Thanks Cory!

Don

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Cory Papenfuss [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 10:07 AM
> To: PDML
> Subject: Re: F stop question
> 
> 
> On Tue, 24 May 2005, Don Sanderson wrote:
> 
> > How does one figure partial stop numbers?
> > For instance what stop is half way between 4 and 5.6?
> > And where does 4.76 fall? This is a 2.8 lens with the
> > SMCP-F 1.7x converter.
> > I'm guessing there is a simple multiplier for this but
> > with my limited knowledge of math I have no clue
> > what it is.
> > This is more out of curiosity than necessity.
> > Someone posted a link to this info but I can't find
> > it again.
> >
> > TIA
> > Don
> 
>       IIRC, f-stops are defined by the *diameter* of the aperture, but 
> light transmission goes as the *area* of the aperture.  Thus, 
> doubling the 
> diamter (i.e. f/8->f/16) *quadruples* the light transmission.  A 
> "stop" is 
> defined as a doubling/halving of the light, so f-stops at a ratio of 
> sqrt(2) \approx 1.4 are one "stop" apart.
> 
> Fratio = (sqrt(2))^N where N is the number of stops.  Solving for N 
> yields:
> 
> N = (2 log(Fratio))/(log(2))
> 
> e.g.... your question:
> (2 log(4.76/4))/(log(2)) = 0.5, or 1/2 stop
> 
> The 1/2 stop ratio is 2^(1/4) = 1.189 \approx 1.2
> The 1/3 stop ratio is 2^(1/6) = 1.122
> 
> So these sizes are "1/2 stop" apart:
> 1.4 -> 1.7 -> 2 -> 2.4 -> 2.8 -> 3.4 -> 4 ...
> 
> and these are "1/3 stop" apart:
> 1.4 -> 1.6 -> 1.8 -> 2 -> 2.2 -> 2.5 -> 2.8 ...
> 
> -Cory
> 
> *************************************************************************
> * Cory Papenfuss                                                        *
> * Electrical Engineering candidate Ph.D. graduate student               *
> * Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University                   *
> *************************************************************************
> 

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