[net.rec.photo] I'm confused about F Stops.

coproc (03/23/83)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that although F stop
was based on focal length and lens opening,
it really gave an indication of how much light would hit the film.
F4 would mean the same amount of light roughly from lens to lens.
Then how come when I compared a 1.8 lens set at F4 and my 3.5 zoom
set to F4, the camaras indicated completely different shutter speeds?
The camaras were different, but set to the same film speed.
But the shutter speeds differed by about a factor of eight (my zoom
being slowest).

Also, how does my camara know when I'm using my 3.5 zoom versus
my 2.0 normal lens?  Or does it care (I think it would since
meter readings are taken with the lens fully open)?
I have a K mount, by the way, if that matters.


Thanks,
John Wallace
ihuxb!coproc