landscape Snowy Home Sweet Home

Thanks for your comments.

Please enlarge photo

Hi Breylac,

A cozy scene. A nice "get away" place to enjoy the peacefulness of Nature.

Normally, most 85 mm focal length lens ( fixed or 85 mm zoom settings) provide better image characteristics at F/5.6.

The use of F/11 for this rustic scene is fine for the limited level of definition provided by the f-stop used.

Best Regards, Mike

Thanks a lot Mike for your debriefing and your advise. I will remember that f/5.6 provide better characteristics. 

It's a fixed Canon 85 mm. My preoccupation for this photo was to have the biggest DOF, so I used f/11.

Thanks again Mike.

Benoit.

Hi Benoit,

Yes, I understand your using F/11.

For any good lens (which the Canon fixed 85 mm lens is) , the DOF represents image compromise because the lens  has only one real point for best focus. The more stopped down a lens is, the less information is recorded to the sensor.

In the case of closer working distance, the DOF for a 85 mm lens is more limited than it would be for a 24mm to 50 mm lens at the same f-stop setting.

For myself, I first look at the working distance I have to use to make the shot. If is is a closer range, say 10 feet or so, then a shorter focal length lens will provide the DOF required at F/4 or F/5.6 without much discernable loss in definition.

As long as the amount of de-focus is NOT detected by the camera sensor used , the DOF is "true".

Otherwise using a larger f-stop provides the "perception of focus", when in fact the image is not sharp. A small image display has the perception of being sharp because the finer detailed elements are not visible and our mind "fills-in" what we actually see.

It is always a trade-off between true DOF and perceived DOF.

I use the focal length to provide me both the True DOF and highest definition, as I often shoot wide open or one to two f-stops below that setting.

Best Regards my friend, Mike

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your explanations. It's very helpful for me to read your advice and I appreciate very much that you take time for sharing your know-how.

Best regards my friend.