Please explain Aperture and Aspect ratio settings to a dummy like me

[Patriot60]

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As the title suggests, total newbie enjoying my D-Lux 8 for its point and shoot capabilities. Up to now, it is always set to Auto everything. When would I change the aperture or aspect ratio settings? 

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[jaapv]

Might I suggest that you do some reading up on the basics of photography ? A very satisfying experience.  

[Anbaric]

The aspect ratio defines the shape of the frame. Take a look at this review, especially this image. The 4:3 ratio, a bit wider than it is high when the camera is held in the horizontal orientation, is the standard for many compact cameras, old school CRT TVs, and classic movies in the days before widescreen. The 3:2 ratio is standard for (e.g.) M series Leicas, dSLR and mirrorless cameras, and most 35mm film cameras. 16:9 is a 'widescreen' format, and 1:1 is square. You can use whichever of them suits your image, but be aware than anything other than 4:3 uses fewer pixels because of the way the sensor is cropped (see the specifications - click on 'Show more').

The aperture controls how much light reaches the sensor. A wide aperture like f/1.7 lets in much more light than a narrow aperture like f/16. At wide apertures, depth of field is also shallower, which can be useful for isolating subjects. But before you start adjusting this, it's important to understand how aperture, shutter speed and ISO must be balanced to get a 'correct' exposure. You might start here:

https://photographylife.com/what-is-exposure-triangle

Canon have a nice little simulator you may find helpful:

https://canon.ca/CanonOutsideOfAuto/play

[David Cantor]

3 hours ago, jaapv said:

Might I suggest that you do some reading up on the basics of photography ? A very satisfying experience.  

Totally unnecessary, why on earth did you bother? And of course you know what they say about sarcasm…………..