| Scenario | Mode | Aperture | Shutter Speed | ISO | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portraits | Aperture (A/Av) | f/1.8–f/2.8 | 1/200 or faster | 100–400 | Focus on the nearest eye |
| Group shots | Aperture (A/Av) | f/5.6–f/8 | 1/125 or faster | 100–800 | Smaller aperture keeps every face sharp |
| Landscape | Aperture (A/Av) | f/8–f/11 | Any (use a tripod) | 100 | Focus one-third into the scene |
| Sports & action | Shutter (S/Tv) | f/2.8–f/4 | 1/1000 or faster | Auto (cap 3200) | Continuous AF (AF-C), burst mode |
| Wildlife & birds | Shutter (S/Tv) | f/4–f/5.6 | 1/1000–1/2000 | Auto (cap 6400) | At least 1/focal length × 2 for handheld telephoto |
| Street | Aperture (A/Av) | f/5.6–f/8 | 1/250 or faster | Auto (cap 1600) | Zone focusing at f/8 covers 2–5 m |
| Golden hour portraits | Aperture (A/Av) | f/2–f/2.8 | 1/250 or faster | 100–400 | Backlight the subject, expose for the face |
| Indoor & low light | Aperture (A/Av) | f/1.8–f/2.8 | 1/125 or faster | 800–3200 | Underexpose slightly rather than blur |
| Night sky & stars | Manual (M) | f/1.4–f/2.8 | 15–25 s | 1600–6400 | Manual focus at infinity, tripod, 2-s timer |
| Fireworks | Manual (M) | f/8–f/11 | 2–5 s | 100 | Tripod, manual focus, no flash |
| Silky waterfalls | Manual (M) | f/11–f/16 | 1–5 s | 100 | Needs an ND filter in daylight |
| Macro | Aperture (A/Av) | f/8–f/16 | 1/200 or flash | 100–400 | Depth of field is millimeters — stop down |
| Panning (motion blur) | Shutter (S/Tv) | f/8–f/11 | 1/30–1/60 | 100–200 | Follow the subject through the shot |
| Aperture | Depth of Field | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| f/1.4–f/2 | Paper thin | Single-subject portraits, low light, maximum background blur |
| f/2.8–f/4 | Shallow | Portraits, events, sports (fast glass) |
| f/5.6–f/8 | Moderate | Groups, street, travel — most lenses are sharpest here |
| f/11–f/16 | Deep | Landscapes, macro, front-to-back sharpness |
| f/22+ | Very deep | Sunstars — but diffraction softens the image |
| Shutter Speed | Effect | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4000–1/1000 | Freezes fast motion | Sports, birds in flight, splashes |
| 1/500–1/250 | Freezes casual motion | Kids, pets, street |
| 1/125–1/60 | Handheld limit zone | Posed subjects, static scenes |
| 1/30–1/8 | Motion blur begins | Panning, creative blur (tripod advised) |
| 1 s and longer | Long exposure | Waterfalls, light trails, astro (tripod required) |
| ISO | Image Quality | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| 100–200 | Cleanest | Daylight, tripod work, studio flash |
| 400–800 | Very good | Overcast days, shade, indoors near windows |
| 1600–3200 | Visible grain | Indoor events, dusk, fast action in poor light |
| 6400+ | Noisy | When the shot matters more than the noise |
| Rule | What It Says |
|---|---|
| Sunny 16 | In full sun: f/16, shutter = 1/ISO (e.g. ISO 100, 1/100 s) |
| Reciprocal rule | Handheld shutter speed should be at least 1/focal length (1/200 s for a 200 mm lens) |
| 500 rule | Max astro exposure before star trails: 500 ÷ focal length (500 ÷ 20 mm = 25 s) |
| Expose to the right | When shooting RAW, err slightly bright (without clipping) — shadows recover better than highlights |