Understanding Exposure, Chapter 2: Aperture

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  • 1/15 Questions

    Which aperture will give you more light?

    • F/4
    • F/16
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Understanding Exposure, Chapter 2: Aperture - Quiz
About This Quiz

This is a quiz for Chapter 2 of Bryan Peterson's book "Understanding Exposure".

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  • 2. 

    When you shoot using the lowest number possible for your aperture, what is it called?

    • Shooting "slow"

    • Shooting "low"

    • Shooting "wide open"

    • Shooting "small"

    Correct Answer
    A. Shooting "wide open"
    Explanation
    When you shoot using the lowest number possible for your aperture, it is called shooting "wide open." The aperture refers to the opening in the lens that controls the amount of light entering the camera. The lowest aperture number, such as f/1.8 or f/2.8, indicates a larger opening, allowing more light to reach the camera sensor. Shooting "wide open" is often used in low-light situations or when a photographer wants to achieve a shallow depth of field, where the subject is in focus while the background is blurred.

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  • 3. 

    What is "depth of field"?

    • Equal to your focal length

    • The total distance from near to far that you are capturing in your photo

    • How much of your photo from near to far is in sharp focus

    • The measure of your foreground vs background as expressed by FG:BG

    Correct Answer
    A. How much of your photo from near to far is in sharp focus
    Explanation
    Depth of field refers to the extent of the image that appears sharp and in focus, from the nearest point to the farthest point. It is not necessarily equal to the focal length, which is the distance between the lens and the image sensor. Instead, depth of field is determined by factors such as aperture, distance to the subject, and focal length. It is a measure of the range of focus in a photograph, indicating how much of the image, from the foreground to the background, appears sharp and in focus.

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  • 4. 

    When you change the aperture setting on your camera, what are you actually changing?

    • How large of an opening the curtain makes on the camera

    • How large of an opening the blades in the lens make

    • The focus of the lens

    • How fast light is recorded on your digital sensor or film

    Correct Answer
    A. How large of an opening the blades in the lens make
    Explanation
    When you change the aperture setting on your camera, you are actually changing how large of an opening the blades in the lens make. The aperture is a mechanism in the lens that controls the amount of light entering the camera. By adjusting the aperture, you can determine the size of the opening through which light passes. A larger aperture allows more light to enter, resulting in a brighter image, while a smaller aperture restricts the amount of light, resulting in a darker image.

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  • 5. 

    Which aperture is more likely to give you a smoothly blurred background?

    • F/4

    • F/16

    Correct Answer
    A. F/4
    Explanation
    A wider aperture, such as f/4, is more likely to give you a smoothly blurred background. This is because a wider aperture creates a shallow depth of field, meaning that only a small portion of the image will be in focus while the rest will be blurred. On the other hand, a smaller aperture like f/16 creates a greater depth of field, resulting in more of the image being in focus and less background blur.

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  • 6. 

    Which aperture will allow you to use a faster shutter speed?

    • F/4

    • F/16

    Correct Answer
    A. F/4
    Explanation
    A larger aperture, such as f/4, allows more light to enter the camera, which in turn allows for a faster shutter speed. This is because the larger aperture size allows for a shorter amount of time for the light to reach the sensor, resulting in a faster shutter speed. On the other hand, a smaller aperture like f/16 restricts the amount of light entering the camera, requiring a longer exposure time and resulting in a slower shutter speed.

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  • 7. 

    What determines your depth of field?

    • Your aperture alone

    • Aperture, focal length, and shutter speed

    • Your aperture and the total distance between you and the subject you are focused on

    • Your aperture, focal length, and the distance from your camera to the subject you are focusing on

    Correct Answer
    A. Your aperture, focal length, and the distance from your camera to the subject you are focusing on
    Explanation
    The depth of field is determined by the combination of aperture, focal length, and the distance from the camera to the subject being focused on. The aperture affects the size of the opening through which light enters the camera, thus controlling the amount of light and the depth of field. The focal length of the lens also influences the depth of field, with longer focal lengths resulting in a shallower depth of field. Additionally, the distance between the camera and the subject being focused on plays a role, as a closer distance will result in a shallower depth of field.

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  • 8. 

    You're shooting a photo at f/11 and you decide to press the depth of field preview button to see what happens.  The viewfinder goes dark, although your depth of field looks ok.  What should you do?

    • Expose for -1 to make the image brighter

    • Expose for +1 to make the image brighter

    • Increase the ISO or use f/4 instead

    • Increase the ISO or use f/16 instead

    • Do nothing, the image won't come out dark

    Correct Answer
    A. Do nothing, the image won't come out dark
    Explanation
    When you press the depth of field preview button, the viewfinder goes dark because the aperture is being stopped down to the selected f/11. However, this does not affect the actual exposure settings of the camera. The depth of field may appear fine because the viewfinder is designed to compensate for the reduced light. Therefore, there is no need to make any adjustments to the exposure settings or change the aperture or ISO. The image will not come out dark as the camera will automatically adjust the exposure settings to compensate for the reduced light.

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  • 9. 

    Will f/4 give you the same depth of field in macro photography as it does in portraits?

    • No, it'll be more shallow

    • No, it'll be deeper

    • Yes

    • It's a trick question, small-numbered apertures like f/4 are not available when you focus close

    Correct Answer
    A. No, it'll be more shallow
    Explanation
    In macro photography, the depth of field is typically very shallow due to the close focusing distance. When using a wide aperture like f/4, the depth of field becomes even shallower, resulting in a smaller area in focus. In portraits, f/4 may provide a sufficient depth of field to keep both the subject's face and background in focus, but in macro photography, the same aperture will result in a more shallow depth of field, making it more challenging to achieve sharp focus on the subject.

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  • 10. 

    A 50mm f/1.8 lens is considered "fast" -why is the term "fast" used to describe this lens?

    • It focuses fast

    • Low-numbered apertures capture moving subjects well

    • Using small-numbered apertures results in faster shutter speeds

    • The len's blades will open and close very quickly because it's a "prime" (not a "zoom" lens)

    Correct Answer
    A. Using small-numbered apertures results in faster shutter speeds
    Explanation
    The term "fast" is used to describe a 50mm f/1.8 lens because using small-numbered apertures results in faster shutter speeds. Aperture refers to the opening of the lens that controls the amount of light entering the camera. A small-numbered aperture, such as f/1.8, means a larger opening, allowing more light to enter. This increased light intake allows for faster shutter speeds, which is beneficial when capturing fast-moving subjects. Hence, the term "fast" is used to indicate the lens's ability to capture action shots effectively.

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  • 11. 

    You have a shot lined up and you want everything in focus from your shoes in the sand in the foreground to the sailboat way off in the distance.  You focus a third of the way into the frame, and set the aperture to f/20, but when you look through the viewfinder the sailboat looks blurry.  Why?

    • Your aperture should be smaller, like f/4

    • You should focus on the sailboat in the distance

    • You should focus at infinity

    • The viewfinder doesn't reflect your aperture settings, just take the photo and the sailboat will be sharp in the image

    Correct Answer
    A. The viewfinder doesn't reflect your aperture settings, just take the photo and the sailboat will be sharp in the image
    Explanation
    The viewfinder in a camera does not accurately reflect the depth of field created by the selected aperture. Even though the photographer focused a third of the way into the frame and set the aperture to f/20, the sailboat appears blurry in the viewfinder. However, when the photo is taken, the sailboat will be sharp in the image because the smaller aperture creates a larger depth of field, ensuring that objects at different distances are in focus.

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  • 12. 

    What determines the apertures that are available to you?

    • Your lens

    • Your lens and the lighting conditions

    • Your camera

    • Your camera and the lighting conditions

    Correct Answer
    A. Your lens
    Explanation
    The apertures that are available to you are determined by your lens. Different lenses have different aperture ranges, and this determines how wide or narrow the lens opening can be. The aperture also affects the depth of field in your photos, allowing you to control how much of the image is in focus. Lighting conditions can affect the exposure of your photo, but they do not determine the available apertures. The camera itself does not determine the apertures, as it is the lens that controls this aspect of photography.

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  • 13. 

    If you have a scene where everything is at the same focus distance (like a person standing against a brick wall), what aperture is recommended?

    • The smallest number possible like f/2

    • F/8-f/11

    • F/22 or higher

    • The aperture wouldn't matter because there's no depth of field to worry about

    Correct Answer
    A. F/8-f/11
    Explanation
    In a scene where everything is at the same focus distance, the recommended aperture is f/8-f/11. This aperture range allows for a balance between a larger depth of field and sharpness, while still ensuring sufficient light enters the camera. Using the smallest aperture like f/2 would result in a shallow depth of field, causing parts of the image to be out of focus. On the other hand, using an aperture of f/22 or higher would decrease sharpness due to diffraction. Therefore, f/8-f/11 is the optimal aperture range in this scenario.

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  • 14. 

    Bright points of light in your scene are coming out as hexagons in your photo, you'd rather they come out as perfect circles.  What should you do?

    • Use the lowest-numbered aperture possible (like f/2.8)

    • Use the highest-numbered aperture possible (like f/22)

    • Use f/8-f/11

    • The hexagons are a result of your lens blade shape, there's nothing you can do

    Correct Answer
    A. Use the lowest-numbered aperture possible (like f/2.8)
    Explanation
    Using the lowest-numbered aperture possible (like f/2.8) will result in a larger aperture opening, allowing more light to enter the camera. This will reduce the diffraction effect caused by the lens blade shape, which is causing the bright points of light to appear as hexagons. By using a larger aperture, the points of light will come out as more circular shapes, giving the desired effect of perfect circles.

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  • 15. 

    What aperture should you choose when you are really concerned about the sharpness of your subject.

    • The lowest-numbered aperture possible, like f/2.8

    • The highest-numbered aperture possible, like f/22

    • F/8-f/11

    • The quality of your lens determines sharpness, your aperture has nothing to do with it

    Correct Answer
    A. F/8-f/11
    Explanation
    When you are really concerned about the sharpness of your subject, you should choose an aperture between f/8 and f/11. This range is often referred to as the "sweet spot" of many lenses, where they tend to perform at their sharpest. Choosing a lower or higher aperture may result in a decrease in sharpness due to factors like lens diffraction or depth of field. Therefore, selecting an aperture within the f/8-f/11 range is generally recommended for achieving optimal sharpness in your subject.

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Quiz Review Timeline (Updated): Mar 17, 2023 +

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  • Current Version
  • Mar 17, 2023
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team
  • Jan 23, 2009
    Quiz Created by
    Muddyboots
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