OK, so .... when would you use f/22 ?

[supraman215]

In MOST cases it really isnt needed for DOF in landscape shots. Most of the time f/8 - f/16 will give you more than enough DOF and will be far sharper because its optically better for the lens.

This is true for most landscape because usually you're shooting with a wide angle, and your focus distance is usually relatively (further than 5') far away. The combo of those 2 gives you tremendous DOF so f/8 would likely be more than enough to keep everything in focus.

 

[Buckster]

I specifically choose f/22 when shooting macros with my Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX DG IF HSM APO Macro (there's a mouthful!) that goes to f/32 because after testing the lens found that f/22 gives me the sharpest focus and still gets me lots of DOF. It's that len's sweet spot for sharpness, so that's what I tend to use.

I will also use it to slow shutter times, though I prefer to use ND filters for that, allowing me to better retain aperture control for creative purposes.

Other DOF issues will get the small aperture treatment as well, but if I want to go with everything in focus, like sharp foreground elements and sharp mountains in the background (as an example) I prefer to choose the sharpest aperture for the lens I'm using, and then use hyperfocal techniques to get everything in focus.

Some useful links on Hyperfocus:

Hyperfocal Distance

Hyperfocal Distance Chart - DOFMaster

Example of hyperfocus, with both closeup flower, middle region trees, and faraway clouds all in focus:

 

[supraman215]

I've never shot macro, what's a lot of DOF at 180mm, 3/4"? lol

 

[Buckster]

I've never shot macro, what's a lot of DOF at 180mm, 3/4"? lol

lol. Often much less, depending. lol

 

[LittleItaly]

Read this! Its really easy to understand and explains what you need to know about using a low aperture and a high aperture!


What the Heck is an Aperture? Part One. | Pioneer Woman Photography | Ree Drummond

 

[ottor]

Read this! Its really easy to understand and explains what you need to know about using a low aperture and a high aperture!


What the Heck is an Aperture? Part One. | Pioneer Woman Photography | Ree Drummond

Rather amazing that you'd direct me to this webpage ...... I'm a huge fan of her recipes !!

(Yes, this Army X-Special Forces NCO reads a womans blog about her life as a ranchers wife... :blushing: )... but if you cook, you'll love this site... I knew she was a photographer also, but have never read her stuff about that..

Thanks !!

 

[pgriz]

The article on diffraction that got me thinking and testing is this one: Diffraction Limited Photography: Pixel Size, Aperture and Airy Disks

Granted, the loss of detail isn't huge, and is probably masked by focusing issues, but IF you have the scene critically focused, there is an apparent reduction of resolution as you go to the higher f/stops.

I think that each of us should learn to test our equipment in a structured way so that we can determine if we're really getting the most out of it. Often times it is "user error" that is causing the less-than-stellar results. I had a club member show all the signs of "lens envy", bemoaning the poor results her kit lens gave her. I put her camera on a tripod, set it to an f/stop of 8, focused using a magnifier, and was able to show her that she can get very sharp photos with her equipment. Problem was, she was missing the focus, had handshake, and relied too much on her "automatic" features. Of course, those errors would still persist if she upgraded to a top-of-the-line lens. After our little demo, she went and got herself a tripod, and now she's getting pretty good shots. But I digress....

 

[LittleItaly]

Read this! Its really easy to understand and explains what you need to know about using a low aperture and a high aperture!


What the Heck is an Aperture? Part One. | Pioneer Woman Photography | Ree Drummond

Rather amazing that you'd direct me to this webpage ...... I'm a huge fan of her recipes !!

(Yes, this Army X-Special Forces NCO reads a womans blog about her life as a ranchers wife... :blushing: )... but if you cook, you'll love this site... I knew she was a photographer also, but have never read her stuff about that..

Thanks !!

Yes! The Photography portion of her website is as equally amazing as her Cooking Portion! I just ordered her cookbook! I love her!

 

[Overread]

Diffraction softening and hyperfocal focusing have already been mentioned so I'm left mostly to highlight both of those components again. Diffraction generally starts to take effect after around f8, but typically remains minor up till around f13/16 on a 1.6 crop camera body and around f16/22 on a fullframe camera body. With most considering f13 the 1.6 ideal min and f22 the fullframe ideal min.

The actual point will depend upon: camera body - lens and the standards of the photographer in question. In addition as has been said (example the skyline shots) sometimes you need to have a smaller aperture to get the shutter speed you want.

You can get a rather extreme example of diffraction softening if you look at the shots in this set here: MPE 65mm test shot series - a set on Flickr
remembering of course that the actual apertures are much smaller than those stated as the magnifiaction increases.

Hyperfocal focusing is a great tool/skill to learn to use because it lets you use a sharper aperture for landscape type work rather than using a smaller, softer aperture.

 

[Taylor510ce]

Read this! Its really easy to understand and explains what you need to know about using a low aperture and a high aperture!


What the Heck is an Aperture? Part One. | Pioneer Woman Photography | Ree Drummond

Rather amazing that you'd direct me to this webpage ...... I'm a huge fan of her recipes !!

(Yes, this Army X-Special Forces NCO reads a womans blog about her life as a ranchers wife... :blushing: )... but if you cook, you'll love this site... I knew she was a photographer also, but have never read her stuff about that..

Thanks !!

dont feel bad, I have a subscription to Cooking Light which is pretty much geared towards women. Oh well, gotta watch my girlish figure I guess, my arteries thank me.:lmao:

 

[Fedaykin]

For Macro work where focus stacking is not an option.

 

[Sbuxo]

When your meter tells you to.:lmao:
Well not in every case.
Mine tells me apertures so..

 

[KmH]

I used it in this shot to give me the sunburst.

Those are actually called - Diffraction spikes, and they will be produced by any light source/specular highlight in an image.