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Sunny 16 exposure guide
No meter to hand? Pick the light you are standing in and get a starting exposure for your ISO, from bright snow and sand to open shade.
All tools- Starting exposure
- f/16 · 1/100 sISO 100
- Aperture
- f/16
- Shutter speed
- 1/100 sAbout 1/ISO
- EV100
- 14.6Nominal light level for this condition
A starting point, not a meter reading. Take a test shot, check the histogram, then adjust.
| Aperture | Shutter at ISO 100 |
|---|---|
| f/1 | 1/8,000 s off scale (1/25,600 s) |
| f/1.4 | 1/8,000 s off scale (1/13,061 s) |
| f/2 | 1/6,400 s |
| f/2.8 | 1/3,200 s |
| f/4 | 1/1,600 s |
| f/5.6 | 1/800 s |
| f/8 | 1/400 s |
| f/11 | 1/200 s |
| f/16 | 1/100 s |
| f/22 | 1/50 s |
| f/32 | 1/25 s |
How it works
The method behind the numbers.
On a sunny day with distinct shadows, f/16 and a shutter speed near 1/ISO give a sound exposure. Each step darker opens the aperture one stop. These are starting points to check against the screen or histogram, not meter readings.
Sunny 16: N = 16, t ≈ 1 ÷ ISO
EV = log2(N² ÷ t)- The family: snow or sand f/22, sunny f/16, slight overcast f/11, overcast f/8, heavy overcast f/5.6, open shade or sunset f/4. Shutter speed stays at about 1/ISO.
- Shutter speed is rounded to the nearest marked value, so ISO 100 gives 1/100 s. Many photographers use 1/125 s; the difference is a third of a stop.
- The equivalents table keeps the same exposure while trading aperture against shutter speed. Rows beyond 1/8000 s to 30 s are marked off scale.
- The rule stops working in dim light, indoors and after dark. Use a meter there, or raise the ISO and open the aperture until the picture looks right.