While modern DSLRs have quite good metering capabilities it’s sometimes useful to have a rule of thumb to work by as a starting point for manual exposures. This tip is an old favourite and you will often see it mentioned in forums when people ask about exposure. Despite its name it is not a rule but more of a broad guide.
The basic premise is for you to set shutter speed and ISO then tweak your aperture according to the amount of daylight. You start by setting your shutter speed to match your ISO. So if your ISO is set to 100 then your shutter speed also to 100, that is 1/100 second. Set your aperture to f/16 to begin with then stop up to match the available light:
- f/16 = bright and sunny
- f/11 = sunny with clouds
- f/8 = overcast
- f/5.6 = getting darker
- f/4 = dusk
After that you can use your histogram and in view feedback to tweak to your satisfaction. Try it, while it ain’t perfect it does work.
photography, tips, manual, exposure
