appendix B
Exposures, Depth of Field, Zone System, and Film Speed Information
Existing-Light Photography: Suggested Trial Exposures Based on ISO/ASA 400 Speed film
| Subject-Lighting Condition | Camera Settings | |
| Photograph of a full moon | 1/500 sec. | f/16 |
| Photograph of a half moon | 1/125 sec. | f/16 |
| Subject illuminated by light of full moon | 8 sec. | f/2 |
| Skyline at sunset | 1/125 sec. | f/11 |
| Skyline just after sunset | 1/125 sec. | f/8-5.6 |
| Star trails | Time | f/2.8 |
| Aurora borealis (Bright) | 10-20 sec. | f/2 |
| Aurora borealis (Medium) | 40-80 sec. | f/2 |
| Lightning bolts (Night) | Time | f/16 |
| Underwater vs. above water, 5-15 feet | Open 1 stop | |
| Underwater vs. above water, 20-30 feet | Open 2 stops | |
| Bright signs at night | 1/60 sec. | f/5.6 |
| Fires | 1/60 sec. | f/5.6-4 |
| Fireworks | 1/125 sec. | f/5.6-2 |
| Night baseball, football, etc. | 1/60 sec. | f/5.6-4 |
| Night city streets and store windows | 1/60 sec. | f/4-2.8 |
| Moving traffic light streaks | 1 sec. | f/11 |
| Floodlit buildings | 1/15 sec. | f/2.8-2 |
| Niagara Falls lit by floodlights | 1 sec. | f/2.8-1.4 |
| Galleries | 1/60 sec. | f/5.6-2 |
| Offices, work areas | 1/60 sec. | f/2.8-2 |
| Television screen | 1/8 sec. | f/11 |
Note: Other equivalent combinations of exposure time and f-number may be used. Extra exposure may be required to compensate for reciprocity effects with longer exposure times. (No compensation has been included in these numbers.)
Reciprocity Exposure and Development Compensation for General-Purpose Black-and-White Films
| Indicated Exposure Time |
Adjusted Exposure Time |
Time Exposure Factor |
Developing Time Adjustment |
| 1/10 sec. | 1/10 sec. | 1.0 | None |
| 1 sec. | 2 sec. | 2.0 | -10% |
| 2 sec. | 5 sec. | 2.5 | |
| 3 sec. | 9 sec. | 3.0 | |
| 4 sec. | 14 sec. | 3.5 | |
| 5 sec. | 20 sec. | 4.0 | |
| 6 sec. | 25 sec. | 4.2 | |
| 7 sec. | 31 sec. | 4.4 | |
| 8 sec. | 37 sec. | 4.6 | |
| 9 sec. | 43 sec. | 4.8 | |
| 10 sec. | 50 sec. | 5.0 | -20% |
| 15 sec. | 80 sec. | 5.3 | |
| 20 sec. | 120 sec. | 6.0 | |
| 30 sec. | 200 sec. | 6.7 | |
| 40 sec. | 300 sec. | 7.5 | |
| 50 sec. | 420 sec. | 8.4 | |
| 60 sec. | 560 sec. | 9.3 | -25% |
| F-Numbers | Shutter Speeds (seconds) |
| f/64 | 1/4000 |
| f/45 | 1/2000 |
| f/32 | 1/1000 |
| f/22 | 1/500 |
| f/16 | 1/250 |
| f/11 | 1/125 |
| f/8 | 1/60 |
| f/5.6 | 1/30 |
| f/4 | 1/15 |
| f/2.8 | 1/8 |
| f/2 | 1/4 |
| f/1.4 | 1/2 |
| f/1 | 1 |
Note: The f-numbers and shutter speeds above represent an increase in exposure at one stop (or 2X) for each change from top to bottom.
Relative Depth of Field for Different Focal Length Lenses on 35-mm Cameras, with the Same Object Distance and f-Number
| Lens Focal Length | Relative Depth of Field |
| 16mm | 9.8 |
| 20mm | 6.2 |
| 24mm | 4.3. |
| 28mm | 3.2 |
| 35mm | 2.0 |
| 50mm | 1.0 |
| 75mm | 1/2.2 |
| 100mm | 1/4 |
| 135mm | 1/7.3 |
| 200mm | 1/16 |
| 400mm | 1/64 |
ISO Arithmetic and Logarithmic Film Speeds (1/3 stop increments)
| Arithmetic | Logarithmic |
| 6 | 9° |
| 8 | 10° |
| 10 | 11° |
| 12 | 12° |
| 16 | 13° |
| 20 | 14° |
| 24 | 15° |
| 32 | 16° |
| 40 | 17° |
| 50 | 18° |
| 64 | 19° |
| 80 | 20° |
| 100 | 21° |
| 125 | 22° |
| 160 | 23° |
| 200 | 24° |
| 250 | 25° |
| 320 | 26° |
| 400 | 27° |
| 500 | 28° |
| 650 | 29° |
| 800 | 30° |
| 1000 | 31° |
| 1250 | 32° |
| 1600 | 33° |
| 2000 | 34° |
| 2500 | 35° |
| 3200 | 36° |
| 4000 | 37° |
| 5000 | 38° |
| 6400 | 39° |
| 8000 | 40° |
Zone System Scene and Print Values
| Scene | Value | |
| Dark | 0 | Dmax |
| No detail | No detail | |
| Dark | I | 90% of Dmax |
| Just detectable detail | Just detectable detail | |
| Dark | II | Dark |
| Good detail | III | Good detail |
| Dark midtone | IV | |
| Midtone, 18% reflectance | V | Facsimile reflectance copying: D = 0.75 Pictorial: Slightly lighter |
| Light | VII | Light |
| Good detail | Good detail | |
| Light | VIII | D = 0.04 above paper white |
| Just detectable detail | Just detectable detail | |
| Specular highlights | IX | Paper white |
| No detail | No detail | |
| Light sources | X | Paper white |
| No detail | No detail |
F/16 Rule
The camera exposure settings for an average scene in direct sunlight can be determined without an exposure meter by setting the lens at f/16 and using a shutter speed equal to the reciprocal of the ISO speed. Thus for an ISO setting of 125, the recommended settings would be 1/125 second at f/16, or any comparable combination.