Landscapes: focus, depth of field, and aperture

[Twan]

Hello,

I'm entirely new with DSLR photography after having spent 3 years with pocket cameras, most recently a Nikon 1 J3 which had a nice range of settings. It was with this camera that I've more or less learnt to understand the basics of shutterspeed, ISO values, aperture, and white balance. It could shoot in RAW, but I've only attempted post-processing a handful of images, preferring JPEG instead.

A few days ago I've replaced my Nikon camera with a Canon D1200, which came with an additional telelens (EF 75-300mm, f/4-5.6). Because of an upcoming trip I'm entirely dedicated to honing my landscape photography skills on this new camera, and I've noticed some striking differences between my new DSLR and my old J3. Trial and error is best, and I've clearified quite a few things through practice. However, it would be great if someone could elaborate on the following points.

1. On my J3 I eventually found that f/9 was the most pleasant aperture setting for colour in my pictures (in retrospect this could've been WB adjustment, but I'm not sure). I've tried the entire range of aperture settings, which was somewhere between f/3 and 3/16. I've read that aperture correlates with depth of field, yet I've only noticed this on my DSLR and not on my J3 at all (the image was focussed entirely at all aperture settings). On my DSLR I see drastic changes in focus between aperture settings (and the individual subjects I focus on). Can someone elaborate on this?

2. I live in the Netherlands, so I can't yet experiment on mountains and landscape photography is limited to distant farm animals and windmills, thus: what aperture settings are best for landscape photography in a mountainous area in which I want focus on the entirety of the landscape?

3. On aperture: the lenses have something like f/3.5-5.6 written on them; I've heard this is aperture range. Does this mean that apertures such as f/16 won't affect my shot? What exactly do these figures indicate?

4. On this subject I've read something on 'lens sweetspot', and that although a higher aperture results in wider focus a lower aperture results in a sharper image. How does this correlate and which generally takes preference? Dependent on the subject, of course.

5. On my J3, I've noticed that ISO 400, 1/100 shutter speed, and f/7 at dim lighting gave a much brighter (or less underexposed) image than an image taken with the same settings on the DSLR, why?

6. Is it "safe" to shoot in high ISO values such as 6400, given that you can largely reduce noise in post-processing? I've substituted shutter speed for ISO in churches where no flash (nor tripod) was allowed).

7. Should I actually be bothered about white balance on my DSLR (shooting in RAW) given that I can change it on my computer?

I most likely come up with more questions just after I've posted this message, but it would be of great help if someone could help me out with these points.

Thanks,
Twan

[Saorsa]

3. On aperture: the lenses have something like f/3.5-5.6 written on them; I've heard this is aperture range. Does this mean that apertures such as f/16 won't affect my shot? What exactly do these figures indicate?

That range of apertures is simply the maximum opening for the focal range.

I don't know what lens you had with your J3 but the kit lens is indicated as 10-30mm f3.5-5.6. This means that the lens has a maximum aperture of f3.5 when at 10mm and f5.6 when set at 30mm. That doesn't affect the minimum aperture at all you can still shoot at f16 or even f32-45 according to the specs for your 70-35mm (note, that minimum aperture is also a range.

Most folks use a wide angle for landscapes. They tend to have greater DOF and that lets you keep a foreground feature in focus.

[Twan]

Thanks for the reply. I've never really thought about focal ranges and such, but with my J3 I used the kit lens. So if I understand this means that set at 10mm I cannot go below f3.5 and at 30mm I cannot go below f5.6? And yes, a wide angle lens has been my next priority, also for buildings.

[Saorsa]

1. On my J3 I eventually found that f/9 was the most pleasant aperture setting for colour in my pictures (in retrospect this could've been WB adjustment, but I'm not sure). I've tried the entire range of aperture settings, which was somewhere between f/3 and 3/16. I've read that aperture correlates with depth of field, yet I've only noticed this on my DSLR and not on my J3 at all (the image was focussed entirely at all aperture settings). On my DSLR I see drastic changes in focus between aperture settings (and the individual subjects I focus on). Can someone elaborate on this?

The difference in Depth Of Field (DOF) between your two cameras is primarily due to sensor size. There is a tutorial here which will help you more than I can in a single post.

DOF is subjective. It specifies the range of acceptable sharpness. Any calculator is an attempt to make this objective.

In landscapes, photographers like to have a foreground, middle and background to make an interesting picture. Stopping down helps you keep the front to back in focus. But you can go too far. At some point diffraction starts to reduce acuity so, there is a sweet spot for aperture. Most folks with the Nikon 1 system start to think that diffraction starts to become a problem at around f8, your f9 is very close to that so you have found that sweet spot. Larger sensors will let you stop down a bit more so the sweet spot might be f11 or f16 before diffraction becomes a problem.

In reality, you will decide the sweet spot for your style of photography.

[ionian]

Hello Twan, welcome to CiC and congrats on your new purchase. I'm going to give you very brief answers and let you read the rest of this site which will give you the basics you need to understand the concepts that I mention. I've also simplified in places to save writing an essay!

1. On my J3 I eventually found that f/9 was the most pleasant aperture setting for colour in my pictures (in retrospect this could've been WB adjustment, but I'm not sure). I've tried the entire range of aperture settings, which was somewhere between f/3 and 3/16. I've read that aperture correlates with depth of field, yet I've only noticed this on my DSLR and not on my J3 at all (the image was focussed entirely at all aperture settings). On my DSLR I see drastic changes in focus between aperture settings (and the individual subjects I focus on). Can someone elaborate on this?

A dslr has a much bigger sensor than the J3. This affects depth of field. Check out the depth of field calculator on this site for more help with this.

2. I live in the Netherlands, so I can't yet experiment on mountains and landscape photography is limited to distant farm animals and windmills, thus: what aperture settings are best for landscape photography in a mountainous area in which I want focus on the entirety of the landscape?

This will be camera and lens dependent, and how much of the foreground and infinity you want in focus. The smaller the aperture, the more is in focus. However, the smaller the aperture the more diffraction you introduce, which affects sharpness. There isn't a right answer as there are so many variables, but a quick and easy answer is f11 which will balance good depth of field and limit diffraction. Read about focal distances, and, if including foreground elements, about focus stacking.

3. On aperture: the lenses have something like f/3.5-5.6 written on them; I've heard this is aperture range. Does this mean that apertures such as f/16 won't affect my shot? What exactly do these figures indicate?

That is the minimum aperture at the extremes of your zoom range. Cheaper zooms have variable minimum apertures - so your 75-300 will have be a min of 3.5 at 75mm, and a min of f5.6 at 300mm. This affects light hitting the sensor, which affects the other elements of the exposure triangle. It will also affect depth of field.

4. On this subject I've read something on 'lens sweetspot', and that although a higher aperture results in wider focus a lower aperture results in a sharper image. How does this correlate and which generally takes preference? Dependent on the subject, of course.

No easy answer here - use the aperture that best suits your subject. Lens sweet spot tends to be a few stops higher than wide open, but it's different for different lenses, and you didn't by a dslr to shoot at a single aperture. You can produce excellent images at a range of appertures - pick the right one for the image you want to create, and then, down the line when you are confident in doing this, you can work out the strengths and weaknesses of your lenses at different apertures.

5. On my J3, I've noticed that ISO 400, 1/100 shutter speed, and f/7 at dim lighting gave a much brighter (or less underexposed) image than an image taken with the same settings on the DSLR, why?

Hmmm, this is like saying "why doesnt this apple I've just bought taste like an orange?". Use the cameras meter, and utilise A, S and P modes to help work out the correct settings for the scene you are shooting.

6. Is it "safe" to shoot in high ISO values such as 6400, given that you can largely reduce noise in post-processing? I've substituted shutter speed for ISO in churches where no flash (nor tripod) was allowed).

It is easy to remove some noise with some programmes, but you will lose detail especially in the shadows. You will need to experiment to see what settings you find acceptable for the size of image you are producing. Use as low an ISO as you can without sacrificing sharpness or introducing motion blur. But don't miss an image because you didn't want to push the ISO.

7. Should I actually be bothered about white balance on my DSLR (shooting in RAW) given that I can change it on my computer?

Yes. You can change it later but the more you get right in camera the easier post processing is. Your auto wb will, however, do the job adequately 95% of the time.


Buying a new camera is a learning curve for anyone, no matter how experienced. You have a lot to read up on because it's your first dslr. Don't be put off by this, think of all the fun you will have with your camera as you learn.

[Inkanyezi]

Hi and welcome.

It would be helpful if you edit your profile to include your name and location.

You have several questions, and some are not easy to answer without introducing even more confusion.

But I'll make a kind of try:

1. The aperture has nothing to do with colours, but depth of field and exposure. A small aperture has a high number and gives great depth of field with the J camera. With an APS-C camera, you will not experience the same great depth of field (scherptediepte). This is a function of the size of the aperture, its space angle as seen from your subject.
2. If you shoot landscape, depth of field mostly is not very important, as you will mostly get enough of it at an aperture of f/8 to f/11. It is however trickier if you have something close to the camera that you want in focus at the same time as the landscape farther away, as a flower or rock close to you and a distant mountain or forest line. Then you might need a DOF calculator to estimate how to set focus and aperture.
3. The apertures written on the lens are for the shortest and longest focal lengths of it, so 3,5 - 5,6 means that it is a f/3,5 lens at wide angle and f/5,6 when you zoom in to most tele setting. You can always set smaller apertures as needed.
4. The "sweet spot" of a lens is where it can provide optimum sharpness, but not necessarily one that you will use, as you might want more depth of field - or less.
5. If you experience differences in brightness when comparing images with the same settings, probably lighting is different, or there is a possibility that the camera adjusts exposure if set to Auto-ISO when you use manual control. Check in the camera menus and manual.
6. You can use high ISO, but the "dynamic range" will shrink. If you try to brighten the dark parts of an image shot at high ISO, it may become rather noisy, but at normal exposure for the ISO setting, noise should be reasonable.
7. You need not bother about white balance at the moment of shooting if you shoot RAW, but it is worth the while studying what effects different settings may acquire when shooting jpeg, and also find methods to support your white balance settings.

[Mike Buckley]

If you're not already aware of the factors of depth of field, keep in mind as you read the helpful posts that three factors affect it -- focal length, distance to subject and aperture. If you change any of those factors, your depth of field will change.

[Saorsa]

Thanks for the reply. I've never really thought about focal ranges and such, but with my J3 I used the kit lens. So if I understand this means that set at 10mm I cannot go below f3.5 and at 30mm I cannot go below f5.6? And yes, a wide angle lens has been my next priority, also for buildings.

Oh dear. Wide angle lenses and buildings are a completely different problem than landscapes although perspective is a factor in both.

The aperture numbers on your lenses are meaningful in terms of the inverse square law. In fact, the lower the number the larger the aperture.

We call those f-stops and the conventional sequence is

f1.4 (2) - f2.0 (4) - 2.8 (8) - f4.0 (16) - f5.6 (32) - f8.0 (64) etc.

Each time you open your lens one stop say from f4.0 to f2.8 you double the amount of light reaching the sensor.

So, the lowest number indicated on your lens is actually the maximum aperture. The diaphragm actually closes and reduces the size of the opening. You will see more about this in the tutorial referenced above.

In some cases finding the tutorials requires a bit of understanding of terminology so keep asking questions and folks will help you along the way.

[William W]

A few days ago I've replaced my Nikon camera with a Canon D1200, which came with an additional telelens (EF 75-300mm, f/4-5.6).

Many resellers have a “twin lens kit” including the EOS 1200D.

Please confirm the details of the gear that you have bought:

1. The new camera is EOS 1200D

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2. The other lens you bought is: EF-S 18 to 55 F/3.5~5.6 MkIII
(Len’s model is indicated at front of lens, released 2011)


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3. The telephoto zoom is: EF 75mm to 300mm F4~5.6 Mk III
(Len’s model is indicated on top of barrel at front, released 2009).


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Assuming that you confirm those details, then here are a few additional considerations specific to that camera and those two lenses.

You mention that you are new to DSLR - BUT - you do have three years photography experience. Some of this detail might be useful now and some you might like to refer to later as you experiment and learn with your new gear:

1. Neither of those lenses has IS (Image Stabilization). So (as one example), in low light when the subject is static you will still need to use a shutter speed that is fast enough such that it will compensate for any camera movement so the image does not have a noticeable BLUR.

Shooting inside Churches (just as one example) - it would be very useful if you learned and practiced using the camera against a support (for example the edge of a pew or column) thus allowing a slower Shutter Speed and thereby allowing a lower ISO for any given Aperture.

Note that some venues which do not allow a Tripod will allow a Monopod. Note that a Monopod can easily easily converted into one version of a 'string tripod' - which if used correctly is very stable.

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2a. Both lenses are VARYING MAXIMUM APERTURE (the lens’s nomenclature has already been explained).

Further to this point: note that the LARGEST aperture for each lens is at the WIDEST focal length, so therefore if you need to shoot in low light, consider that you can leverage a FASTER SHUTTER speed if you shoot with a WIDER Focal Length, perhaps then making a crop in post production to attain the framing that you required.

2b. Be aware of the SHUTTER SPEED IF the aperture changes as a result of you zooming the lens. This point can be critical if you are reliant upon the shutter speed that you calculated for a wide shot and then you zoom in to a telephoto shot.

For example you might have made a shot at FL=18mm and the aperture was F/3.5 and the shutter speed was 1/50s, then, in the same lighting, you zoom in to make another shot at FL=55mm . . . as a result of zooming your Maximum Aperture available will change from F/3.5 to F/5.6 and if you sustain the same ISO, your Shutter speed will drop to 1/20s. Combined with the tighter framing because of the longer Focal Length, the Shutter Speed of 1/20s is likely to result in a blurred image in many shooting situations - the same logic applies to the F/4~5.6 telephoto zoom lens.

2c. As a rule of thumb, you can expect the smallest aperture indicated on a Varying Maximum Aperture Zoom lens will become the MAXIMUM Aperture Available when the lens reaches the midpoint of it FL compass.

In other words, for the 18mm to 55mm lens the midpoint of the compass is 36.5mm, so the lens's maximum aperture is F/5.6 for all FL's from 36mm to 55mm.

Similarly the telephoto zoom has reached its maximum aperture of F/5.6, from about FL=187mm.

This is an important point because I note that quite a few photographers expect the smallest indicted, maximum aperture ONLY happens when the lens reaches the longest Focal Length.

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3. Concerning Varying Maximum Aperture Zoom Lenses, the lens’s sweet spot (I think it is better to term it “sweet spot range for aperture”) will vary with the Focal Length.

For example the 18 to 55 lens referenced when used at 18mm will perform very well at F/5.6 to F/9, but when used at 55mm that lens’s best overall performance is found between F/8 and F/11.

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4. Mostly all Zoom Lenses also have a “sweet spot range for Focal Length”.

The two lenses referenced perform overall slightly worse as they approach their maximum Focal Length and this is more so for the 70 to 300, but much of this deterioration in overall performance can be compensated by using an aperture around F/8~F/11 if possible and anyway the major issues are at the edges of the image circle and will not be noticed anyway whilst you use that particular lens on an APS-C format Camera.

So as a summary for the two lenses - if you use either of them at their longer/longest Focal Lengths, then if possible do try to stop the lens down to around F/8~F/11 to get the best performance from the lens but this is less important when the lenses are nearer their widest Focal Lengths.

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5. Concerning using High ISO: it si usually always better to not do so if you can avoid it, but if you do need to use high ISO then: do NOT underexpose.

In fact, if necessary, consider overexposing the highlights just a little bit, even to the point of blowing some highlights, if that allows the MAIN SUBJECT, NOT to be underexposed.

Specifically, I would be comfortable pushing an EOS1200D to ISO 3200 as the FIRST CHOICE when it was necessary.

Before I pushed beyond ISO 3200, I would seriously consider dropping Shutter Speed or opening Aperture, as the first choice.

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6a. Concerning setting White Balance when capturing in raw: the EOS Cameras have an effective AWB function and it is very good at attaining an appropriate white balance in most situations.

However, in my opinion there are several considerations for setting a Manual White Balance and none disallows for the White Balance (and also the Colour Balance) to be adjusted in Post Production.

These first three may be major considerations and the last two are generally minor considerations:

6b. Setting a manual white balance allows for all the images to be opened in the raw converter at the same WB point and this may be useful for a more easy comparison of images or batch processing of images which are made under the same LIGHTING SCENARIO.

6c. Setting a manual white balance allows for consistency when the lighting of the scene forms part of the image’s intrinsic colours – for one example: a stage production

6d. Setting an Manual White Balance allows for a easier comparison of images made in the same general area but under varying and mixed lighting scenarios (mixed colour temperatures) - for one example: walking around any indoor area where sunlight through widows and (artificial) room lights illuminate the scene, each to a varying degree.

6e. The review image file (viewed on the camera’s screen) is affected by the White Balance selection.

6f. The histogram and (to a lesser extent) the blinkies are affected by the white balance selection.

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Thanks for the reply. I've never really thought about focal ranges and such, but with my J3 I used the kit lens. So if I understand this means that set at 10mm I cannot go below f3.5 and at 30mm I cannot go below f5.6?

As you do not have the Nikon camera, it is probably more relevant to answer assuming that you do have the canon EF-S 18 to 55 lens previously referenced – here is your question re-written:

So if I understand this means that set at 18mm I cannot go below f3.5 and at 55mm I cannot go below f5.6?

If “cannot go below” means “cannot get a larger aperture / smaller ‘F Number’ “ - then yes, your understanding is correct. See my point 2c., above.

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A wide angle lens has been my next priority, also for buildings.

Canon make an excellent EF-S 10 to 22.

WW

(Images copyright Canon and re-published for purposes of education)

[William W]

Notwithstanding those detailed points above:

1. Understand that the gear you have is capable of making high quality images, even when using the extremes of the lenses and the ISO of the camera.

Those points above are listed to assist you to make informed choices, especially when shooting in low light and/or at the technical extremes of your lens and/or camera.

As an indication – your gear is capable of superior technical quality to these two samples below, which were made more than ten years ago using the original EF-S 18 to 55 F/3.5~5.6 lens (released 2004):

In this first sample the lens is at 33mm (a good FL sweet spot), but it is at largest aperture. The camera at its maximum ISO - ISO1600, the shot was pulled hand held at 1/40s:



In this sample the lens is at the extreme 18mm and at largest aperture (F/3.5). The camera is one stop below its maximum ISO, ISO 800, the shot was pulled is hand held at 1/50s:



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2. To attain the best Final Digital Image, one needs to apply: effective, proportional and condition specific Post Production.

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3. The main aim of Post Production is to enhance the best possible image file, not to rescue a technically inferior image file.

WW

Images © AJ Group Pty Ltd Aust 1996~2016 WMW 1965~1996

[dem]

1. "I've read that aperture correlates with depth of field, yet I've only noticed this on my DSLR and not on my J3 at all (the image was focussed entirely at all aperture settings)".

While it is more noticeable on the DSLR due to its bigger sensor, you should be able to see the effect of aperture on background blur on your J3 when you focus on a subject that is about 2 meters away. Note that the amount of blur is expected to be the same at different apertures on different sensors, e.g. the blur you get on J3 at f/3.5 will be comparable to the blur on your DSLR at f/6.4.

2. ... what aperture settings are best for landscape photography in a mountainous area in which I want focus on the entirety of the landscape?

As others said f/8-f/11 is a good range, but if you want to have sharp foreground (2 meters away) and sharp background (a mile away), you might have to go up to f/16 or even f/22 at the expense of loosing some sharpness throughout the image due to diffraction (or use a tripod + focus stacking technique). Always take a few shots at different apertures and with different focus points.

5. On my J3, I've noticed that ISO 400, 1/100 shutter speed, and f/7 at dim lighting gave a much brighter (or less underexposed) image than an image taken with the same settings on the DSLR, why?

I can think of three reasons that could have contributed to that.

1) Different manufactures have their own ways of interpreting ISO values but usually agree within about 2/3 stop.

2) Different JPEG settings can change the image appearance quite a lot even for a given camera. Setting all sliders to neutral/standard/default on different cameras will still not guarantee that their output can be compared but this is what most review sites are doing anyway. If you only noticing the difference in dim light, the chances are that one of the cameras is set up to brighten the shadows and the other is not.

3) make sure the exposure compensation dial is set to zero.


Finally, some other things you might want to consider looking into:

1) light and composition (what makes a good landscape photo, check other people's work for inspiration)

2) equipment (tripod, remote release, polarizer, neutral density filters)

3) shooting techniques (focus stacking, panorama, long exposure)

[rpcrowe]

You have already received some very valid replies. Let me add a bit or be a bit redundant...

a. Unless you have become proficient at determining (or letting your camera determine) the exposure, I would recommend using auto exposure bracketing. This, when you have your Canon DSLR on burst mode, will give you three shots: one shot as the meter reads, one shot over (I would select one stop bracketing) and one shot under what your meter reads. You will get three bracketed shots every time you press the shutter button and the camera will then stop shooting until the next time you press the shutter button. If you are proficient in determining what aperture at which to shoot, use aperture priority exposure selection. If you are not proficient, shoot in programmed automatic.

b. Buy a decent circular polarizing filter for your landscape shooting. The polarizer is one filter that I would not do without. Here is a link to YouTube videos on polarizing filters.
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...arizing+filter

c. Get and learn how to use a decent tripod. Tripods can really add to any camera/lens combination's capabilities and will level the playing field quite a bit when you are shooting with kit lenses. If you have a tripod, get a cable release which will ensure that the camera is steady at the moment of exposure,

d. Don't think that landscape photography is only for wide angle lenses. Long focal lengths certainly can add to many images, especially by compressing distances.

e. Definitely get used to shooting in RAW. RAW gives you many advantages over JPEG shooting.