Nikon CoolPix S9700 Reference Manual page 69

Exposure
The procedure for shooting images at the desired brightness (exposure) by
adjusting the shutter speed or aperture value is called "determine exposure".
The sense of dynamism and amount of background defocus in images to be
shot vary depending on the combinations of shutter speed and aperture value
even if the exposure is the same.
Adjusting the Shutter Speed
In k and m modes, the range is from a maximum of 1/2000 to 8 seconds.
See "The Control Range of the Shutter Speed" (A48) for more information.
Faster 1/1000 s Slower 1/30 s
Adjusting the Aperture Value
In l and m modes, the range is from f/3.7 to 8 (wide-angle position) and from
f/6.4 to 8 (telephoto zoom position).
Larger aperture (Small f-number) Smaller aperture (Large f-number)
f/3.7 f/8
C
Aperture Value (F-number) and Zoom
Large apertures (expressed by small f-numbers) let more light into the camera, and
small apertures (large f-numbers) let less light.
The aperture value of the zoom lens of this camera changes depending on the zoom
position. When zooming to the wide-angle position and telephoto zoom position,
the aperture values are f/3.7 and f/6.4, respectively.
45