jearlwebb

I like to shoot landscapes. I have read my "sweet spot" on the Sony SAL1650 is F8. For better DOF I know F16 or greater is suggested to use but I do not want to loose detail. Anyone have any suggestions on the best aperture setting for good detail landscape photography? The lens is mounted on a Sony A77 ll. Also, same question but when bracketing for HDR best F stop?. Thank you for your help.

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

From what I have read loss of detail starts at apertures smaller than f16 (f22 etc). One solution is to shoot several images, focused at different distances into the landscape and then combine them using focus stacking software. I think that if you stay at f16 or below (f8 etc) you will be OK for HDR. You will get some very long DOF (4 feet to inf.)at the wide angle end of your lens even at f8 so you would only need to use 'tricks' as you move to less wide focal lengths. Best advice is to experiment and see what works for you.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

As a long time user of this lens f8 SHOULD be fine. Of course the further away from your first point of focus the less stop down you will need. You also have a button to push to check depth of field. F8 should give you what you want, but that may change depending on what you are shooting. If you have a series of objects at different points and your really close to the first point you may want to change your focus point, ie. don't focus on the first object, focus on the second or third and this will allow your DOF to include all objects. Remember, the further you stop down a lens, the less sharp your photo COULD be. I use a range on that lens from F8 to F11. I rarely use any other F stop but in that range.

jearlwebb

Thank you everyone for your replies. I have been using autofocus because of my poor eyesight. After much reading I find manual focus "hyperfocal" is suggested for the best results for DOF. I will experiment and get back to the post with my results. I am shooting desert cactus scenes right now scattered close to far away. Will also try the 1/3 focal point.

KTJohnson Loc: Northern Michigan

Your camera should also have what is called "focus peaking" available (mine does, the Sony A77).

Go to: Menu > Settings (gear) > 2, go down to Peaking Level, try Mid, hit enter, go down to Peaking Color, try yellow.

Now, as you focus on the scene, that yellow color will highlight exactly what area is in focus. As you focus in & out, you can watch it move from foreground to background. Very helpful.