People photography and wide-open apertures...

amolitor · Aug 24, 2012

Lotta reasons for getting a fast lens.

Sometimes f/2.8 is fine for people, it's just not ALWAYS fine. Sometimes when you're shooting available light, you gotta go wide to get the shot. Sometimes you're shooting things that are not people, too.

Also, a lens designed to be acceptable at f/2.8 is more likely to be awesome at f/5.6. There is a general rule of thumb, which is about as accurate as any rule of thumb, that a lens is "best" stopped down about 2 stops from its wide open. Your f/4.5 kit lens is going to be a bit soft at f/4.5 and might well be at its best around f/8. The f/2.8 on the other hand is likely to be really kicking ass at f/4.5.

You don't USUALLY use the two ends of the aperture range of a half decent quick-to-fast prime, but they're nice to have when you need 'em to get the shot.

DiskoJoe · Aug 24, 2012

I only shoot below 2.8 for head and shoulder poses when I want lots of background blur.

Like this

Jessica - 100 Strangers: 1/100 [Explored: 5/8/2011] 1st Explore!!! by DiskoJoe, on Flickr

CKCPhotography · Aug 25, 2012

Hmmm, now I'm all furbuddled.
I will try and close it down a bit tomorrow.:blushing:

Vautrin · Aug 26, 2012

I think what everyone is saying is it boils down into what effect you're looking for. Sometimes f 1.4 is great (if you need that extra stop light and want lots of bokeh). Sometimes you really want a small apereture to get great depth of field. It all depends on what you want to shoot....The key is to understand your equiptment, and what it will do under different circumstances...

KmH · Aug 26, 2012

A blurred background, in and of itself, is not bokeh. Many speak of a shallow depth-of-field as if it and bokeh were the same thing, when they aren't.

Bokeh is not adjustable.
The quality of the bokeh a lens produces is determined by the lens construction. The number and shape of a lens' aperture blades has a lot to do with the bokeh quality a lens will produce.
Plus, there are 2 distinct types of bokeh - hollywood bokeh, and cream cheese bokeh.

Catadioptric mirror lenses produce donut shaped bokeh which is generally considered as some of the least appealing bokeh there is.

Nikon's AF 85 mm f/1.4D lens has long been nicknamed the "Cream Machine" for the ultra-smooth cream cheese type bokeh it produces.
Canon's 50 mm/f/1.8 is famous for the jittery, nervous, jarring, bokeh it produces because of it's el cheapo build quality that uses only 5 straight and sharp edged aperture blades.
From DPReview.com - Cons - per the Canon 50 mm f/1.8- "Harsh and distracting bokeh due to pentagonal aperture"

Sw1tchFX · Aug 26, 2012

Wide open or bust. And that's f/2 on medium format!

PhotoWrangler · Aug 26, 2012

I always shoot wide open. Rarely do I ever stop down past f4.

jhodges10 · Aug 26, 2012

I've got a 50 1.4 and only changed stops based on lighting conditions. I've run into the one eye in one eye out type problem a lot. Having read a number of threads and comments I tinkered with my stops today and although I still need a lot of work I think I'm heading in the right direction. Although its not my thread, thanks to all those that posted informative comments regarding aperture and DoF I personally feel like I've learned a lot here.

Derrel · Aug 27, 2012

"straight-on flash"....

...for those unfamiliar with Terry Richardson...some of the absolute BIGGEST names in music and Hollywoood acting and modeling have posed for extended sets with Terry recently...in some of America's biggest photographically-heavy magazines, millions of readers have been treated to...his trademark style of straight, garish flash, which he has honed into a very popular "look...it's almost as cliche as the blowtorch caramelizing of EVERYTHING was a few years back in gourmet restaraurant cooking...

Designer · Aug 27, 2012

jowensphoto said:
This seems to be a trend among newer portrait shooters.

I promise I'm not being obtuse, but I'd like to know why.

My guess is that since they have invested in some "fast" glass, they think they must use it wide open in all shots. After all, we see plenty of posters here talking about obtaining faster lenses, so the noobs automatically assume that 1:1.4 is where it's at.