/16 and ISO 100 let in little light, which makes that slow shutter speed possible without overexposing. A tripod keeps everything else sharp during the exposure.

Stopping down means choosing a smaller aperture, which has a higher f-number, such as going from f/4 to f/8. Less light gets through, and depth of field increases. Opening up is the reverse.

A faster shutter speed means the sensor collects light for a shorter time. In manual mode nothing else adjusts automatically, so the image comes out darker. Depth of field depends on aperture, not shutter speed, so it stays the same.