Photography Let's talk about aperture

[kzurro]

for macro, mine is almost always fixed at f/8. I rarely use f/11 and never smaller than that, as it produces a lot of softness due to diffraction. sometimes I go wider than f/8 to get a more blurry background, but as the DoF becomes thinner, I usually step back a bit, sacrificing magnification and cropping in post.

Having you aperture that hight, you are using flashlight? I do sometimes set mine at f8 too. But depends what I'm shooting.

I used to shoot without flash, at f/8 1/320 (and with IS enabled, yes, my hands are that shaky), but of course, that meant using high ISOs at times.

I tried to use flash, but didn't like the results I got when using a couple different diffusers, until I found one of these.

 

[kzurro]

My favorite aperture is 14-16. But this point definitely needs clarification: not all manufacturers bother with recalculating and notifying the Effective Aperture. For example, Nikon does it, but Canon does not. Therefore, on my nikkor 105 I see the real state of affairs, but on the Canon MPE65 - no. But the matter is fixable - the network is full of tables that help to understand the real state of affairs. It is more important to understand for yourself which aperture is optimal and where the photographer is willing to put up with diffraction. Interestingly, the MPE65 lens with F/16 equal to F/16 onNikkor 105, for example, is less prone to diffraction. Well-organized outside light means you don't have to worry too much about the aperture. Post-processing and a bit of sharpening also help with the aperture limits. Here is an example of a shot at a closed aperture, where the equivalent value reaches F/96!

there's a formula for effective aperture: f-number*(magnification+1), so with my 1:1 lens at maximun magnification, as I almost always use f/8, the effective aperture would be 8*(1+1)=16.

 

[Helix_2648]

Hi Jack,

interesting topic. It really depends on what you want to do. I don't use f/2.8 very often unless I want to isolate something from the background. Since I stack most of my macros I use mostly f/4 up to F/5.6.

But I change it to f/14-f/20 if I use my Raynox MSN-505 to get an acceptable DOF even if I stack the picture.

I take landscape or architectural pictures mostly at f/13 during the day and f/8 during night.

But at the end each lens has a specific aperture where you can archive the optimal sharpness. It's mostly around f/8 to f/11. So this might be also an interesting point to consider.

 

[Jack]

for macro, mine is almost always fixed at f/8. I rarely use f/11 and never smaller than that, as it produces a lot of softness due to diffraction. sometimes I go wider than f/8 to get a more blurry background, but as the DoF becomes thinner, I usually step back a bit, sacrificing magnification and cropping in post.

Having you aperture that hight, you are using flashlight? I do sometimes set mine at f8 too. But depends what I'm shooting.

I just checked the link, and seems to be kind of diffuser. In my experience, I prefer to have a bit higher ISO, and having my aperture around f6-8, to avoid out-of focus or any blur spots. If its necessary, I will use tripod or flash.

 

[Jack]

Hi Jack,

interesting topic. It really depends on what you want to do. I don't use f/2.8 very often unless I want to isolate something from the background. Since I stack most of my macros I use mostly f/4 up to F/5.6.

But I change it to f/14-f/20 if I use my Raynox MSN-505 to get an acceptable DOF even if I stack the picture.

I take landscape or architectural pictures mostly at f/13 during the day and f/8 during night.

But at the end each lens has a specific aperture where you can archive the optimal sharpness. It's mostly around f/8 to f/11. So this might be also an interesting point to consider.

That's also one more reason why I'm using max aperture of f2. 8 to get as much light as possible and to get my subject sharp. But, its a lot what do you want to achieve from the photo.

 

[Dalantech]

I'm usually shooting single frames from F11 to F14 at 1x to 5x magnification. A lot of the image softness that people attribute to diffraction is actually caused by motion (not enough to cause "streaking" but enough to amplify diffraction) or to a lens that's not producing a sharp image circle. Take control of the motion in the scene, use a well diffused flash to freeze what motion is left, and diffraction isn't that big of a deal.

I found a feeding Chafer Beetle that was more hungry than afraid.

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (over 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI and Clarity in that order. I used an artificial flower to keep the background from being black.

View attachment 15529Feeding Chafer Beetle by John Kimbler, on Flickr

 

[Roman/F96]

I have observed that MP-E is less prone to diffraction than many other lenses. It is noticeable at F/ 14 and F/ 16, which I shoot most of the time. With proper post-processing, the quality of the photos is absolutely amazing.

 

[Dalantech]

I don't think that it's actually less prone to diffraction. The MP-E has a floating lens group that adjusts the focus as the mag changes. Diffraction can be amplified if the lens itself isn't very sharp, or if something is added to it that decreases its sharpness (even extension tubes can make a lens softer even though it's just an air gap). I do think that the MP-E is sharper at F14 than at F16 and the difference can't be explained by diffraction alone.

 

[Roman/F96]

I've had experience with a wide variety of macro lenses. For example, Nikkor 60 / 2.8 "afs and 105 / 2.8 vr are deservedly considered very sharp lenses. And if at 1: 1 magnification the files from Nikon and Canon MPE (at f16) look very similar. But after adding sharpness in Photoshop, the file with MPE looks like much, much sharper. on aperture f/4-8 the files from all three lenses are absolutely the same. after several comparisons I sold all my nikon gear.

 

[Dalantech]

the MP-E is razor sharp.