My trick for memorizing f/stops

[480sparky]

If you want to get technical, the actual sequence is:

1.4142135623730950488016887242097
2
2.8284271247461900976033774484194
4
5.6568542494923801952067548968388
8
11.313708498984760390413509793678
16
22.627416997969520780827019587355
32
45.25483399593904156165403917471

Why would I want to get that technical in a post aimed at helping people who are having trouble memorizing f/stops.

For someone who has trouble memorizing them "just memorize them" isn't a solution, it's circular. I gave one thing that helped me, and seems to have helped some beginners I know. It may not be useful to everyone, as I clearly stated. For some, even multiplying by two may be too much math. For some it has been helpful and maybe some other beginner will find it helpful. This is the beginner's forum right?

Not sure what your issue here is.

You seem to have issues about other's perceived issues.

I'm just posting facts. If that doesn't help someone, that's their issue.

 

[fjrabon]

Sure, the ideal method is to just know them. In the same way that the ideal way to know your multiplication tables is to just memorize them. But the title is "trick to memorizing" this is aimed at getting people to the point of memorizing them.

Most people if you give them a set of 10 random numbers can't memorize them effectively without MASSIVE repitition unless they can see a pattern. The kids who learn their multiplication tables the fastest are the ones who understand the underlying pattern first. Then at some point they no longer use the pattern, they just know the result by heart.

I don't calculate out that f/16 is 3 stops difference from f/8. I just know it. But at one point I did have to use the trick to get there instead of it being purely memorized.

Oh I totally get it. I actually see patterns pretty easily - more often with words and shapes than with numbers, but that's the kind of thing my brain seems to do all on its own. Like I said, I think your post was really helpful for people still sorting out f-stops and their relationship to the image. I just thought I'd offer a variant to that for those beginners who might get freaked out by math Rather than looking at mathematical relationships between the f-stops and seeing that pattern, they could also link those f-stop numbers to images and establish a different kind of pattern.

Edit: I suppose it's not really a 'variant' but a corollary perhaps? "Once you have an understanding of the relationship between these numbers, start looking at how changing those numbers affects your images and understand that relationship."

Yeah, I totally agree there. At some point you stop thinking in technical terms and start thinking in terms of how the image feels. I don't think in terms of field of view, depth of field, shutter speed, etc. I think in terms of feeling of depth, feeling of motion, etc. but you have to have the sort of underlying, at this point reflexive, underlying knowledge of the basics.

Like you stated, at some point you stop having to worry about how to calculate the numbers and can move to understanding how those numbers feel.

 

[fjrabon]

If you want to get technical, the actual sequence is:

1.4142135623730950488016887242097
2
2.8284271247461900976033774484194
4
5.6568542494923801952067548968388
8
11.313708498984760390413509793678
16
22.627416997969520780827019587355
32
45.25483399593904156165403917471

Why would I want to get that technical in a post aimed at helping people who are having trouble memorizing f/stops.

For someone who has trouble memorizing them "just memorize them" isn't a solution, it's circular. I gave one thing that helped me, and seems to have helped some beginners I know. It may not be useful to everyone, as I clearly stated. For some, even multiplying by two may be too much math. For some it has been helpful and maybe some other beginner will find it helpful. This is the beginner's forum right?

Not sure what your issue here is.

You seem to have issues about other's perceived issues.

I'm just posting facts. If that doesn't help someone, that's their issue.

Oh, so writing non rational numbers out to an arbitrarily long and unreasonably precise degree wasn't an attempt at being snarky? My mistake then.

 

[DandL]

If you want to get technical, the actual sequence is:

1.4142135623730950488016887242097
2
2.8284271247461900976033774484194
4
5.6568542494923801952067548968388
8
11.313708498984760390413509793678
16
22.627416997969520780827019587355
32
45.25483399593904156165403917471

Why would I want to get that technical in a post aimed at helping people who are having trouble memorizing f/stops.

For someone who has trouble memorizing them "just memorize them" isn't a solution, it's circular. I gave one thing that helped me, and seems to have helped some beginners I know. It may not be useful to everyone, as I clearly stated. For some, even multiplying by two may be too much math. For some it has been helpful and maybe some other beginner will find it helpful. This is the beginner's forum right?

Not sure what your issue here is.

If you want to get technical, the actual sequence is:

1.4142135623730950488016887242097
2
2.8284271247461900976033774484194
4
5.6568542494923801952067548968388
8
11.313708498984760390413509793678
16
22.627416997969520780827019587355
32
45.25483399593904156165403917471

Why would I want to get that technical in a post aimed at helping people who are having trouble memorizing f/stops.

For someone who has trouble memorizing them "just memorize them" isn't a solution, it's circular. I gave one thing that helped me, and seems to have helped some beginners I know. It may not be useful to everyone, as I clearly stated. For some, even multiplying by two may be too much math. For some it has been helpful and maybe some other beginner will find it helpful. This is the beginner's forum right?

Not sure what your issue here is.

Who would have thought trying to be helpful to beginners would have generated all this discussion? The point of this thread is to provide an alternate method for learning something that a lot of beginners struggle with. I thought the method was informative, and if it helps just one beginner, then it accomplished it's objective.

 

[fjrabon]

If you want to get technical, the actual sequence is:

1.4142135623730950488016887242097
2
2.8284271247461900976033774484194
4
5.6568542494923801952067548968388
8
11.313708498984760390413509793678
16
22.627416997969520780827019587355
32
45.25483399593904156165403917471

Why would I want to get that technical in a post aimed at helping people who are having trouble memorizing f/stops.

For someone who has trouble memorizing them "just memorize them" isn't a solution, it's circular. I gave one thing that helped me, and seems to have helped some beginners I know. It may not be useful to everyone, as I clearly stated. For some, even multiplying by two may be too much math. For some it has been helpful and maybe some other beginner will find it helpful. This is the beginner's forum right?

Not sure what your issue here is.

If you want to get technical, the actual sequence is:

1.4142135623730950488016887242097
2
2.8284271247461900976033774484194
4
5.6568542494923801952067548968388
8
11.313708498984760390413509793678
16
22.627416997969520780827019587355
32
45.25483399593904156165403917471

Why would I want to get that technical in a post aimed at helping people who are having trouble memorizing f/stops.

For someone who has trouble memorizing them "just memorize them" isn't a solution, it's circular. I gave one thing that helped me, and seems to have helped some beginners I know. It may not be useful to everyone, as I clearly stated. For some, even multiplying by two may be too much math. For some it has been helpful and maybe some other beginner will find it helpful. This is the beginner's forum right?

Not sure what your issue here is.

Who would have thought trying to be helpful to beginners would have generated all this discussion? The point of this thread is to provide an alternate method for learning something that a lot of beginners struggle with. I thought the method was informative, and if it helps just one beginner, then it accomplished it's objective.

Yeah, should have just not responded. But, eh, it's tpf, if we didn't argue some random not important point into the ground this place wouldn't have its charm, right? Maybe? Derrel and Buckster have had the same argument about Chinese flashes for like 8 years.

 

[runnah]

F-stops are for babies, call me when you get into t-stops.

 

[fjrabon]

F-stops are for babies, call me when you get into t-stops.

The first thing I thought when I hit the submit button on this thread is "somebody is going to start with t-stops aren't they?"

 

[DandL]

If you want to get technical, the actual sequence is:

1.4142135623730950488016887242097
2
2.8284271247461900976033774484194
4
5.6568542494923801952067548968388
8
11.313708498984760390413509793678
16
22.627416997969520780827019587355
32
45.25483399593904156165403917471

Why would I want to get that technical in a post aimed at helping people who are having trouble memorizing f/stops.

For someone who has trouble memorizing them "just memorize them" isn't a solution, it's circular. I gave one thing that helped me, and seems to have helped some beginners I know. It may not be useful to everyone, as I clearly stated. For some, even multiplying by two may be too much math. For some it has been helpful and maybe some other beginner will find it helpful. This is the beginner's forum right?

Not sure what your issue here is.

If you want to get technical, the actual sequence is:

1.4142135623730950488016887242097
2
2.8284271247461900976033774484194
4
5.6568542494923801952067548968388
8
11.313708498984760390413509793678
16
22.627416997969520780827019587355
32
45.25483399593904156165403917471

Why would I want to get that technical in a post aimed at helping people who are having trouble memorizing f/stops.

For someone who has trouble memorizing them "just memorize them" isn't a solution, it's circular. I gave one thing that helped me, and seems to have helped some beginners I know. It may not be useful to everyone, as I clearly stated. For some, even multiplying by two may be too much math. For some it has been helpful and maybe some other beginner will find it helpful. This is the beginner's forum right?

Not sure what your issue here is.

Who would have thought trying to be helpful to beginners would have generated all this discussion? The point of this thread is to provide an alternate method for learning something that a lot of beginners struggle with. I thought the method was informative, and if it helps just one beginner, then it accomplished it's objective.

Yeah, should have just not responded. But, eh, it's tpf, if we didn't argue some random not important point into the ground this place wouldn't have its charm, right? Maybe? Derrel and Buckster have had the same argument about Chinese flashes for like 8 years.

The charm is why I hang out here. I wouldn't miss it for the world!

 

[runnah]

F-stops are for babies, call me when you get into t-stops.

The first thing I thought when I hit the submit button on this thread is "somebody is going to start with t-stops aren't they?"

Well give me a call when you want to play with the big boys!

 

[fjrabon]

F-stops are for babies, call me when you get into t-stops.

The first thing I thought when I hit the submit button on this thread is "somebody is going to start with t-stops aren't they?"

Well give me a call when you want to play with the big boys!

You know me, just swimming over here in the beginners pool, talking about beginners things with beginners.

 

[table1349]

Focus Versus Exposure f-Stops T-Stops and Lenses for Video - Tuts Photo Video Article

And so the battle is joined!

 

[runnah]

F-stops are for babies, call me when you get into t-stops.

The first thing I thought when I hit the submit button on this thread is "somebody is going to start with t-stops aren't they?"

Well give me a call when you want to play with the big boys!

You know me, just swimming over here in the beginners pool, talking about beginners things with beginners.

Maybe someday I can tell you about the super secret "z-stops".

 

[Derrel]

Today, many people will never have a lens that opens wider than f/2.8, so they need to learn 2.8 to 4, and then 4 to 5.6, then 8, and 11. So...basically, a mere five different settings for the lens aperture 2.8..4..5.6..8..11

I shot all day yesterday with two lenses, a 24mm f/2.8 and a 50-135mm f/3.5...I shot 90% of everything at f/5.6 or f/8...for the kit lens brigade, the choices are similar over much of the range, with no access to the wider stops, but f/5.6 being a major point of departure, from which the decision is usually a simple, "Ehhh, time to go to f/8."

 

[table1349]

Z-Stop zinc strips roof moss algae prevention zinc strip for roofing materials and shingles

Opps, my bad. Cat's out of the bag.

 

[runnah]

Focus Versus Exposure f-Stops T-Stops and Lenses for Video - Tuts Photo Video Article

And so the battle is joined!

Yeah back when shooting on super expensive 35mm film using the t-stops was critical as you didn't want to waste a few hundred feet of film. Nowadays it's still important but not as crucial.