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12/18/2006 04:20:12 AM · #1 |
I've seen a few references and quotes that seem to imply something special or indeed magical about shooting at f/8 - what, if anything, is this all about?
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12/18/2006 04:23:27 AM · #2 |
some people claims that F8 is where most lens are at their sharpest.
how true, I dont know. |
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12/18/2006 04:26:33 AM · #3 |
F/8 is generally the sharpest aperture
to late :P
Message edited by author 2006-12-18 04:26:54. |
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12/18/2006 04:27:15 AM · #4 |
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12/18/2006 04:34:52 AM · #5 |
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12/18/2006 04:38:30 AM · #6 |
I really don´t know, I mostly use apertures from f1.4-4 so beats me :)
Only really close down the aperture to f8 or smaller when shooting landscapes in daylight but yeah, what they said, sharpest aperture and allt that, usually the "sweet spot" of lenses. |
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12/18/2006 04:55:58 AM · #7 |
| It gives a nice depth of field for shooting quickly with little time to compose in decent light. For example, street candids. |
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12/18/2006 05:00:43 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by nickp37:
It gives a nice depth of field for shooting quickly with little time to compose in decent light. For example, street candids. |
Is f8 really fast enough for street candids?
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12/18/2006 05:04:13 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by crayon:
Is f8 really fast enough for street candids? |
In good light (daytime outdoors) with a normal focal length 50 or equivilent, yes. You wont stop a speeding car, but walking people should be no problem. |
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12/18/2006 05:18:30 AM · #10 |
"F/8 and be there" is a carryover from 35mm film journalism days. Most of these people would have been shooting Kodak's Tri-X film, or PLus-X, depending on indoors/outdoors. Tri-X was ASA (now ISO) 400, Plus-X ASA 125. "Sunny 16" rule gives outdoor exposure as f/16 at the reciprocal of the film speed, which means Plus-X gives you 1/125 @ f/16 or 1/250 @ f/8. With the standard 50mm lens photojournalists used as a walkaround (some used a 35mm lens) this shutter speed is amply fast for outdoor work, and the aperture (f/8) is small enough for adequate depth of field to forgive manual focusing on the fly.
It actually has very little to do with the sweet spot of the lens, as all decent lenses have adequate performance throughout their aperture range for photojournalistic work. It's much more about "keep your lens at f/8, your shutter speed at 1/125, and your focus at hyperfocal and you're ready for anything that may jump out at you."
One thing you learn early on in photojournalism on breaking events is "lift the camera to your eye, shoot, then start focusing", basically. Don't waste any time trying to "get it perfect" until you have first recorded it.
R.
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12/18/2006 05:20:22 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
"F/8 and be there" is a carryover from 35mm film journalism days. Most of these people would have been shooting Kodak's Tri-X film, or PLus-X, depending on indoors/outdoors. Tri-X was ASA (now ISO) 400, Plus-X ASA 125. "Sunny 16" rule gives outdoor exposure as f/16 at the reciprocal of the film speed, which means Plus-X gives you 1/125 @ f/16 or 1/250 @ f/8. With the standard 50mm lens photojournalists used as a walkaround (some used a 35mm lens) this shutter speed is amply fast for outdoor work, and the aperture (f/8) is small enough for adequate depth of field to forgive manual focusing on the fly.
It actually has very little to do with the sweet spot of the lens, as all decent lenses have adequate performance throughout their aperture range for photojournalistic work. It's much more about "keep your lens at f/8, your shutter speed at 1/125, and your focus at hyperfocal and you're ready for anything that may jump out at you."
One thing you learn early on in photojournalism on breaking events is "lift the camera to your eye, shoot, then start focusing", basically. Don't waste any time trying to "get it perfect" until you have first recorded it.
R. |
See....I told you to ask the Bear!
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12/18/2006 09:40:41 AM · #12 |
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12/18/2006 09:45:05 AM · #13 |
F7 is dull at parties and F9 will drink all of your beer - so F8 is a no-brainer. ;)
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12/18/2006 09:47:10 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
"keep your lens at f/8, your shutter speed at 1/125, and your focus at hyperfocal and you're ready for anything that may jump out at you."
R. |
Now that would make an interesting challenge... "f/8 @ 1/125".
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12/18/2006 09:48:24 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by mad_brewer:
Now that would make an interesting challenge... "f/8 @ 1/125". |
Yes it would, wouldn't it?
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12/18/2006 09:55:16 AM · #16 |
Originally posted by mad_brewer:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
"keep your lens at f/8, your shutter speed at 1/125, and your focus at hyperfocal and you're ready for anything that may jump out at you."
R. |
Now that would make an interesting challenge... "f/8 @ 1/125". |
Sure... except that I wouldn't be able to participate. Only on rare occasions will my camera consent to f/8... most of the time the highest it will let me go is f/7.9 :P
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12/18/2006 09:56:39 AM · #17 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
Originally posted by mad_brewer:
Now that would make an interesting challenge... "f/8 @ 1/125". |
Yes it would, wouldn't it? |
It would be a fun challenge, but it pretty much requires a camera with a full manual mode to comply with the instructions. IN Av or Tv you can nail one of them, the other is hit-or-miss.
R.
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12/18/2006 09:57:18 AM · #18 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
Originally posted by mad_brewer:
Now that would make an interesting challenge... "f/8 @ 1/125". |
Yes it would, wouldn't it? |
I can hear the Nikonians starting to gnash their teeth...
f/8 @ 1/125 @ ISO 100 would the full thing, but you'd need a camera that has an ISO 100 setting :)
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12/18/2006 09:57:30 AM · #19 |
Originally posted by karmabreeze:
Sure... except that I wouldn't be able to participate. Only on rare occasions will my camera consent to f/8... most of the time the highest it will let me go is f/7.9 :P |
F/7.9 would pass the "margin of error" criteria for thi sone I believe :-)
R.
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12/18/2006 10:06:27 AM · #20 |
F7.9 rounds just fine to F8!
To make it fair, make it an open challenge along with P&S. That way nobody gets left out.
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12/18/2006 10:07:38 AM · #21 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by karmabreeze:
Sure... except that I wouldn't be able to participate. Only on rare occasions will my camera consent to f/8... most of the time the highest it will let me go is f/7.9 :P |
F/7.9 would pass the "margin of error" criteria for thi sone I believe :-)
R. |
LOL - probably true. I would add to the challenge details, however, that no exposure correction is allowed in post. Kinda defeats the purpose of putting such specific restrictions on shooting if I can use Nikon View to properly expose my shot after the fact.
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12/18/2006 11:13:51 AM · #22 |
Originally posted by karmabreeze:
LOL - probably true. I would add to the challenge details, however, that no exposure correction is allowed in post. Kinda defeats the purpose of putting such specific restrictions on shooting if I can use Nikon View to properly expose my shot after the fact. |
Oh, I completely disagree; the whole POINT of "f/8 and be there" is that a photojournalist needs the image first and foremost; there's no substitute for that. If the exposure isn't perfect, it can be fixed in the darkroom. Those Kodak B/W films had/have a HUGE latitude for exposure, and street photographers/photojournalists definitely make use of it after the fact.
Incidentally, when I say "f/8 and be there" is a carryover from the film days, that's because with today's sophisticated auto exposure/autofocus modes the game has changed.
R.
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12/18/2006 11:24:10 AM · #23 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Incidentally, when I say "f/8 and be there" is a carryover from the film days, that's because with today's sophisticated auto exposure/autofocus modes the game has changed.
R. |
P and be there :-)
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12/18/2006 11:43:42 AM · #24 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Incidentally, when I say "f/8 and be there" is a carryover from the film days, that's because with today's sophisticated auto exposure/autofocus modes the game has changed.
R. |
Sounds like the saying is more from the days before cameras had built-in lightmeters, the fact that they were film cameras was incidental. |
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12/18/2006 11:45:39 AM · #25 |
Originally posted by hankk:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Incidentally, when I say "f/8 and be there" is a carryover from the film days, that's because with today's sophisticated auto exposure/autofocus modes the game has changed.
R. |
Sounds like the saying is more from the days before cameras had built-in lightmeters, the fact that they were film cameras was incidental. |
Not really, even with built-in light meters, it takes valuable seconds to dial in correct exposure. f/8 would get you the shot.
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