Aperture is *always* (well, for any camera you'd be likely to be talking
about) in the lens. It's just that most cameras allow you to make the
setting in the camera. The camera then passes that info down to the
lens.

If my lens is only
rated for 3.4-5.6 aperture...

That doesn't mean it only does apertures in that range. It means that
is as *big* as the aperture can get for that lens - 3.4 is the biggest
at the shortest end of the zoom range, 5.6 is the biggest the aperture
can get at the longest end of the zoom range.

will it do me any good to set my
camera aperture to say f/11 or f/22 or is that just going to use the
minimum aperture the lens will allow of f/5.6?

5.6 is the *maximum* aperture the lens allows at the longest end of the
zoom range. They don't generally bother quoting the minimum, but if the
camera allows you to set f/11 or f/22, then indeed, the lens must be
supporting apertures that small (virtually all lenses will do f/11, f/22
is pretty of smaller is common too). So yes, you can set the aperture
using the in-camera controls to f/22, and lens should happily obey and
close down that small. However, you not be able to set the aperture
*larger* than whatever the maximum is at the particular particular
length you are zoomed too - the camera won't let you.

---------------
Marc Sabatella


Music, art, & educational materials
Featuring "A Jazz Improvisation Primer"
http://www.outsideshore.com/