It took me some time to understand the aperture settings and why I might want to use one value instead or another. The basics aren’t that hard to explain…. A smaller number denotes a larger opening in the lens, which if course lets in more light faster than a smaller opening. A large aperture also effects aesthetics of a photograph, and enables faster shots with a shorter shutter speed. There are many good reasons that people pay more for an f/2.8 lens rather than settle on an f/4.5-5.6 lens.
Lovely picture of a Ricoh f/2.2 prime lens by Nayu Kim, with five aperture blades clearly visible.
So yes, it’s simple to understand that f/2.8 denotes a much larger opening than f/5.6. But understanding exactly what those numbers mean has been a whole new challenge for me. This article from Pixiq lays out the math of it all, and math is always a beautiful thing.
Why is the F-stop scale so weird? Making sense of aperture, one fraction at the time.