Aperture values for reference
Maximum aperture values in third and half stops can be tricky to compare, so I’ve made a table to aid the task.
Below F1.0 it gets a bit trickier still, so don’t take it as gospel (and it’s subject to amendment), but you’re unlikely to come across that many in regular production. The Noct Nikkor and Noctilux are both F0.95, which as you’ll see is 1/3 stop ‘faster’ than F1.0 and 1 1/3 stop faster than F1.4 and just over 1/2 stop faster than F1.2.
Interestingly, if you’re a film buff, Kubrick’s Zeiss Planar 50mm F0.7 adapted NASA lenses used to film indoor scenes with just candle-lit for illumination in Barry Lyndon are 1 1/2 stops faster than F1.2.
Aperture values in full, and typical half and third stops
| Full Stops | Third and (Half) Stops | Full and (Half) Stops |
| F0.5 | F0.5 | F0.5 |
| F0.6 | ||
| (F0.63) | (F0.63) | |
| F0.67 | ||
| F0.7 | F0.7 | F0.7 |
| 0.8 | ||
| (F0.9) | (F0.9) | |
| F0.95 | ||
| F1.0 | F1.0 | F1.0 |
| F1.1 | ||
| (F1.2) | (F1.2) | |
| F1.3 | ||
| F1.4 | F1.4 | F1.4 |
| F1.6 | ||
| (F1.7) | (F1.7) | |
| F1.8 | ||
| F2.0 | F2.0 | F2.0 |
| F2.3 | ||
| (F2.4) | (F2.4) | |
| F2.5 | ||
| F2.8 | F2.8 | F2.8 |
| F3.2 | ||
| (F3.5) | (F3.5) | |
| F3.6 | ||
| F4.0 | F4.0 | F4.0 |
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