- Newsletter sign-up Exposure Value numbers are a shorthand
substitute for the shutter speed/aperture combination, using a
single number instead of two. Each EV number represents any of
many different but equivalent combinations of aperture and
shutter speed that will provide the same exposure (it might help
to think of EV as Equivalent Value). The EV unit is equal to one
stop. It is important to note that although all camera settings
with the same exposure value give the same exposure, they do not
necessarily give the same picture. The shutter speed determines
the amount of motion blur, and the relative aperture determines
the Depth of Field. 1 second at F1.0 equals EV0; all other EV
numbers are defined with respect to this definition.