What is Aperture?

The aperture is the diameter of the hole that the light enters the lens through. It controls the amount of light allowed to enter the camera. The bigger the number, the more light gets into the camera. Aperture is the size of the hole the light passes through. A fast aperture allows a wider range of f-stops to be selected while still maintaining sufficient depth.

A camera’s Aperture is important for a number of reasons:

  • It affects the depth-of-field of your photos
  • It affects the amount of light that reaches your sensor
  • It affects the quality of your images.
Photo of the inside of a camera lens, emulating the diameter of the hole that the light enters through the lens

Aperture is one of the most important settings to understand when it comes to manual photography. Along with ISO and Shutter Speed, it is something you need to master.