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  4. Landscape photographers do you find the need to shoot below f/16?

Landscape photographers do you find the need to shoot below f/16?


4 years 10 months ago #647365 by Sean Lamber
Do you feel the need to ever shoot wider than f/16 when shooting landscapes?  If so, what scenarios?  
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4 years 10 months ago #647370 by Nikon Shooter
In the production of single or stitched panos for
corporate clients, I tend to stay In the middle of
the scale and, when needed, use the in-camera
or computer focus stacking software approach.
Light is free… capturing it is not!
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4 years 10 months ago #647374 by Troponin

Sean Lamber wrote: Do you feel the need to ever shoot wider than f/16 when shooting landscapes?  If so, what scenarios?  


At f/16, you can be getting a lot of diffraction. Most lenses have a sweet spot at around f/8 in which a couple shots for stacking would create a really nice image, as NS mentioned. I'm not sure how much diffraction can alter the IQ and rendering of the landscape shots, but in macro, I notice it at f/13 and I make sure that I really need to be there. 
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4 years 10 months ago #647377 by Sean Lamber
WOW, so I thought diffraction took place only at extreme small apertures like f/22.  So what aperture are you guys shooting with most for your landscapes?  
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4 years 10 months ago #647397 by Shadowfixer1
The physics show that diffraction is always present. It increases as the f-stop closes down. It becomes more visible at around f-13. You will find that macro shots are less affected by it and thusly you can get away with a smaller f-stop. Diffraction and DOF are a trade off and you need to weigh which benefits the image the most. There really isn't much need to go past f-11 for landscape unless you have some nice foreground interest. You can always shoot 2 shoots and focus blend if needed. I generally never worry about diffraction as I don't normally close down to f-16 or greater unless shooting macro. Photography is about working out the best solution and balance for each image and subject.
www.betterphoto.com/?ramshots
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4 years 10 months ago #647516 by fmw

Troponin wrote:

Sean Lamber wrote: Do you feel the need to ever shoot wider than f/16 when shooting landscapes?  If so, what scenarios?  


At f/16, you can be getting a lot of diffraction. Most lenses have a sweet spot at around f/8 in which a couple shots for stacking would create a really nice image, as NS mentioned. I'm not sure how much diffraction can alter the IQ and rendering of the landscape shots, but in macro, I notice it at f/13 and I make sure that I really need to be there. 


I have no idea what a lot of diffraction is.  People make an issue of it when its effects are subtle at best.  As a matter of fact I shoot small products on a table top at f16 because it is what is required to get the entire product in acceptably sharp focus.  You can rest assured that the images are as sharp as a tack.  Think of diffraction as an optical anomaly that really doesn't matter much.  I have a lovely shot of some wild daisies right in front of the camera with the Teton Mountain range in the background.  I remember it required F32 to get both the flowers and the mountains sharp.  Most of my tabletop shots made with 4X5 format were shot at f64.  Use the aperture that allows your image to say what you want it to say.
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