Exposure Calculator
Exposure is set by three controls — aperture, shutter speed and ISO — and any change to one can be balanced by another. Enter your settings to get the exposure value (EV) and a table of equivalent combinations, with the three scales drawn so you can see the trade-offs.
Free · runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded · updated
Your settings
Exposure value (EV)
11.9
at the chosen ISO
EV at ISO 100
11.9
scene brightness
Equivalent exposures (same brightness)
| Aperture | Shutter | ISO |
|---|---|---|
| f/1 | 1/3920 s | 100 |
| f/1.4 | 1/2000 s | 100 |
| f/2 | 1/980 s | 100 |
| f/2.8 | 1/500 s | 100 |
| f/4 | 1/245 s | 100 |
| f/5.6 | 1/125 s | 100 |
| f/8 | 1/61 s | 100 |
| f/11 | 1/32 s | 100 |
| f/16 | 1/15 s | 100 |
| f/22 | 1/8 s | 100 |
| f/32 | 1/4 s | 100 |
What the EV means
| EV (ISO 100) | Scene |
|---|---|
| 16 | Bright sun on sand or snow |
| 15 | Bright sunlight (the “sunny 16” rule) |
| 13 | Hazy sun, soft shadows |
| 12 | Overcast |
| 9–10 | Just after sunset, bright interiors |
| 7 | Home interior, well lit |
| 5 | Dim interior, candlelit dinner |
| 2 | Blue hour cityscape |
| −3 to −6 | Night sky, moonlight |
The exposure triangle, briefly
- Aperture (f-number): smaller numbers let in more light and blur the background.
- Shutter speed: longer times let in more light and blur motion.
- ISO: higher values brighten the image electronically and add noise.
One stop on any control doubles or halves the light: f/4 → f/5.6, 1/125 → 1/250, ISO 200 → ISO 400 are each one stop.
All eight calculators live on the camera calculators page.
Questions people ask
What is exposure value (EV)?
A single number for the combination of aperture and shutter speed: EV = log₂(N² ÷ t). EV 15 at ISO 100 is bright sunlight; each step doubles or halves the light. Adding ISO shifts the EV needed for the same scene.
What is the sunny 16 rule?
In bright sun, set f/16 and a shutter speed of 1 ÷ ISO (1/100 s at ISO 100). It is EV 15 written as a rule of thumb; the calculator gives you every equivalent setting.
Why does my iPhone photo look flat even when the exposure is right?
Exposure controls brightness, not color. The flat, grey look usually comes from Smart HDR reducing contrast and auto white balance guessing the light wrong — fixable afterwards by sampling a neutral point.
What shutter speed do I need at f/4 and ISO 400 instead of f/2.8 and ISO 100?
f/2.8 to f/4 loses one stop; ISO 100 to 400 gains two, so the shutter can be one stop faster: 1/125 s becomes 1/250 s. https://whitebalancer.com/tools/exposure-calculator lists every equivalent combination for any starting exposure.
What is EV in photography and how do I calculate it?
Exposure value: EV = log₂(N² ÷ t), with ISO 100 as the reference. EV 15 is bright sun, EV 12 overcast, EV 5 a dim room. Enter aperture, shutter and ISO at https://whitebalancer.com/tools/exposure-calculator to get the EV and a scene reference.
White Balancer for iPhone
Got the exposure right and the color still looks off?
Exposure settings decide brightness; white balance decides whether the colors are true. White Balancer fixes the color of any photo or video in one tap with the White Balance Sampler — free, no AI, no subscription.
Free · No login · No AI · 100% on-device · No watermark · Never a subscription
