Sunny 16 Exposure Table Calculator
Pick your ISO and lighting condition to get Sunny 16 exposure settings.
Result
How to use
- Enter your values in the fields above.
- Press Calculate to see your result instantly.
- Use the Share button to copy a link to your result.
About this calculator
The Sunny 16 rule is a decades-old photographer's shortcut for setting exposure without a light meter: on a bright sunny day, set the aperture to f/16 and the shutter speed to the reciprocal of the ISO (so ISO 100 gets 1/100s, ISO 400 gets 1/400s), and the result will be correctly exposed. It works because f/16 at 1/ISO delivers a consistent, predictable amount of light for direct sunlight conditions, independent of camera brand or meter behavior.
For less intense light, the rule extends into a table: each stop cloudier moves the aperture wider by one stop while keeping the same shutter speed — roughly f/11 for slight overcast, f/8 for overcast, f/5.6 for heavy overcast or open shade — since one stop wider lets in double the light to compensate for the dimmer conditions. This calculator picks the right f-stop for your ISO and lighting condition from that table, useful for manual film cameras or as a sanity check on a digital meter reading.
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