Why use lower F stop?

[agp]

Say you're shooting landscape, keeping the ISO constant, you can either shoot at a larger aperture with faster shutter speed, or a lower aperture with a slower shutter speed (not talking about long exposure here). Why and when would one choose to shoot with lower aperture?

 

[480sparky41 40]

If, by 'lower', you mean smaller, you gain Depth of Field.

Also, a longer shutter speed will allow you to blur parts of the image. This can be a desired effect.

 

[agp]

But if you're shooting landscape with nothing in the foreground at f1.4, then nothing will be in focus? I always think of depth of field as something that's relative to how close your closest thing that you are focusing on is. So if you're using f1.4 shooting something 1m away, the background blur will be very extreme, but if you are shooting something 2m way, the background blur will be less extreme... if you're shooting the background, then most things will be in focus. Correct?

And we're assuming there are no moving things in the shot, just shooting static things.

 

[480sparky41 40]

DOF depends on three things: Focal length of the lens, the aperture chosen, and focus distance.

Of course, if you shoot at f/1.4 and focus at 2', not much of a scenic landscape is going to be in focus, even with a 20mm.

Now, if you focus near infinity, something 20' from the lens may still not be in focus.

 

[Light Guru]

Why and when would one choose to shoot with lower aperture?

You shoot with a small aperture when you want the effects that a small aperture gives you.

[video=vimeo;20691161]http://vimeo.com/20691161[/video]

 

[Scatterbrained]

Shooting a slow, small aperture will give a longer shutter speed and more depth of field. With Landscapes DOF is generally pretty important. The slower shutter speed can be good for smoothing out water, bringing out movement in clouds, or blurring out passersby. With an ultrawide angle lens you can get away with faster, larger apertures because you have more inherent DOF and the hyperfocal distance tends to be much closer anyway. The fast apertures of lenses like the 14 f/2.8 and 24 f/1.4 are great for shooting nighttime landscapes/starscapes as well. The fast aperture sucks in lots of light allowing you to get some exposure of the foreground while keeping the shutter times low enough to prevent visible star movement.

 

[table1349]

Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

 

[Braineack]

I just shot something at f/11 with a f/2.8 lens. Blasphemy.

 

[Scatterbrained]

I just shot something at f/11 with a f/2.8 lens. Blasphemy.

If you want to really get peoples knickers in a bunch, buy an f/1.2 lens and shoot it primarily at f/8-f/16.

 

[KmH]

but if you are shooting something 2m way, the background blur will be less extreme... if you're shooting the background, then most things will be in focus. Correct?

Yes, that is correct - because your point of focus is further away.

 

[agp]

Okay so say you're using a 35mm, and you're shooting something 100 feet away. There are no water, no clouds, no moving starts, nothing between you and the scene 100 feet away, and no people walking about, why use f1.4 and a quick shutter speed versus say f8 and a slower shutter speed? Bokeh and focus distance is no issue since the focus point is so far away.

 

[RichieT]

Okay so say you're using a 35mm, and you're shooting something 100 feet away. There are no water, no clouds, no moving starts, nothing between you and the scene 100 feet away, and no people walking about, why use f1.4 and a quick shutter speed versus say f8 and a slower shutter speed? Bokeh and focus distance is no issue since the focus point is so far away.

The answer is, it depends. You're describing part of one possible scene. If you want a object at 100' surrounded by nothing to stand out, use a wider setting. If you want to include more surroundings, use a higher F stop. There is no one size fits all answer. The best thing for you to do is go out and find a scene you want to capture and take shots at 1.4,4, 8, 16 etc and see which YOU prefer. People have different opinions and preferences and you need to find yours. I don't like long exposures where the water looks milky and artificial, but that's my preference, even though it seems most people like that effect. Find what works for you.

 

[weepete]

Generally people shoot landscapes at f8-16 and a slower shutter speed to maximise the depth of field in a shot. Have a look at hyperfocal distance and you'll see that's what it's used for. Also f8-16 tends to be the sharpest for most lenses.

 

[AlanKlein82 21]

Don't forget about checking shutter speed. As you make the aperture smaller to increase the DOF, your shutter has to be open longer. Slower shutter speed leads to camera movement. Consider using a tripod to eliminate movement especially noticeable the larger the final image size.

 

[480sparky41 40]

Okay so say you're using a 35mm, and you're shooting something 100 feet away. There are no water, no clouds, no moving starts, nothing between you and the scene 100 feet away, and no people walking about, why use f1.4 and a quick shutter speed versus say f8 and a slower shutter speed? Bokeh and focus distance is no issue since the focus point is so far away.

Actually, I wouldn't use f/1.4. I's use f/8 or f/11, whatever is the sweet spot for the lens I'm using.