# Do you usually shoot your lenses wide open?



## J.R. (Sep 30, 2013)

I just read a comment by PBD as to how the 50mm f/1.4 was extremely sharp at f/8. I checked out my photos and found (to my dismay) that I couldn't confirm this because over 90% of my shots were at wide open or at f/1.8 or f/2.

Then I proceeded to check my other lenses. I was surprised to find that most of my shots (again approximately 80-90%) were at wide open. 

How do you guys shoot? Do you tend to shoot at max aperture most of the times? 

Cheers ... J.R.


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## AmbientLight (Sep 30, 2013)

I must admit that I am somewhat of a bokeh addict and in addition I have that perhaps stupid idea that what sets digital photography with DLSRs apart from just pointing an iphone in the direction and clicking away is the ability to control both shutter speed and depth-of-field.

So, yes, I tend to shoot wide open pretty often, except of course when shooting landscapes or macro, where shooting wide open isn't always such a good idea.


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## duydaniel (Sep 30, 2013)

Yes, or else why not get the legendary 18-55 f3.5-5.6 :


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## Random Orbits (Sep 30, 2013)

That does seem high, but I wouldn't be surprised if half of mine were taken wide open or at f/2.8 or larger (not at my computer to check it though). I tend to use f/2.8 or larger for sports (more pictures per event due to capturing action sequences) and for single subject portraits especially under indoor available light (dim) situations. When there are multiple subjects (f/4-f/8) or when doing a landscape or architecture shot (f/8-f/16) or macro, then the lens gets stopped down, but I tend to do these types of shots less often.

What this really means is that you have good glass. Lower quality lenses tend to require stopping down more.


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## rs (Sep 30, 2013)

With crop I tended to shoot mostly wide open, but since moving to FF I've had to readjust due to the narrower DoF at the same aperture - now I often stop down, sometimes by quite a bit when the situation calls for it. The great thing with the mk II zooms is I get quite a narrow DoF with no noticeable loss of sharpness when shooting wide open. It's nice to have that performance in reserve for when the time is right, without overdoing it on every shot. 

However, most people don't buy a fast prime such an 85L to use it at f8. A lens like that really is predominantly for those special moments where a razor thin DoF is desired. The Canon 50/1.4 is borderline due to its low cost, weight and size - so I could see _some_ people buying it for its compactness rather than big aperture. I rarely shoot my somewhat large and otherwise redundant (with a 24-70 II in my kit bag) Sigma 50/1.4 at anything but 1.4.


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## ablearcher (Sep 30, 2013)

It really depends on what you are shooting usually. I love primes, but I use f8-f11 on my zoom for studio shooting. Groups of people at events are also tough to shoot wide open (unless you want to isolate one particular person in the group). But for individual portraits outdoors or indoors without lights - yeah, I'll be mostly shooting wide open.


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## drmikeinpdx (Sep 30, 2013)

I shoot mostly people, not sports and I use the Sigma 50 1.4 and a Canon 85 1.8 a lot. They are both soft wide open, the 50 much more so than the 85. I make use of that to soften the faces a bit in feminine portrait work. The shallow DOF and nice bokeh look pretty too!

They both sharpen up dramatically at F/2.8, but you can still get some bokeh and subject isolation.

I don't think I ever use them at apertures smaller than 2.8 unless I'm in the studio and have to stop down because the strobes are already at minimum power.

My canon 24-105 is a different animal altogether. It is plenty sharp wide open at F/4, so I pretty much just leave it there. If I want serious bokeh, I'll grab a prime lens.

Each lens has its own personality, so you can't really generalize. Oh, that reminds me, I should say that I'm shooting with a 5D3. That makes a difference too.


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## Pinchers of Peril (Sep 30, 2013)

I could probably take my aperature blades out of my 70-200 II and not miss them at all. That thing is so sharp wide open that I always shoot at 2.8 and even on a sunny day I can put my iso down to 100 and shoot wide open without a problem with exposure. I will stop down my 85mm 1.2 sometimes, but honestly the reason I bought it was because it was 1.2 so I use it wide open a lot. I almost never shoot my 50mm 1.4 totally open (because it's a little soft at 1.4) but I still rarely stopped it down more than F4. I am also a sucker for bokeh and usually only stop down if I am doing landscape or group shots. If I'm shooting isolated subjects then I blow that backgroud out as much as I can.


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## Viggo (Sep 30, 2013)

Yes


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## Emil (Sep 30, 2013)

I use my 50mm f1.4 a lot, but I find that the DoF @ f1.4 is just a bit too shallow most of the time. So unless I'm doing portraits or creative stuff I mostly keep it at f 2.0 or higher.

Same applies to the 28mm f1.8 I own. It's just not sharp enough wide open for most stuff.

The 100mm f2.0 however, I keep wide open almost exclusively!


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## gmrza (Sep 30, 2013)

ablearcher said:


> It really depends on what you are shooting usually. I love primes, but I use f8-f11 on my zoom for studio shooting. Groups of people at events are also tough to shoot wide open (unless you want to isolate one particular person in the group). But for individual portraits outdoors or indoors without lights - yeah, I'll be mostly shooting wide open.


+1

I am not really a big fan of the "one eye in focus, one eye out of focus" look that is created when shooting with a f/1.2 lens wide open, but ultimately it all depends on when you are shooting, and what lens you are using.
With a lens like the 24-105, you are not left much alternative but to open up the aperture, because it is a slow lens. With a macro lens on the other hand, when shooting macros, you generally need to stop down because your DoF is so desperately thin. Landscapes you will usually shoot at whatever aperture your lens is sharpest.


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## ajfotofilmagem (Sep 30, 2013)

It seems unbelievable, but Canon 18-55 IS is sharp open.  Canon 28-135 IS, I avoid F3.5 because is bad in the corners of the image.  Canon 55-250 IS is sharp open.  Sigma 10-20 is much better closing diaphragm 1 point.  Tokina 16-50 is sharp open, but chromatic aberration bothers 16mm F2.8.  Canon 50 F1.4 I just use F1.8 or more closed, unless I'm desperate and go to print paper size up to 10x15 cm.


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 30, 2013)

I shoot at the aperture I need for the DoF I want, with concessions sometimes made to get a high enough shutter speed/low enough ISO. Good lenses mean I'm not afraid to shoot wide open when I need to, and with the exception of my fast holy trinity of primes, I do shoot wide open a fair bit of time.


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## CarlTN (Sep 30, 2013)

For me it depends on the situation and the lens. I assume we are mostly discussing shooting people? Most of the time it's important to make use of the bokeh of a fast lens, and to isolate the person from the background and foreground. But I personally am not a professional people photographer at this time. Also, some fast medium focal length lenses do have "focus shift", when the aperture is closed a bit...so beware of that. It's difficult to compensate for. 

I do kind of agree with the above about having one eye out of focus, or a whole person out of focus. It's heavily dependent on the photographer's artistic vision, and how well he/she can sell that vision to the client...as well as just how "good" the final result actually looks...which honestly could vary from one shot to the next.

For landscape, it depends on how deep I want the sharp focus to be, and sometimes on the available light...and on the shutter speed I want. Also it can depend on the characteristics of the lens, how sharp it is to the borders and corners, etc.

Your hands are a bit more tied when using a crop camera, due to the noise, when shooting at small apertures, etc. It can be dealt with to a degree.

Most every lens evens out its resolution across the frame when closed to f/8, but that is not how any 50mm f/1.4 is meant to be used "most of the time." For my infinity focus aerial photography, I usually close my 70-200 f/4...to f/9, and set shutter speed to 1/2500 (in a small airplane it's difficult to hold the camera, and yourself...extremely still!). The image noise and dynamic range are more than tolerable via the 6D, and the resolution extends to the extreme corners at all zoom settings, with almost no CA, and excellent color.

I just ordered a 24-105 off ebay today, and have rented one before. For its zoom range, IS, IQ, and price, it's hard to beat. Has quite a bit more CA than my 70-200 f/4 (non-IS), but that's easily fixed in post or in camera.

With my Voigtlander 58mm f/1.4 Nokton, since it's a fully manual lens...it becomes more difficult for the camera's light meter to provide accurate results, as aperture gets closed down. The lens is sharp at all settings, though. If I had to have an autofocus 50mm, I would certainly buy the Canon f/1.4...but for my purposes the Voigtlander delivers higher IQ along with its fussy user interface, for only slightly higher cost. As for the Canon 50mm f/1.8, I used to own one, I liked it...but I like the 40mm f/2.8 pancake a bit better.


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## LetTheRightLensIn (Oct 1, 2013)

J.R. said:


> I just read a comment by PBD as to how the 50mm f/1.4 was extremely sharp at f/8. I checked out my photos and found (to my dismay) that I couldn't confirm this because over 90% of my shots were at wide open or at f/1.8 or f/2.
> 
> Then I proceeded to check my other lenses. I was surprised to find that most of my shots (again approximately 80-90%) were at wide open.
> 
> ...



No, but I do a lot of landscape and nature so tons of stopped down shooting.
I do shoot at or near wide open too though, especially for soccer/football and birds if they are not too close or too big.
Often getting enough DOF can be tricky. Even for people, if you want it to hold up at more than 3x5" prints it can be very tough to get enough in focus wide open.


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## zlatko (Oct 1, 2013)

J.R. said:


> How do you guys shoot? Do you tend to shoot at max aperture most of the times?



I definitely don't shoot at max aperture most of the time. I use whatever aperture is needed for the shot. Depends on the subject matter, the background, the lens, the intended result, the time of day, the season, etc.


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## cliffwang (Oct 1, 2013)

Why not? I really like wide open. However, I use f/8 for group of 4 and f/11 for group of 5+.


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## pwp (Oct 1, 2013)

J.R. said:


> Do you tend to shoot at max aperture most of the times?


With the exception of my 300 f/2.8is, hardly ever. 

Bright lenses are great for speedy AF and just to have that bit extra in reserve when you have no choice but to open right up to achieve a usable shutter speed. 

In my business I need to deliver sharp commercial quality images. While wide open shots occasionally have their aesthetic benefits, there is just too much potential for OOF images. Hand held or even on a monopod, all you or your subject need to do is rock back or forward ever so slightly after you've got your focus lock, and your focus point may have moved to the ear or the tip of the nose. Errgh. Some photographers will claim to overcome this by using AI focus, but maybe their AF technique is better than mine. 

-pw


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## FTb-n (Oct 1, 2013)

Yep!

Depth of field vs. isolation, stop the action vs. controlled blur, and noise are constant considerations when I shoot. I stop it down when situation calls for it. But, I paid higher dollars for faster lenses for a reason. Most of what I shoot benefits from shooting wide open. It's actually satisfying in way to discover that I shoot most images wide open. I can tell myself that I'm getting money's worth after paying extra for the faster lens.


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## jdramirez (Oct 1, 2013)

yep... I do. I stop down my fisheye to f8, but the rest of my lenses I shoot open or close to. 

most of my lenses are still sharp wide open.


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## jdramirez (Oct 1, 2013)

when I had the 50 f 1.4, I shot at 2.8 or 4. that is where that lens is really sharp. 

but what is the point of having a 1.4 lens of you never shoot wide open.


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## RGF (Oct 1, 2013)

I shot wildlife and in addition to having the eyes sharp, i like to get the body sharp. thus I try to shoot at F8, for that extra DOF. However when the light is poor, then I will open up


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## joshmurrah (Oct 1, 2013)

I shoot wide open my 24-70 and 70-200 pretty much always.

On my fisheye and landscape zoom, I go f/8 or f/11 to get everything in focus, as that's usually what you're looking for.

On primes, I usually stop down one stop, to up the sharpness a bit.

The only time I routinely prefer stop down is when doing flash photography or when using an extender.


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## eml58 (Oct 1, 2013)

It depends on the type of Photography.

Underwater Imaging I generally work WA at f/8 or f/11, Macro at f/22

On wildlife it depends on the Lens in use & what I'm trying to achieve, 200f/2, 300f/2.8 & 600f/4, mostly wide Open.

The 200-400 almost always wide open either f/4 or f/5.6.


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## CharlieB (Oct 1, 2013)

On my Leicas... oh hell yes! I strive for wide open. The Leica M beats circles around Canon EOS focusing on any sort of lens from 90mm down to whatever (12mm?). On Canon....I try to stop down about 2/3 stop, just get things sharp. The Leica lenses.... 28, 35, 50, 75, 90mm Summicrons are all sharp as a razor at f/2.0


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## Dylan777 (Oct 1, 2013)

The only f2.8 lens I shot at f8 and f11 was 16-35 f2.8 II.

Otherwise:
1. 50L @ f1.4 - f1.6 only
2. 85L II @ 1.2 - 1.6 only
3. 40pancake @ f2.8 or f5.6 only
4. 24-70 II + 70-200 most of the time @ f2.8, sometime f5.6


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## jdramirez (Oct 1, 2013)

Dylan777 said:


> The only f2.8 lens I shot at f8 and f11 was 16-35 f2.8 II.
> 
> Otherwise:
> 1. 50L @ f1.4 - f1.6 only
> ...



With the 85 f/1.8 I was shooting at 5.6 over the weekend... it is because I was shooting my daughter with her grandfather and they weren't on the same plane... so as always... just depends on the shot. Do I normally hover around 1.8... yep.


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## verysimplejason (Oct 1, 2013)

not much except my 100mm F2.8 USM macro and the 55-250. For other primes, it's mostly about F2.2 to F11 depending on how much DOF I need.


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## anthonyd (Oct 1, 2013)

I shoot wide open when I want subject isolation. I shoot wide closed (ok ok, corny) when I do landscapes, and I shoot whatever the camera says when controlling the speed is more important, like in this one:


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## J.R. (Oct 1, 2013)

Thanks for the replies.

I'm a hobby shooter and most of my shooting for the past one and a half year was with the 24-105 f/4, 70-200 f/4 and the 100-400 at f/5.6. Personally, I found these lenses wide open (at f/4 and f/5.6) to give me all the DOF I needed and probably more which got me into getting the faster lenses. 

The 24-70 II was purchased earlier this year and it has been used between f/2.8 to f/5.6 but more often than not, wide open. 

The 50mm f/1.4 prime is used mostly indoors in low light where I need the lens faster than f/2.8 - so again wide open or f/2.2.

The 135L is used when I'm taking pictures of my kids / in low light and/or while shooting random sports - so mostly at f/2 to give me great bokeh and fast shutter speed. 

The only lens I use mostly stopped down is the 100mm macro which I found I use mostly at f/11 or smaller.

The 16-35 II and the 70-200 II were acquired just this past week so things may change yet


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## agierke (Oct 1, 2013)

as Nuero said, i shoot at whatever aperture that gives me the required depth of field that the situation calls for.

that being said, i almost never shoot "wide open" as i prefer to stop down at least 2/3rds+ stops to maximize sharpness when i'm shooting for that "bokeh look".


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## Etienne (Oct 1, 2013)

Depends on lens and subject, but to generalize:

16-35 2.8L II .... usually between 5.6 and 16. Sometimes 22 for DOF, sometimes 2.8 in really low light
24- 105 .... usuall f/4 to 5.6. Occasionally 16-22 for landscape deep DOF
28 2.8 IS .... usually 2.8 - 4
40 2.8 .... hardly ever use it
50 1.4 usually f/2 ... sometimes 5.6 - 11 for incredible sharpness
70-200 2.8 IS II .... usually 2.8. Occasionally 4- 5.6 for easier in focus video


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## BrandonKing96 (Oct 1, 2013)

It depends. 
I normally use a 24-70 II. I shoot at f/2.8 90% of the time. The times I stop down is when I don't want such a shallow depth of field and when the light is too much to get a nice picture.


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## Max ☢ (Oct 1, 2013)

Hi - I shoot mostly landscapes, cityscapes and still lifes and the aperture I use depends on many factors and on the lens I use:

¤ at night I mostly use really fast glass (24LII/1.4, 35/2.0IS and 85LII/1.2) at their widest aperture in order to prevent motion blur and limit ISOs. That's very handy in the many cases I can't set-up a tripod (in museums, on the streets, etc...), and I usually work around the "issue" of shallow DoF by using the most appropriate focal length and doing multi exposures (if I really need a long DoF that is).

¤ in broad daylight and/or when I can use a tripod, I use a wider selection of lenses from the 8-15L/4 to the 70-300L/3.5-5.6IS, which I usually stop down by one to three stops in order to optimize sharpness. If I need a better subject isolation then I often open the lens to its widest aperture. For landscape I usually stop down further in order to increase the DoF but I avoid going beyond f/13 to prevent the loss of sharpness due to diffraction.


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## Sporgon (Oct 1, 2013)

No, because it rarely gives me the dof that I require. For the landscape panoramic shots I'm always at f8 to f11. Don't want to go smaller than f11 due to resolution drop off. 

When using faster lenses and wanting to isolate the subject I'd only be fully open if a reasonable distance from subject. If very close then even f4 gives a very shallow DoF depending on focal length. I suppose the lenses that would get used most by myself at a wider aperture are faster wide angles where even close to the subject you've got reasonable dof at 2.8. 

Speaking from a personal point of view I see a lot of ultra shallow depth of field pictures that would have been better if they had a little deeper plane of focus.


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## lucuias (Oct 1, 2013)

I shoot wedding,and I always shoot wide open .
Canon 24-70 F/2.8 USM Mark I at F/2.8
Canon 35mm F/1.4 USM at F/1.4
Canon 20mm F/2.8 USM at F/2.8
Canon 70-200mm F/2.8 IS USM MarkII at F/2.8


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## noncho (Oct 1, 2013)

40 2.8 - usually 2.8-5.6
60 2.8 - 2.8-11
200 2.8 L II - 3.2-5.6, with 1.4 extender - 5.0-7.1
EF-M 22/2 - 2.0-4.0
EF-M 18-55 IS STM - 5.6-8.0 

If I want to shot wide open usually 1/3 stop down is good for even for high quality primes.


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## BozillaNZ (Oct 3, 2013)

Yes I shoot my 24L II at f1.4 all the time, either f1.4 for close up portaits or f8 for landscapes.

70-200 II, yup, f2.8 all the time.

S50 would need to be stopped down to 1.8 to give good sharpness / contrast.

16-35 II is the 'dog' in my line up and when doing landscape I will use f11 and manual focus most of the time. Open up and the corner makes you go "ouch!"


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## surapon (Oct 3, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> I shoot at the aperture I need for the DoF I want, with concessions sometimes made to get a high enough shutter speed/low enough ISO. Good lenses mean I'm not afraid to shoot wide open when I need to, and with the exception of my fast holy trinity of primes, I do shoot wide open a fair bit of time.



+1 for me too
Yes, I agree with my teacher Mr. neuroanatomist that " I shoot at the aperture I need for the DoF I want". 

Yes, Depend on our Need and the Purpose of that single Photo. Yes, If I want to make the Background to support the main subject---Not Interfere , I just Open the F. Stop wide like 1.2 of 85 mm, MK II, Photos # #2 and # 3 ( The DOF will be very super Shallow)----But If I want to keep the total Sharp of subject such as human/ Model, I just use 2-3 Step down Such as 1.8 or 2.8 , Photo # 1, for to see what in the back ground just for the story teller. If I shoot the Scenery View, I try to use 8.0 up to 10.0 for the most of Sharp of DOF., If I want to get the star effected( with out Have the Stars filter in that time ), of shoot direct to the sun between the tree branch, I will set the F. Stop up to 16.0 or the smallest FD. Stop of that Lens.----Big BUT, If we use the small F. Stop beyond 11.0, We will suffer of Lens Diffraction, "Diffraction is a loss of sharpness or resolution caused by photographing with small f/stops"

Yes, Just the Theory, But I do not care, I will set the F. Stop as I need, Shoot 3-5 Photos at Difference F. Stop, And Select the Photos in the Big LCD. Computer screen.
Nice to talk to you, Sir.
Surapon

PS/. Photo # 1 = F = 2.8 ( 70-200 MK I)
Photo # 2. # 3 = F = 1.2 ( 85 mm MK II)
Photo # 4 F= 11.0 ( 100 MM L IS Macro)


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## surapon (Oct 3, 2013)

The Sample of Difference F. Stop.
Photos # 1, # 2, = at F 13.0, Very Shallow DOF for Canon EF 600 MM. at Long Distant.
But Photo # 3, For 11 mm Lens at F = 5.0, Very deep DOF.
Enjoy.
Surapon


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## AcutancePhotography (Oct 3, 2013)

I usually shoot about 2 stops closed down. I buy a 1.4 lens not to shoot at 1.4 but to shoot at 2.8 for sharpness. 

The only time I shoot wide open is when I have no other choice to get the picture or when I specifically want limited DoF.


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