Editing Aperture (section)

==Equivalent aperture range==
{{See also|Image sensor format}}
In digital photography, the 35mm-equivalent aperture range is sometimes considered to be more important than the actual f-number. Equivalent aperture is the f-number adjusted to correspond to the f-number of the same size absolute aperture diameter on a lens with a [[35mm equivalent focal length]]. Smaller equivalent f-numbers are expected to lead to higher image quality based on more total light from the subject, as well as lead to reduced depth of field. For example, a [[Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10]] uses a 1" sensor, 24 – 200&nbsp;mm with maximum aperture constant along the zoom range;  {{f/|2.8}} has equivalent aperture range {{f/|7.6}}, which is a lower equivalent f-number than some other {{f/|2.8}} cameras with smaller sensors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dpreview.com/previews/sony-cybershot-dsc-rx10 |title=Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX10 First Impressions Review |author=R Butler |access-date=19 January 2014}}</ref>

However, modern optical research concludes that sensor size does not actually play a part in the depth of field in an image.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://fstoppers.com/education/understanding-how-sensor-size-affects-depth-field-312599 |title=Understanding How Sensor Size Affects Depth of Field |author=Nando Harmsen |date=8 December 2018 |access-date=1 August 2023}}</ref> An aperture's f-number is not modified by the camera's sensor size because it is a ratio that only pertains to the attributes of the lens. Instead, the higher crop factor that comes as a result of a smaller sensor size means that, in order to get an equal framing of the subject, the photo must be taken from further away, which results in a less blurry background, changing the perceived depth of field. Similarly, a smaller sensor size with an equivalent aperture will result in a darker image because of the [[pixel density]] of smaller sensors with equivalent megapixels. Every photosite on a camera's sensor requires a certain amount of surface area that is not sensitive to light, a factor that results in differences in [[pixel pitch]] and changes in the [[Signal-to-noise ratio (imaging)|signal-noise ratio]]. However, neither the changed depth of field,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/depth-of-field-part-iii-the-myths |title=Depth of Field: The Myths |author=Todd Vorenkamp |access-date=1 August 2023}}</ref> nor the perceived change in light sensitivity <ref>{{cite web | url=https://capturetheatlas.com/camera-sensor-size/#:~:text=A%20larger%20sensor%20allows%20you,to%20get%20tack%2Dsharp%20photos. |title= Camera Sensor Size in Photography |date= 20 November 2020 |access-date=1 August 2023}}</ref> are a result of the aperture. Instead, equivalent aperture can be seen as a rule of thumb to judge how changes in sensor size might affect an image, even if qualities like pixel density and distance from the subject are the actual causes of changes in the image.