Will a 'faster' lense help more with low light photography?

Question

I need a way to make my images brighter in low light situations without using a flash...will a faster lense let in more light whilst keeping the shutter speed down?

Thanks for all the answers guys... although most of the technical stuff is beyond me anyway so it was probably stupid for me to ask in the first place :)

Answer 1

The simple answer to your question is yes.

In other words, an f2.8 lens gathers more light than an f3.5, etc., allowing you to shoot at a higher shutter speed.

Answer 2

Yes, a faster lens will allow you to take pictures in lower light conditions, but given that you will be using a wide aperture, you won't have much depth of field unless you are doing a prolonged exposure.
If using film, use a faster speed film - the faster the speed, the grainier the image will be - and if you are using a long exposure, try using a tripod.
One trick you can use with a basic digital if you cannot adjust the ISO (film speed in old language but sensitivity in terms of digital) beyond say 400, is to take a meter reading from the darkest part of your image.
Normally you can hold the shutter down half way which takes a meter reading, then without releasing the button, reposition the camera and make an exposure.
On a basic point and shoot digital, this generally refocuses the camera and then takes a shot but while using the meter reading for the darker area.
I have used this to good effect in churches where even a broad meter reading will focus heavily on the windows causing the average reading to be too short an exposure for the rest of the composition. It can also be useful indoors when you don't want the harsh white flash from a small camera.
Of course, if you have an SLR, you will probably find there is a button to capture the meter reading from elsewhere and use that in any shot you take.
Another thing you might try is to use a digital meter before you set up your shot, but this might not be possible or easy for what you are trying to do.
Good luck.

Answer 3

Whether it be Digital or Film the same rule applies 'low light = faster film a faster lens or slower shutter'
in an ideal situation you would use a very fast lens F1.2 or better, a fast film Asa 400+ and a slow shutter .25 second etc
choosing the combination that fits the subject ( remember low F stops mean less depth of field, slow shutters don't cope with movement well and fast film is grainier and won't allow too big an enlargement without it showing.

Your choice.

Answer 4

That should be self evident. Since you know that you need a wider aperture to let more light in during a a shot using a specific shutter speed, it is very obvious that an f/1.4 lens is a whole stop faster than a f/2 lens, wide open. These "marks" are to assist the photographer in choosing the correct shutter speed and aperture to get a perfect exposure. Here is the formula. focal length/aperture = f/stop. I am sure now you can figure out" the basic differences among those marks" I use my 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens a lot in low light, so knowing that all the lenses with the apertures you mentioned are capable of shooting in low light .. remember you can also increase the ISO of the sensor or use high ISO film in low light

Answer 5

There have been good answers and not so good answers to this question, and it shows that there are still many people who do not understand the principle behind f/stops. In simple terms, most standard lenses have a maximum aperture of f/3.5 as does my nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. In low light, I have trouble getting a decent shutter speed with a low enough ISO not to get noise with that lens. A faster aperture, say for the sake of arguement, an f/2.8 will allow for double the amount of light as the previous f/stop of f/3.5. So, it will not keep your shutter speed down, it will allow for a faster shutter speed which is good and lower ISO which will result in less noise. Some have posted elaborate aperture to shutter speed to ISO charts, while all of that is great to know, you'll have little use for it. I've been doing this a while and I can't remember exactly what settings to use for whatever other settings. Use your cameras light meter. It will let you know what settings you can use.

Answer 6

The speed of the lens refers to the maximum size of the aperture opening possible with that lens. This is quoted as an f-stop figure.

As a larger aperture lets in more light, a faster lens will help in low light photography. Bear in mind that lower f-stops (larger aperture opening) results in a shallower depth of field.

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Don't confuse "faster lens" with "faster film". You can have a combination of the two - ie: a lens that is capable of a larger aperture and a film with a higher ASA rating. Again, bear in mind a larger aperture means a shallower depth of field (more areas will go out of focus - so watch your focusing), and a faster film (higher ASA) tends to be more grainy (not good if you intend to enlarge).

Also, "faster lens" doesn't mean faster shutter speed. Remember:

fast lens - capable of larger aperture size (lower f-stop)
fast film - higher ASA/ISO rating (faster reaction time to light)
fast shutter - the speed at which the shutter opens and closes is fast (lets light in onto the film for less amount of time)

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As a general rule of thumb, zoom lenses (ones that can zoom from wide angle to telephoto) are slower than those that are dedicated to one length (ie: a 28mm lens tends to be faster than a 28-120mm lens). So if it's low light levels you're working with, try and not use zoom lenses as they're usually slower (or else more expensive)

Answer 7

Yes, a "fast" lens with a maximum f-stop of f1.2 or f1.4 will allow more light and give a faster shutter speed at a given ISO. However, it may not be as dramatic a difference as you might think.

Here are some hypothetical low-light examples/comparisons:

ISO 400

f1.2 @ 1/30 sec.
f2 @ 1/15 sec.
f2.8 @ 1/8 sec.

ISO 800

f1.2 @ 1/60 sec.
f2 @ 1/30 sec.
f2.8 @ 1/15 sec.

ISO 1600

f1.2 @ 1/125 sec.
f2 @ 1/60 sec.
f2.8 @ 1/30 sec.

Obviously a "fast" lens makes a difference but, as you can see, ISO also plays a major role in getting higher shutter speeds. At ISO 400 and 800 even wide-open we would have to use a tripod. At ISO 1600 we could hand-hold at f1.2 but after that a tripod is needed Here is the way it works:

f1.2 admits twice as much light as f2; f2 admits twice as much light as f2.8

f2 admits half as much light as f1.2; f2.8 admits half as much light as f2

Going from f2 to f1.2 is "opening up" one stop, just as going from f2.8 to f2 is "opening up" one stop.

Since ISO is a measurement of the sensitivity to light of an imaging surface, film or digital, a higher ISO will result in a faster shutter speed at a given f-stop.

The difference between f1.2 and f1.4 is negligible in terms of increased shutter speeds. However, a lens of f1.2 will usually provide a "brighter" viewfinder, making low-light focusing easier. The cost difference between f1.2 and f1.4 is great, though. Lenses with a maximum f-stop of f1.2 are rarer than f1.4 lenses and cost more to make.

A "fast" lens like an f1.2 or f1.4 used wide-open will yield a very shallow Depth of Field (DOF), making focusing critical. Image quality also decreases at these wide apertures.

Leica, Canon and Nikon all offered f1.0 lenses. If you could find one the price would be in the thousands of dollars.

EDIT: Too bad "mixedmojo" didn't comprehend my hypothetical examples. I suppose he thinks its easier to mix in different things in and out of context rather than simply using an example. If asked to describe an elephant I'd simply use a photo of one. He'd probably write paragraphs. IMO the photo would be more useful.

Answer 8

Think of FASTER lens as fatter faucet. You can use long time or fatter faucet to fill a bucket. But using a fatter faucet allows you to do so with less time.

But just remember that many pro lens are only F2.8 vs. F4.5 to F5.6 for amateur lens (a difference of only 1.25 to 2 stops.). So expect to get some miracle help. It basically helps get those fringe conditions.
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Photographers use variety of tricks to expose in low light: Fast lens, Fast film, SLOW shutter. But the photographer's greatest friend is the tripod. You can take pictures in candle light.


Good Luck.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Usually a roll film of 100ASA is good enough for daylight but for poor light..200ASA...also slow down the shutter speed by 11/2 stops.