Exposure is where light becomes a photograph. This calculator helps you balance aperture, shutter speed, and ISO so you can make faster field decisions without losing sight of depth of field, motion, or image quality.
Use it to estimate EV, apply Sunny 16 starting points, compensate for ND filters, and check a rough hand-hold shutter guideline based on focal length. It is built as a practical photography tool — especially useful when conditions change quickly in the field.
This tool helps with:
Start with aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Compare equivalent settings, calculate added ND-filter compensation, and review a rough hand-hold guideline with its assumptions visible.
Settings are not a light measurement. An optional reference lets you compare your choices with a meter reading, an estimate, or a saved starting exposure. No reference means no scene-brightness judgment.
No calculation has been run.
These describe entered settings. They do not establish the scene’s actual brightness.
Equivalent nominal brightness does not mean identical depth of field, motion rendering, noise, or sensor exposure when ISO changes. Calculated values are not automatically available camera settings.
EV: log2(N²/t), using f-number N and shutter time t in seconds. Settings-based EV100: EV − log2(ISO/100). Neither quantity measures the scene by itself.
Equivalent settings: compare combinations at the same settings-based EV100. Matching this number predicts the same nominal brightness only under the model’s unchanged-light assumptions; it does not guarantee identical image quality.
ND compensation: multiply the starting shutter time by 2 raised to the number of added ND stops, holding aperture and ISO fixed. Filter tolerances and film reciprocity failure are not modeled.
Hand-hold guide: approximately 1 / (actual focal length × crop factor) seconds, with no stabilization allowance. Subject-motion requirements must be considered separately.
Photography background: Canon — shutter speed and motion. This is guidance, not validation of this calculator or a sharpness guarantee.
Field reminder: use your meter, histogram, and test photographs to assess the scene. This tool does not predict highlight clipping, camera-specific noise, depth of field, star trails, or subject motion. Confirm available settings and rerun the calculation after changing any input.
The exposure triangle is never just about brightness. Begin with the photograph you want to make: motion held still or softened, a subject isolated, or more of the scene in focus. Use aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to work toward that intention.
This calculator compares entered settings; it does not measure the scene. Start from a meter reading, a test photograph, or a clearly identified example, then use the calculations to compare alternatives. Check the actual result through your camera before treating it as a workable exposure.
Use this approach when motion is the priority: birds, wildlife action, wind movement, or deliberate blur. Choose a starting shutter for the effect you want, then compare aperture and ISO around it.
Calculator choice: select Keep shutter fixed — vary aperture. The tool calculates the ISO for each alternative while preserving the starting combination’s nominal brightness.
Use this approach when subject separation or depth of field matters most. Choose the aperture for your intended focus treatment, then review whether each calculated shutter fits the motion in the scene.
Calculator choice: select Keep aperture fixed — vary ISO. The tool calculates shutter times; it does not calculate depth of field or confirm that the subject will be sharp.
Use ISO deliberately alongside your shutter and aperture priorities. Matching nominal brightness does not guarantee matching image quality; this tool does not predict camera-specific noise.
Calculator choice: select Keep ISO fixed — vary aperture to compare aperture and shutter alternatives at one ISO. This is a comparison of settings, not a recommendation that the selected ISO is best.
For a relative brightness comparison, open Optional: Compare with an Exposure Reference in the input form. Supply an ISO 100 reference and identify its source, or click Use Current Settings as Reference while the settings you want to preserve are still entered.
Then change the starting exposure and select Calculate Camera Plan. Do not capture again unless you intend to replace the reference. A result such as “1.00 stops brighter” is relative to that reference under unchanged light—not a measured overexposure or clipping warning.
With No reference — settings only selected, no brightness judgment is made. Equivalent exposures preserve the starting settings-based EV100; they do not automatically correct toward your reference.
After loading any preset: review the other inputs. Presets change aperture, shutter, and ISO only; your reference, ND, lens, crop-factor, and equivalent-mode settings remain in place. Select Calculate Camera Plan when ready.
Read the starting-settings summary, optional comparison, ND result, hand-hold guide, and equivalent rows together. Calculated alternatives are not snapped to camera-dial values. Confirm which settings your camera and lens support before using them.
Use Copy Camera Plan or Save Camera Plan (.txt) to keep the results with Calculation Record & Assumptions. Changing inputs clears the on-page plan; calculate and save again. A file already downloaded does not update automatically.
Once you have a workable exposure, continue with composition, position, and timing. Use the related pages below, carry settings between tools manually, and keep your observed conditions separate from the calculated plan.
Exposure connects light in the field with the photograph you want to make. Use the Naturepedia topics below to explore light, observation, environment, and timing alongside your choices of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
This calculator compares entered settings. Related reading gives those decisions context; it does not turn the calculator into a light meter, a weather forecast, or a wildlife-activity predictor.
Connect your exposure choices with the light you observe in the scene. The Photons topic extends that reading, while the calculator keeps settings-based values separate from a light measurement.
When using an optional reference, identify whether it comes from a meter, your estimate, or earlier settings.
Explore Photons →Start with the movement you want to record, then put your camera choices alongside field observation and behavior reading.
Equivalent nominal brightness does not mean identical motion rendering. The hand-hold guide is not a subject-motion limit or a prediction of wildlife activity.
Learn Behavior →Put exposure decisions in their actual setting: the habitat, available light, and conditions you find on location. Use the ecosystem connection to explore that context.
Check the scene with your meter, histogram, and test photographs. An ecosystem name or scene preset does not supply this calculator with a brightness measurement.
Explore Ecosystems →Use seasonal reading to plan return visits and compare your observations. Recheck your exposure reference when the light or conditions change.
The Golden Hour scene preset is an illustrative starting combination. It does not read a light-timing schedule or measure the scene in front of you.
View Seasonal Patterns →The related pages extend the reading around this tool. They do not change its exposure arithmetic, add measurements or forecasts, or independently validate the calculated results.
Keep calculated values distinct from field observations. Save the Camera Plan with its Calculation Record & Assumptions, then add your own dated notes, meter readings, and observations from test photographs.
Exposure is the bridge between light in the field and light in the final image.
Common questions about EV, Sunny 16, ND filters, hand-holding, equivalent exposures, and using the exposure triangle in the field.
Select a question to open its answer. Keep the distinction clear between entered settings, an optional reference, calculated alternatives, and what your camera records in the scene.
EV stands for Exposure Value. Here, EV = log2(N²/t), where N is the entered f-number and t is the shutter time in seconds. Settings-based EV100 = EV − log2(ISO/100). This puts the entered combinations on the calculator’s ISO-100 comparison scale.
Neither number measures the scene by itself. Use a separately identified reference for a relative comparison. The calculation uses the entered f-numbers literally and does not apply a camera-specific response or measured lens-transmission profile.
Sunny 16 is a daylight starting convention: around f/16 with shutter speed close to 1/ISO in bright sun. This page’s Sunny 16 button loads its original example of f/16, 1/125 second, ISO 100; it does not measure current conditions.
Review the scene with your meter, histogram, and test photographs. Loading any preset changes only aperture, shutter, and ISO; it leaves your optional reference, additional ND stops, lens inputs, and equivalent-exposure mode unchanged. Select Calculate Camera Plan after reviewing those settings.
For D additional ND stops, this calculator uses tND = starting shutter time × 2ᴰ, holding aperture and ISO fixed. For example, three added stops multiply 1/125 second by eight, giving 0.064 seconds. Enter stops, not a filter-factor label such as ND64.
Use the shutter time from before adding that filter, and do not count a filter already included in your starting exposure twice. ND compensation is a separate result: it does not change the starting settings, optional-reference comparison, or equivalent rows. Filter tolerance, changing light, color shifts, and film reciprocity failure are not modeled.
The optional guide uses approximately 1 / (actual focal length × crop factor) seconds, with no stabilization allowance. For 200 mm and a crop factor of 1.5, the result is approximately 1/300 second or faster. Enter actual lens focal length, not an already crop-adjusted equivalent.
Camera shake is not subject motion. This is a rough starting point, not a sharpness guarantee, wildlife-motion limit, or star-trail calculation. Leaving focal length blank skips the guide and ignores crop factor. Check the actual result and your equipment’s capabilities in the field.
These are alternative settings with the same settings-based EV100, predicting the same nominal brightness under the model’s unchanged-light assumptions. They do not guarantee identical depth of field, motion rendering, noise, or sensor exposure when ISO changes.
Keep ISO fixed varies aperture and calculates shutter; Keep aperture fixed varies ISO and calculates shutter; Keep shutter fixed varies aperture and calculates ISO. Each mode uses a listed set of candidate values plus your starting value, not every setting available on every camera. The alternatives do not add ND compensation or adjust toward your optional reference.
Not from aperture, shutter speed, and ISO alone. This version does not diagnose scene brightness from typical scene ranges. With No reference — settings only selected, it makes no underexposure or overexposure judgment.
With a reference enabled, the calculator reports nominally brighter or darker relative to the reference you supplied. The difference is reference EV100 minus current settings-based EV100: a positive result means nominally brighter and a negative result means nominally darker under unchanged light. This is not a highlight-clipping test, a scene measurement, or an instruction to change exposure.
This page’s Night Sky preset loads f/2, 15 seconds, ISO 1600 as an illustrative starting combination. Entering 15 means 15 seconds; entering 1/15 means one-fifteenth of a second. The preset does not determine whether stars will be sharp or the scene correctly exposed.
Review any retained reference, ND, and lens settings before calculating. Refine the photograph using actual conditions and test frames rather than treating the preset as a universal recommendation. The calculator retains longer equivalent exposures instead of capping them at 30 seconds; verify that your camera supports the required long-exposure or Bulb/timer setting.
Start with the visual priority of the photograph. Use a shutter-first approach when motion rendering matters most, an aperture-first approach when focus and depth are the priority, and ISO as a supporting choice after considering those needs.
Choose the equivalent-exposure mode that holds your priority setting fixed, then check which calculated alternatives your equipment supports. This tool compares nominal brightness; it does not calculate depth of field, noise, highlight clipping, or subject motion. Use your meter, histogram, and test photographs to assess the scene.
The calculator connects practical exposure decisions with Robbie George Photography’s Field Tools, Photography Maps, light-timing planners, and Naturepedia reading about light, observation, and place.
Use the related resources to plan timing and composition, then enter and check the camera settings separately. The Golden Hour scene preset does not read the Golden Hour & Moon Phase Planner, and settings do not transfer automatically between these tools. Related reading is not independent validation of the calculator’s output.
Open Optional: Compare with an Exposure Reference. To compare before and after a change, first enter the original aperture, shutter, and ISO, then select Use Current Settings as Reference. The source becomes Earlier settings / example, with its settings-based EV100 and a note identifying the captured settings.
Next change the main exposure settings and calculate without capturing again. The reference remains tied to the earlier combination. Alternatively, select the appropriate meter or estimate source and enter a reference EV100 at ISO 100—not your camera’s exposure-compensation value. No reference means the reference number and note are ignored. A captured example is not a certified correct exposure.
Enter shutter time as a positive fraction such as 1/500 or decimal seconds such as 0.8, 15, or 120. Do not add units or quotation marks. The starting-shutter range is 1/128000 second to 86400 seconds (24 hours). Zero, negative, malformed, or out-of-range shutter inputs are rejected.
Starting aperture accepts f/0.7 to f/64; ISO must be a whole number from 6 to 819200, not Auto ISO; additional ND accepts 0 to 20 stops. Optional focal length accepts 1 to 2000 mm, crop factor 0.1 to 10, and reference EV100 −30 to 30. These are calculator limits, not claims that your camera or lens offers every value.
The calculator uses entered numbers literally. An f-number such as 5.6 is not silently replaced with an ideal geometric-stop value. Calculated shutters and ISO values are not snapped to standard camera settings, so an alternative may show a fractional ISO or a nonstandard shutter denominator.
EV and stop differences are displayed to two decimals; other summaries use up to eight significant digits. The exported record and numeric equivalent rows retain the calculation’s numeric values. Results outside the starting-input ranges are marked rather than silently capped. Choose an available camera setting and recheck it; extra displayed digits do not guarantee physical accuracy.
After a completed calculation, use Copy Camera Plan or Save Camera Plan (.txt). Both include the starting settings, reference status, ND result, hand-hold guidance, equivalent exposures, and Calculation Record & Assumptions. When clipboard access is blocked, try the text-file option.
Changing an input clears the current results and disables export until you calculate again. Already copied or downloaded plans do not update automatically. Open the saved file to confirm it was downloaded, and replace it after revising your plan. The calculator does not store a persistent plan in browser storage.
Inputs remain disabled until the matching calculator script initializes. JavaScript must be enabled, and the complete interface and script must be present. This calculator uses local arithmetic; it does not wait for an astronomy library or external calculation service.
Read the status message. For an invalid input, correct the identified field and select Calculate Camera Plan again. Copy and Save remain disabled until a calculation finishes. When no reference is selected, its number and note fields are intentionally disabled; that does not prevent a settings-only calculation. Initialization or input failure should not be treated as a valid camera plan.
Review Calculation Record & Assumptions beside your results, then copy or save the complete camera plan. Record meter readings and observations from test photographs separately; a calculated alternative is not a measurement of the scene.
Check available camera and lens settings. Recalculate after changing any input, and use the new export rather than relying on an older downloaded file.
Photography background: Canon — shutter speed and motion. This is background reading, not independent validation of this calculator or a sharpness guarantee. The calculator’s formulas and assumptions are documented with each completed camera plan.
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