Exposure Triangle Mastery Flashcards

What is the 'exposure value' (EV) concept used for?

Answer: Expressing the combined effect of aperture and shutter speed as a single number

EV combines aperture and shutter speed into one number representing a given luminance level, independent of ISO.

A photographer shoots at 1/200s, f/5.6, ISO 400. They want to use 1/800s instead. What aperture maintains the same exposure?

Answer: f/2.8

Increasing shutter speed from 1/200s to 1/800s is two stops less light, so aperture must open two stops from f/5.6 to f/2.8.

Which scenario best demonstrates the trade-off between ISO and image quality?

Answer: ISO 6400 in dim light producing grainy, noisy images

High ISO like 6400 amplifies the sensor signal along with noise, producing graininess that reduces image quality.

When shooting star trails at night, which shutter speed approach is correct?

Answer: Several minutes to capture star arc movement

Star trails require exposures of many minutes so the Earth's rotation visibly moves stars across the frame as light streaks.

A landscape photographer wants maximum sharpness front-to-back and minimal noise. Which settings best achieve this?

Answer: f/11, ISO 100, tripod with slow shutter

f/11 provides deep depth of field, ISO 100 minimizes noise, and a tripod allows a slow shutter to maintain proper exposure.

What is 'equivalent exposure' and why is it useful?

Answer: Different combinations of settings that produce the same brightness but different creative results

Equivalent exposures deliver the same total light (same brightness) but differ in depth of field, motion blur, or noise based on which settings are chosen.

How does aperture size affect the amount of light reaching the sensor relative to f-number?

Answer: Smaller f-number = larger aperture = more light

F-number is inversely related to aperture size; f/1.4 is a very wide opening admitting much more light than f/16.