What does the F-stop control in photography?

The F-stop in photography primarily controls the amount of light that enters the camera. It is a measure of the aperture size in the lens and is expressed as a fraction (e.g., f/2.8, f/4, etc.). A smaller F-stop number indicates a larger aperture opening, allowing more light to reach the camera sensor, while a larger F-stop number means a smaller opening, reducing the light entering. This feature is crucial for exposure settings, as it directly affects how light or dark an image appears.

While other aspects of photography are influenced by F-stop settings, such as depth of field, which determines how much of the image is in sharp focus, the direct relationship between F-stop and light intake is fundamental. The speed of the lens opening relates more to shutter speed, not F-stop. Brightness is affected by exposure settings as a whole, but is not exclusively controlled by F-stop alone. Color balance is managed through white balance settings, which does not pertain to the F-stop measurement at all. Thus, identifying F-stop as a controller of light entering the camera accurately captures its primary function in photography.