Why does my Nikon 10-30mm lens say f/3.5-5.6, while the specs list a minimum aperture of f/16?
Asked 7/12/2012
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I’m learning how aperture and lens specifications work, and I’m confused by my Nikon 1 10-30mm zoom lens. The lens barrel is marked f/3.5-5.6, but Nikon’s specifications also list a minimum aperture of f/16. How can both be true? Does the f/3.5-5.6 marking refer to something different from the minimum aperture?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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This 10-30mm lens has a variable maximum aperture. If you are at 10mm it will be f/3.5, if you are at 30mm it will be f/5.6, and if you are in between, it will be somewhere in between as well. The minimum aperture is f/16, which isn't as important so it isn't stated on the lens, but is in the spec sheet.
This site has much more information on the topic, just search for "variable aperture" and you can find a great deal.
Some good info can be found here(the second topic is on constant aperture lenses):
Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4892
14y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Both numbers are correct—they refer to different ends of the aperture range.
On a zoom like the Nikon 10-30mm, the marking f/3.5-5.6 indicates the maximum aperture, and it changes with focal length:
- at 10mm, the lens can open as wide as f/3.5
- at 30mm, the widest it can open is f/5.6
- in between, the maximum aperture changes gradually
This is called a variable-aperture zoom lens.
The spec sheet’s minimum aperture of f/16 is the smallest opening the lens can stop down to. So the lens does not only work at f/3.5-5.6—it has a full adjustable range, roughly from its widest available aperture at a given zoom setting down to f/16.
Lens barrels usually highlight the maximum aperture because that’s the more important selling/spec number, while the minimum aperture is often left to the detailed specifications.
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