# Your favorite f-number for landscape shots?



## AmselAdans (Dec 28, 2014)

I'm interested in your opinion. Which f-number do you use most often for landscape shots?
The subject is by intention a bit misleading as relevant infos are missing:
- which focal length is used?
- APS or FF?
- is everything in the scene of equal importance or do some subjects stand out?
I didn't start a poll since there are fare too many variations to cover.

So, to shorten things up: What's your favorite, most often used aperture setting for landscape shots (on which equipment/lens/body)?
Do you exploit the benefits from hyperfocal distance most of the time or do you prefer a shallower field of focus?


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## takesome1 (Dec 28, 2014)

I thought about this question a few minutes and it really has no answer. I use what I think is appropriate for the shot.

Maybe you should use your warped namesakes of f/64.


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## AmselAdans (Dec 28, 2014)

takesome1 said:


> Maybe you should use your warped namesakes of f/64.


 

of course, there is no "right" answer. I'm just curious, if some of the landscape photographers have a favorite setting.


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## privatebydesign (Dec 28, 2014)

F5.6 with the 17 TS-E on FF, it is the sharpest aperture and I can get everything I want in critical focus.

Nothing beats camera/lens movements for high quality landscapes, nothing.

There are no benefits to hyperfocal focusing, it is a kludge that guarantees practically nothing, normally including the key elements of a picture, are critically sharp.


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 28, 2014)

My favorite aperture for landscapes is one that's a little smaller than too big, and a little bigger than too small. One that's a bit brighter than the inside of a storm cloud, but a bit darker than the sun. An aperture that's somewhat narrower than the universe but a bit wider than the edge of a properly sharpened Wüsthof chef's knife. In short, my favorite aperture is the one that's just right.


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## AmselAdans (Dec 28, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> My favorite aperture for landscapes is one that's a little smaller than too big, and a little bigger than too small. One that's a bit brighter than the inside of a storm cloud, but a bit darker than the sun. An aperture that's somewhat narrower than the universe but a bit wider than the edge of a properly sharpened Wüsthof chef's knife. In short, my favorite aperture is the one that's just right.


such poetry :

I get what you are trying to say. A follow up question: How do you determine the one that's just right for a landscape shot?


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## RustyTheGeek (Dec 28, 2014)

Well, I'm going to expose my ignorance here but...

f/8 and be there? Sunny 16?

IMO, the landscape scene you are shooting, type/quality/amount of light and many other factors should probably influence the decision. Snow, desert, urban, green forest or a mixture all require a possible adjustment. How much contrast is desired? And most importantly, is there a foreground subject in the picture?

If I'm shooting a person in front of said landscape, I'm going to try to get the smallest aperture I can to get everything in focus depending on desired ISO and shutter speed. This requires a lot of light or perfect stillness and a tripod.

Since I don't shoot a lot of landscapes per se, I tend to bracket my landscape shots and decide what worked best in post. In addition, I have found that I can get more contrast and better (bluer) sky in the shot if I use a smaller aperture. f/11 or smaller for a bit better sky, esp if I'm shooting people with a background. Fill flash is of course required in that case.

Even though this is a pretty vague question, I am interested to see what others post. I feel like I can always improve my technique in this area. (Heck, all areas!)


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## Marsu42 (Dec 28, 2014)

AmselAdans said:


> - which focal length is used?
> - APS or FF?
> - is everything in the scene of equal importance or do some subjects stand out?



By tradition, I just use f8 and am done with it. That's because in the good ol' times, my lenses' best setting was f8, and I'm still fine with this very basic approach. 

For most situations, f8 leaves some blur in the foreground, and also on the horizon if I'm focusing a bit nearer - to me, this looks more "natural" than infinity focus, after all the human eye has to focus somewhere, too. This excludes situations when I have to stop down to get two points to be in focus, or effect shots with focus stacking for a dof from from 1cm to the horizon.


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## Mitch.Conner (Dec 28, 2014)

This question is impossible to answer. It also varies depending on what lens is being used in addition to the already mentioned variables. Time of day? Weather? Season? Tripod or no? Etc. Etc.


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## D. (Dec 28, 2014)

F8 is my most frequently used stop for landscapes. I try not to exceed f11 unless the circumstances require it. If I get to this point, I check a depth of field scale to determine infinity focus.


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## scyrene (Dec 28, 2014)

I tend to use f/10 because that's just around the diffraction limit of the sensor (5D3) according to TDP, so it gives maximum sharpness to depth of field trade off. But I don't do much landscape work, so I have no idea if that's appropriate or ignorant. It usually looks alright to me though.


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## sulla (Dec 28, 2014)

f=8 is the only valid choice. For any focal length and subject. seriously.


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## RustyTheGeek (Dec 28, 2014)

sulla said:


> f=8 is the only valid choice. For any focal length and subject. seriously.



Yeah, after reading some more responses, this is likely the best answer! 50mm and f/8 is the setting our human eyes are fixed at, correct?


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## RustyTheGeek (Dec 28, 2014)

PropeNonComposMentis said:


> sulla said:
> 
> 
> > f=8 is the only valid choice. For any focal length and subject. seriously.
> ...



Well, maybe f/6.3 or f/11 if you have glasses. ;D


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## sulla (Dec 28, 2014)

it is. indeed. it is. isn't it? 43mm... or wasn't it rather 42 ??


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## ajfotofilmagem (Dec 28, 2014)

If lighting permits, I prefer aperture between F5.6 and F11 in most landscapes. Sometimes I wish my camera had also ISO 50, 25, 12 ...


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 28, 2014)

PropeNonComposMentis said:


> sulla said:
> 
> 
> > it is. indeed. it is. isn't it? 43mm... or wasn't it rather 42 ??
> ...



Which dude? I heard he had Deep Thoughts, but they were destroyed to make room for a highway. Then the mice had Deeper Thoughts, until the problems caused by unsanitized telephones. But...Don't Panic!


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## RustyTheGeek (Dec 28, 2014)

ajfotofilmagem said:


> If lighting permits, I prefer gaps between F5.6 and F11 in most landscapes. Sometimes I wish my camera had also ISO 50, 25, 12 ...



Yes. I also wonder this. Why not? It's just a software based electronic sensitivity setting after all.
I think ISO 1 would be a mind blower. ;D Or maybe a Lowest Setting called NN (No Noise) or even _ISO 0_! LOL.

Wait, ISO 0 would effectively be NO sensitivity or the same as OFF so... maybe not.


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## AmselAdans (Dec 28, 2014)

Thanks for all your (Deep) Thoughts so far.


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## DominoDude (Dec 28, 2014)

To be in the right ball park I would set myself up around f/5.6-f/8. Most lenses should be at their sharpest at those apertures, and DoF could be sufficient.


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## gsealy (Dec 28, 2014)

For every lens I use I find the optimum range of f values that will produce the sharpest shots. I do this by taking a series of shots for all the f values of the lens with the camera focused on a highly detailed subject usually involving print. I then import the series of photos into Lightroom and look at each at 1:1. I find out where it sharpens on the low end and where it softens on the high end. Using this optimum range I then set the camera to aperture priority and confine my shots to this range. There is no substitute for sharpness and I want the best that the lens can give me.


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## e17paul (Dec 28, 2014)

Marsu42 said:


> AmselAdans said:
> 
> 
> > - which focal length is used?
> ...



Those are wise words. Only in our minds eye do we (given time to stand still) compose an 'everything in focus' image. At any given moment our own human lenses are only focussed at one distance.


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## e17paul (Dec 28, 2014)

ajfotofilmagem said:


> If lighting permits, I prefer aperture between F5.6 and F11 in most landscapes. Sometimes I wish my camera had also ISO 50, 25, 12 ...



I have some rolls of that in my fridge. Unfortunately the 25 and 12 is restricted to black and white. The colour ISO 50 is a new product (Cinestill 50) which I have yet to try out. Now all I need is a decent slide scanner, that should probably be a priority over lenses and lighting in my wish list.


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## Policar (Dec 28, 2014)

Whatever stop or technique allows you to keep everything in focus for a given scene.

On a view camera f16-f64 with tilt/shit...

On a dSLR f8 to f22 or something around f8 and focus stacking if need be. Typically on focal lengths >35mm so the space doesn't feel to artificially expanded.


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## RustyTheGeek (Dec 28, 2014)

Policar said:


> Whatever stop or technique allows you to keep everything in focus for a given scene.
> 
> On a view camera f16-f64 with tilt/S___...
> 
> On a dSLR f8 to f22 or something around f8 and focus stacking if need be. Typically on focal lengths >35mm so the space doesn't feel to artificially expanded.



Good point! I think this is a fact that many overlook or don't understand. There are times when I am forced to use a wide angle FL for a landscape shot but I try to use a longer FL (as stated above) whenever possible. Otherwise the edges usually need to be cropped a bit.


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## steliosk (Dec 29, 2014)

f/6.3 to f/11 on a crop body
depends on the lens and the sensor actually.

I shoot landscapes with my lightweight 600D crop camera where i use ef-s 15-85 for every day and city shots from f/5.6 to f/10 (sweet spot is f/6.3) and i also use a wide angle ef-s 10-22 locked at f/10 due to a bad copy which lacks of sharpness below f/10 

However i rarely go above f/10 due to diffraction and everything above f/16 is forbidden (unless you shot macro)

For true shallow depth of field i use a FF body and fast primes to get creamy soft images where crop cameras doesn't to the same job.


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## privatebydesign (Dec 29, 2014)

I won an award for the wiggly bits.


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## arcanej (Dec 29, 2014)

f/: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13...

I only shoot primes with prime apertures.


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