Landscape mode vs. Aperture mode results - question

[roi]

Hello,
I've begun experimenting with Aperture mode for landscape photography.
I've noticed so far that landscape mode on my camera yields much sharper results with more vibrant colors.

I'm shooting off a tripod so shake isn't an issue. The results for Aperture mode (tried all from 3.5 to 22) seem less sharp, colors are "off" etc.

Lighting wasn't very good. Still, what can be the reason? are there other definitions used by landscape mode I'm unaware of?

Thanks!
Roi

 

[o hey tyler]

Are you shooting in RAW or JPEG? Optically speaking, neither f/3.5 or f/22 would be optically prime for landscapes.

 

[roi]

Shooting in JPEG. I understand that 5.6, 8 or 11 may be optimal but I've tried those too. Just seems landscape mode has additional color definitions or something else missing in aperture mode.

 

[o hey tyler]

If you shot in RAW you wouldn't notice a difference between the two. I suspect that the Landscape mode applies some 'in camera' sharpening and saturation. That accounts for the difference in appearance.

 

[roi]

Thanks!
Will try now.

 

[Overread36]

Out of interest which camera body are you using - some might be applying different processing or slight calculation difference depending on the modes between the semi-auto and full auto modes.

In addition check your settings and the lighting at the time - first up aperture, ISO and shutter speed are your base 3 settings - your key to an exposure. Check that when you are adjusting your aperture, that you are also keeping an eye on your ISO and shutter speed. Softness in a photo can fast be formed when you take a shot at a shutter speed that is too slow (even if you use a tripod wind or other motion in the scene might also cause softness). In addition once the aperture goes past around f13 on most crop sensor bodies and f16 on 35mm (fullframe) bodies the overall sharpness starts to noticeably drop due to the "diffraction" effect.

Light is also important to keep an eye on - subtle shifts in the light might well result in one photo dramatically outclassing another.

 

[roi]

I'm using a 2006 pentax *istDL.
Just tried a couple of more runs.
Shutter speeds are 3 secs. on f/8 vs. 1 sec and f/4 in landscape mode.
In RAW the differences are less noticeable and I'm inclined to believe the sharpness and colors is now only due to more light in the landscape mode. ISO remains the same (at 200).

 

[Overread36]

When you say "more light" do you mean the conditions were a little brighter when you took the shots in landscape mode as opposed to when you took them in aperture mode - or that the JPEG edits are "brighter" overall.


That a brighter scene with more overall contrast appears sharper is to be expected, since our visual understanding of sharpness is based very much on contrast differences between two areas. Where there is a big difference in the contrast between two areas we see that as sharp; whilst a more diffused transition between two contrasting areas will appear more soft to out eyes.

 

[roi]

Same conditions. Pictures taken a couple of seconds apart. Just seems "brighter" in the landscape mode and the lighting seems more natural and closer to reality in the aperture mode (it's late dusk now).
Also, I zoomed into the f/11 photo and there is some shake evident (I didn't use a remote/ timer).

 

[KmH]

I wonder if the Landscape Mode on your camera is also increasing the JPEG saturation, contrast, and sharpening settings, which is why you see less difference when you make Raw files.

 

[Ryan L]

That what the creative modes do on Canon anyway, they process the image for the settings. Landscape mode uses a smaller aperture, enhancing your DOF, lighten shadows, enhanced color.

 

[roi]

Thanks