10 Views· 12 September 2022
Camera settings are outdated. Here's a better way. WARNING: NERDY
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Our current system of camera settings (focal length, ISO, shutter speed, and aperture [f/stop]), came about piecemeal during the film era. We manage to make them work, but they're clumsy, difficult to learn, and complex to communicate.
I'm suggesting a new system where all camera settings are linear: double the value, double the light to the sensor, increase the exposure by one stop. Double any one value and halve any other value to keep the same exposure.
Right now, if you double the shutter speed from 1/1000 to 1/500, you would need to increase the aperture by THE SQUARE ROOT OF 2, from f/5.6 to f/4. That makes no sense whatsoever.
This new system requires no fractions (instead of 1/1000, you would say D1) and only decimals only in fairly extreme conditions (like an aperture over f/36).
Most importantly, the settings would produce the exact same results (exposure, angle of view, depth-of-field, and similar amounts of noise) regardless of the sensor size. You no longer need to worry about crop factor. Plug the same settings into a full-frame camera, a micro four-thirds camera, or a smartphone, and you will get identical results (if the camera and lens are capable).
BTW, ISO is a terrible name for a camera setting because 1) it's the name of an organization that does much more than define image brightness, and 2) ISO the organization has standards for aperture, shutter speed, focal length, your tripod mount, your hot shoe, and much more. Almost any aspect of the camera could be called ISO.
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