Exposure Equivalents

[ahalowell]

Hello All!

I'm curious if there is a "cheat sheet" like a spin wheel that shows you the equal exposure from one setting to another. This would be helpful for macro and depth of field in particular. I am interested in finding a sheet that shows me what would be the right shutter/aperture setting at F22 that would be equal to say 1/60 at F4.5. Does such an animal exist?

I know I should just know and remember this, but my steel trap of a mind has rusted a good bit and I need all the help I can get!:)

Thanx!
Al

[SkipD]

A handheld light meter (or even the meter in most modern cameras) can show you that.

Each "stop" equals twice or one half the amount of light hitting the film/sensor. You can easily calculate the differences in shutter speeds. The old standby shutter speeds for full stop changes were 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/25 (yeah, I know it ain't the right math but these are the standards), 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, etc.

Standard aperture settings - at full stop intervals - are f/1.0 (which you will SELDOM - if ever - see), f/1.4, f/2.0, f/2.8, f/4.0, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32, etc. Each stop number needs to be multiplied (or divided) by 1.414 to get to the next stop up (or down).

If you raise the aperture number (smaller aperture hole) one stop then you need to slow down the shutter speed by one "stop" to keep the same total exposure setting.

[cjebs]

I just saw a site today with a wide array of cheat sheets -- wwww.photosharp.com. They have a card for Digital SLR Hyperfocal and for 35mm cameras as well. It only covers up to 85mm lenses, but it might help you out.

[Mike K]

Hello All!

I'm curious if there is a "cheat sheet" like a spin wheel that shows you the equal exposure from one setting to another. This would be helpful for macro and depth of field in particular. I am interested in finding a sheet that shows me what would be the right shutter/aperture setting at F22 that would be equal to say 1/60 at F4.5. Does such an animal exist?

Thanx!
Al

If I understand your question properly, I think what you want is almost any digital camera. For the Canon line, this feature is avaialable in the program (P) mode. Half press the shutter to get the exposure settings to display, then spin the rear wheel (on the dSLRs) to change to an equivalent exposure. You didn't state what camera you have. But go to DPReview, look at a review such as this:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos350d/page7.asp
and read under Creative Zone exposure modes, program.
Mike K

[Curtis N]

Al,

I made an Excel spreadsheet that contains an "exposure equivalent calculator", among other things. You enter your values for shutter speed, aperture and ISO, and it will tell you the equivalent settings when one or two variables are changed.

Probably not much good in the field, but playing with it might help you get a handle on things.

You can download the spreadsheet here. (http://boonecounty.info/photocalc.htm)