Following up from a previous post (http://www.truphotos.com/2010/01/06/photography-basics-mode-dial/), A on the mode dial stands for Aperture. Most of the time, Aperture mode is suitable for taking landscapes or when you want to achieve that “blurred” background effect that you often see in flower and portrait shots. By the way, another word for the “blurriness” of the background is termed “bokeh“, which originates from the Japanese language. The spelling is not really correct but for pronunciation’s sake, somehow a “h” was added. Personally, I use Aperture mode the most often because I like controlling the Depth of Field (DOF) when shooting landscapes and also for general shots.

For a standard lens, the aperture value is normally between 3.5-22 when you zoom out and 5.6-36 when you zoom in. Normally, we pay more attention to the lower value. These numbers can be seen on the lens itself, and reads something like 1:3.5-5.6. Generally, the lower the aperture value, the more expensive it is and the more “blurred” your background becomes when you lower the value. This is ideal when you are taking portrait shots or when you want to isolate your subject from the background.

On the other hand, the higher the value, the larger the Depth of Field gets and you will be able to see more of your background and foreground clearly. Click here for more information on aperture values for zoom lenses.

However, as a general guide, it is recommended to use aperture values between 8-11 for landscapes. The reason is that most lenses perform at their best and are sharpest at these values. Find out more about aperture values for zoom lenses.

For now, just remember that larger aperture values give you a clearer back to front image while smaller values can be used to isolate a subject.

Related posts:

  1. Photography basics – Aperture values for zoom lenses
  2. Photography basics – Aperture values for prime lenses
  3. Photography basics – Mode dial (Manual)
  4. Photography basics – Mode dial (Shutter priority)
  5. Photography basics – Mode dial (Program)