Exposure calculator

Exposure is a product of three things. Change one by a stop and you must change another by a stop the other way.

1/x seconds
New shutter speed
500.00
≈ Rounded Exposure equivalents
New shutter in seconds
0.002
Exposure value at this ISO
11.9366
Exposure value at ISO 100
9.9366
Stops gained from the aperture
-2.000
Stops gained from the ISO
0.000
Stops the shutter must give back
-2.000
Show the working
  1. Aperture = 5.6
  2. Shutter speed = 125
  3. ISO = 400
  4. New aperture = 2.8
  5. New ISO = 400
  6. shutter_seconds = 1 / 125 = 0.008
  7. Exposure value at this ISO = log2(5.6^2 / 0.008) = 11.9366
  8. Exposure value at ISO 100 = 11.9366 - log2(400/100) = 9.936 64
  9. Stops gained from the aperture = 2 * log2(2.8 / 5.6) = -2
  10. Stops gained from the ISO = log2(400 / 400) = 0
  11. shutter_change = -2 - 0 = -2
  12. New shutter in seconds = 0.008 * 2^-2 = 0.002
  13. New shutter speed = 0.002 > 0 ? 1 / 0.002 : 0 = 500
  14. Stops the shutter must give back = -2 = -2

Values are shown to six significant figures here; the arithmetic itself runs on exact fractions and is only rounded where a number is printed.

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    The formula

    • EV = log2(N^2 / t)
    • one stop is a factor of two in light, which is a factor of sqrt(2) in f-number

    The f-number sequence 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8 is powers of the square root of two, because aperture area goes as the square of the diameter.

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