With all the sophistication of modern metering system, it seems like the good ol’ Sunny 16 Rule can be dismissed as one of the old relics of the film era. But it is still a valid and useful rule nonetheless, and one that can teach growing photographers about the principles of metering.
So if you haven’t heard about the Sunny 16 Rule or just need to brush up on it again, here’s a quick primer on this classic metering rule.
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WHAT IS THE SUNNY 16 RULE?
The Sunny 16 Rule is a way to meter for correct exposure during daylight without using the camera’s meter.
The basic rule of thumb states that if you have a clear, sunny day and your aperture is at f/16, whatever ISO you are using, your shutter speed will be the reciprocal value of that ISO value (ISO X = 1/X seconds shutter speed)
So for example, if your ISO is 200 at f/16, then your shutter speed will be 1/200 seconds. If your ISO is 100, then your shutter speed will be 1/100 seconds.
Simple, right?
WHAT ABOUT OTHER APERTURE VALUES?
Ok, so now that we have f/16 out of the way, how can we use the Sunny 16 Rule to calculate shutter speed values with other aperture values?
If you recall from my tutorial on exposure, you may remember that aperture, shutter speed, and ISO make up the three-way balancing act in determining exposure. So the way this works is that if you increase/decrease one variable, you have to increase/decrease at one of the other variables in order to keep the exposure the same. If one factor goes up by one stop, another factor should go down by one stop, and vice versa.
So let’s say that your aperture is f/16, your ISO is 200 and your shutter speed is 1/200. If you want to open up your aperture by a stop by going from f/16 to f/11, then you have to go down a stop in either your shutter speed to 1/400 sec or ISO to ISO100.
So here’s a quick run-down of what shutter speed that you will need if you open up your aperture one stop at a time. The ISO is kept at ISO200.
| Change in Aperture | Stop Difference | Change in Shutter | Stop Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| f/16 | 0 | 1/200 @ISO200 | 0 |
| f/11 | +1 stop | 1/400 @ ISO200 | -1 stop |
| f/8 | +2 stops | 1/800 @ISO200 | -2 stops |
| f/5.6 | +3 stops | 1/1600 @ ISO200 | -3 stops |
| f/4 | +4 stops | 1/3200 @ISO200 | -4 stops |
| f/2.8 | +5 stops | 1/6400 @ISO200 | -5 stops |
WHAT ABOUT OTHER WEATHER CONDITIONS?
For other weather conditions besides clean and sunny, you can also compensate with the aperture in order to keep ISO and shutter speed at the same value. Here is a table from James Martin’s Digital Photography Outdoors: A Field Guide for Travel and Adventure Photographers.
| Weather Condition | Shadow Detail | Aperture |
|---|---|---|
| Snowy/Sandy | Dark with sharp edges | f/22 |
| Clear & Sunny | Distinct | f/16 |
| Slightly overcast | Soft around edges | f/11 |
| Overcast | Barely | f/8 |
| Heavy overcast | No shadows | f/5.6 |
| Open shade/Sunset | No shadows | f/4 |
HOW IS THE SUNNY 16 RULE USEFUL?
First of all, the Sunny 16 Rule is a good way to check if your camera is spot on with exposure or does it consistently under or over expose. Some cameras have a tendency to slightly under expose, and this is a good way to test that camera.
Additionally, unlike the camera metering system, the Sunny 16 Rule is based on incident light instead of reflected light, which means that it’s based on the brightness of the light only, and not how the light that is being reflected off the subject and into the camera.
I wrote an extensive test on the advantages of incident light metering versus reflected metering before, but to sum it up, incident light metering cannot be fooled by very light or very dark clothing and very light or dark background. So as a quick example, a bride’s white wedding dress can throw off a camera’s reflected light metering the more and more of that dress fills the frame.
So the Sunny 16 Rule is can help you double check your camera’s metering to make sure it’s not getting thrown off.
That’s all there is to it for the Sunny 16 Rule! It’s another good tool to have in your photography knowledge bag.
If you want a nice cheat-sheet sticker to have with you, you can get the Sunny 16 sticker by CafePress
Keep on shooting and stay creative!
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The sunny 16 rule was developed back when most cameras used leaf shutters, which are less efficient at small apertures. I have never found it to be accurate with focal-plane shutters. I usually open up at least one stop from f/16 to get a correct exposure at 1/ISO sec.
I do photograph since I was 9 – with my father’s HALINA A1 (6×6, 120 film), with Kodak Verichrome Pan 120 Film – sold for a penny in the early 60’s in Portugal. The Halina has anastigmatic lenses. But it is ’empire made’. In those days anastigamatic lenses were quire sharp (crisp…), and already ‘coated’ (blue). I only move to Nikon when I was 16.
I am going to get/buy/offer a Halina A1 for my 41 years daughter. I will talk to her about the ‘sunny 16’ rule and the way of looking and taking good black and white photos. It is a 72 years old camera… Best Regards, “JFerreira51”.
I have to disagree that you can use the Sunny 16 rule to determine if your camera is accurate.
The sun, even on a clear day, is seldom going to be the same luminosity from one time of day to another. And different elevations, and different latitudes make a difference.
It is a fine starting point but if you try to look at it as a perfect number with which to decide if your camera’s meter is correct, you are going down the wrong road. Too many variables could throw you off.
If I understand this correctly, if I am shooting a roll of ACROS 400 in sunny conditions I would shoot f/16 at 1/400 sec or 1/800 sec at f/8.
I just love articles like this. They reinforce true solid photographic principals. My dad taught me the “Sunny 16 Rule” in 1970 when he gave me his Exacta V SLR camera and taught me photography. In the ensuing years I’ve owned many metered cameras and have always fallen back on this simple rule. In fact it is all I rely on when shooting with my vintage leica cameras, with very consistant results. I’m currently teaching my 12 year old grandson film photography and while I did give him a Minolta X-700 camera outfit, I have shown him how to rely on the sunny 16 rule and not on the camera’s meter. How to use the camera’s meter to prove out the rule of 16 so as to master the cameras exposure. Also never to use the Auto mode.
Very grateful thank you
Thank you for your effort to serve the common good, thanks so much To explain your easy and simple
great article. however, how do i use higher shutter speed for my hasselblad 500cm?
Thanks for sharing.
great tips
The Sunny 16 rule was just amazing. By reading this, I came to know about this photographic rule and it was just flawless. By following these rules we can capture gorgeous pictures in sunlight or in other weather condition and it will work.
It’s taken me a couple of years and countless trips to interesting cities to finally get round to studying these essential ruls of photography. Sadly this has resulted in thousands of not-as-good-as-they-could-have-been images! I have the sunny 16 rule guide image on my iPhone, and I can refer to it in an instant and save time compositing shots instead of fighting with the histogram.
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I first heard of the Sunny 16 rule from http://fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm
I found it incredibly useful in understanding some of the basics of photography and I wish I’d stumbled across it earlier.
Apologies to SLRLounge for linking to another site but I don’t think there’s any direct competition.
The Sunny 16 Rule is a fun way to look back at the great film days. Now we have digital cameras with histograms to tell us if our exposures are correct. Imagine not knowing if your got things right in camera for several days or even weeks. Now we have the “right stuff” in an instant on the back of our cameras…That said I proudly wear, from time-to-time., a t-shirt with The 16 Rule printed boldly on the front and back.