50mm, f2.8, at 1/50
A student in a recent class at the CBG asked me what to do when the lens is wide open (aka max app) but the resulting image is still too dark. I always shoot at the lowest possible ISO setting for the light level in any scene, so… leave the ISO low, the lens wide open, and drop the shutter speed to the lowest setting that you can hand-hold the camera without blurring the image. Ask yourself this question: How low can you go? The speed makes a difference as you can see in these three examples. I began at 1/50 sec. then increased the time to 1/30 sec. then further reduced the shutter speed to 1/15 sec. Photography is subjective, so select your favorite light level from these three examples and rejoice in the knowledge that you’ll never be wrong.
50mm, f2.8 at 1/30
50mm, f2.8, 1/15