Camera Questions

I know nothing about cameras but am trying to solve a puzzle. Can anyone answer these 3 questions for me...

Set your SLR camera on manual.

A. You are taking a portrait. Your meter reading is 1/60 at f11. You want less depth of field so you change your shutter speed to 1/500. Your f stop is now __.

B. You are photographing an insect. Your meter reading is 1/15 at f 5.6. You need a little more shutter speed so you switch to 1/30. Your f stop is now __.
C. You are shooting a tennis match and it is getting dark. Your reading is 1/125 at f5.6. You need more shutter speed so you switch to f2.8. Your new shutter speed is 1/__00.

Assuming same ISO:

A. f/4 (3 stops)
B. f/4 (1 stop)
C. 1/500 (2 stops)

Skillet wrote in post #2449563
...A. You are taking a portrait. Your meter reading is 1/60 at f11. You want less depth of field so you change your shutter speed to 1/500. Your f stop is now __...

A couple of questions: If DOF is your goal, why are you changing the shutter speed and then figuring out the aperture? Why not determine what you want the DOF to be, set your aperture and then set the shutter speed accordingly? Also, if you are shooting portraits with studio lights, won't 1/500 be too fast to sync?

Why the quiz?

If your trying to achieve faster shutter speeds, why not increase the ISO? If you want less DOF, larger aperture, if the shutter then becomes to fast, use an ND filter. There's more to it than just aperture and shutter speeds.

Livinthalife wrote in post #2450210
If your trying to achieve faster shutter speeds, why not increase the ISO? If you want less DOF, larger aperture, if the shutter then becomes to fast, use an ND filter. There's more to it than just aperture and shutter speeds.

I could be wrong, but the way Skillet posed the questions leads me to believe that he still thinks in "film" terms (many do, even DSLR manufacturers). If that is the case, ISO does not enter the equation unless you want to unload the camera and reload with a faster film. Not practical in most situations.

I like that some of the newest cameras are finally starting to treat ISO as a variable of the same class as aperture and speed. In the 20D, ISO is a poor cousin at best: awkward to change and whole stops only.

Darn Roger... I was keeping that a secret!

Jon, The Elder wrote in post #2450848
Darn Roger... I was keeping that a secret!

Gasp! I've been darned! How shall I ever survive?

And you've been outed, you ISO-lover!

Me too, but let's not tell anyone else, okay?