GUIDE
Which aperture, which ISO, and why
Settings are choices about what the picture should feel like. Start from the subject, pick the one thing that matters most, and let the other two follow.
Portrait
- APERTURE
- f/1.8 – f/2.8
- ISO
- ISO 100 – 400
- SHUTTER
- 1/250 s
WHY
A wide opening blurs the background so the face stands apart. Low ISO keeps skin clean.
Landscape
- APERTURE
- f/8 – f/11
- ISO
- ISO 100
- SHUTTER
- Tripod
WHY
A middle-small opening keeps near and far sharp. Lowest ISO for the most detail; the tripod pays for the slow shutter.
Sport and action
- APERTURE
- f/2.8 – f/4
- ISO
- ISO 800 – 3200
- SHUTTER
- 1/1000 s +
WHY
The fast shutter freezes the motion. Open the lens and raise ISO to pay for it.
Night street
- APERTURE
- f/1.4 – f/2
- ISO
- ISO 1600 – 6400
- SHUTTER
- 1/60 s
WHY
Every bit of light counts. Accept some grain rather than a blurred frame.
Macro
- APERTURE
- f/8 – f/16
- ISO
- ISO 100 – 400
- SHUTTER
- Flash or tripod
WHY
Up close the sharp zone is paper-thin; close down to widen it and add light.
Group photo
- APERTURE
- f/5.6 – f/8
- ISO
- ISO 200 – 800
- SHUTTER
- 1/125 s
WHY
Faces stand at different distances. A smaller opening keeps the back row sharp.
RULE OF THUMB
Sunny 16
In bright sun, set f/16 and a shutter of one over your ISO: ISO 100 at 1/100 s. No meter needed.
FOR VIDEO
Shutter = 1 ÷ (2 × fps)
At 25 frames a second, film at 1/50 s; at 24, about 1/48. Motion looks the way the eye expects.
HANDHELD
1 ÷ focal length
Without stabilisation, a 50 mm lens wants 1/50 s or faster, a 200 mm lens 1/200 s.
These are starting points, not laws. Shoot, look at the screen, and move one setting at a time.