An incident light reading at the subject is an f/5.6. must you set the lens' aperture at 5.6?

An incident light reading at the subject is an f/5.6. must you set the lens' aperture at 5.6?

• A. Yes
• B. No
• C. Only if using auto exposure
• D. Only if using manual exposure

Answer: (B)

An incident light reading guides exposure, not dictates a fixed aperture. The meter tells you what aperture would typically give correct exposure for the current ISO and shutter speed, but you’re not bound to that exact setting. You can choose a different aperture and compensate with a change in shutter speed or ISO to maintain the same exposure. If you want more depth of field, you can stop down and lengthen the shutter or raise ISO; if you’re shooting in auto exposure, the camera will adjust the aperture to reach the meter’s target. So you don’t have to set the lens to 5.6.

An incident light reading guides exposure, not dictates a fixed aperture. The meter tells you what aperture would typically give correct exposure for the current ISO and shutter speed, but you’re not bound to that exact setting. You can choose a different aperture and compensate with a change in shutter speed or ISO to maintain the same exposure. If you want more depth of field, you can stop down and lengthen the shutter or raise ISO; if you’re shooting in auto exposure, the camera will adjust the aperture to reach the meter’s target. So you don’t have to set the lens to 5.6.