Hey all,
I wonder why my f-stop would change when zooming in and out(running in manual mode).
TIA,
Randy

The lens maximum aperture ranges from 1.6 to 2.6 depending on the zoom setting. If you set an aperture larger than 2.6, as you zoom in it will drop to 2.6. If you set a aperture smaller the 2.6 is should not change as you zoom in.

Zoomed out it was 1.8 (approximately) and when I zoomed in it closed to 2.6 (approximately) and was not opened enough to capture the subjects face appropriately. Does this sound normal?
Thanks Don,
Randy

That's normal; as stated above the max aperture at full wide is f/1.8 and at full tele it's f/2.6 -- it's working properly. Set the aperture to f/2.6 or smaller in order to maintain consistent exposure throughout the zoom range. Hope this helps,

Yes it does help very much Don and Chris, thanks for your patience. So if I'm in that position again I'll just change shutter speed or gain.
Randy