

"Tv" is shutter speed priority: you manually set the shutter speed, and the camera's exposure computer sets an appropriate aperture. NOTE on Mode Dial settings: "M" stands for "Manual" - in this mode you have to set both the shutter speed and aperture. If your camera uses an ND filter, your ability to "fine tune" your settings and control depth of field and bokeh effects will be limited to whatever the fixed aperture of the lens provides.
Aperture and f stop professional#
If the mode dial doesn't include these three settings, the camera might have a diaphragm, or it might only have an ND filter the only way to know for sure is to read the specifications in the owner's manual, or read a detailed professional review (Google your camera's model name with the word "reviews", and you will probably find at least two or three reviews on the Internet).

Also, if the camera's mode dial includes "M", "Tv", and "Av", it almost certainly has an actual diaphragm iris this applies even on small compact models. If your camera is a shirt-pocket sized "point-and-shoot" compact model, especially a lower priced model, it may have a "neutral density filter" instead of a diaphragm iris.

If your camera uses interchangeable lenses, or it is a "bridge" type digital camera, the lens will have an adjustable diaphragm iris.It forms a central hole that is perfectly round wide open, when the blades are out of the way, and constricts by pushing the blades toward the center of that hole to form a smaller polygonal hole (which may have curved edges).
Aperture and f stop series#
It consists of a series of overlapping thin metal blades that can swing toward the center of a hole in a flat metal ring. This is the device most cameras use to form and adjust the aperture.
Aperture and f stop iso#
This kind of measurement is used because a given focal ratio produces the same image brightness, requiring the same shutter speed for a given ISO setting (film speed or equivalent sensor light amplification) without regard to focal length. This is the ratio of the focal length of the lens to the size of the aperture.

You'll need to know these in order to make sense of the rest of the article. Familiarize yourself with some of the basic concepts and terminology.
