40. SUNNY 16 RULE
IN THE DAYS before digital, before autofocus, before cameras even had light meters, there was a simple rule to help remember what setting would give a proper exposure on a sunny day: the “Sunny 16” rule. This rule states that on a sunny day (middle of the day), with an aperture setting of f/16, you will get a perfect exposure if your shutter speed is set to the same number as your ISO.
So on any sunny day, just set an aperture of f/16. If you are shooting ISO 100, set a shutter speed of 1/125s. Back in the days when this was invented, most cameras didn’t have 1/3 stops, so the closest shutter speed at the time was 1/125s. (You ...
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