Filmmaking Tips 101: Exposure
Exposure is the amount of light that comes through the lens. The hole in the center of the lens that the light travels through is referred to as the aperture. The larger the aperture, the more light it lets in, the smaller, the lesser.
The ring outside of the lens is referred to as the f/stop ring. It changes the aperture depending on how it’s adjusted. An f/stop is simply a measure of the size of the aperture.
The higher number f/stop’s (f/16 for example), the smaller amount of light exposure. The lower the f/stop (f/2 for example), the more light exposure.
F/stops tend to allow half as much light as the number above them, so each time you move down an f/stop less light is allowed in. Newer lenses are marked in both f/stops and t/stops. T/stops are more accurately measured versions of f/stops. Across the board, T/stops let in the same amount of light on a lens. F/stops aren’t as consistent as you change lenses.
