Best aperture for macro photography

[Soto]

Hello guys,

I was shoting some insects today and this question came into my mind... what is the best aperture to capture the most details in macro photography?

The thing is that my camera would let me go all the way up to f/40 and I was like... what the hell.. I took some pictures in f/40 but I couldn't get a sharp shot. I get a very sharp photo when using f/16, 18 and 22... after that I need more light from the flash and more ISO. I don't like to go over ISO200 when shooting macro so that's why I stay in those aperture values.

Well, what do you guys think about this?...

[GraemeL]

Depending on the lens etc, I have a 50D and a Canon 100mm F2.8, I have come to the conclusion that most of the time to use F11 plus a flash if needed and a shutter speed of around 260.

I am still learning but this is what I have gleaned from reading various posts on the net.

Graeme

[LordV]

Difficult question to answer because you can argue you more detail with greater DOF ( ie small apertures) simply because more is in focus (even though it's softer). You have to balance sharpness vs DOF. As above- I tend not to shoot smaller than F11 at 1:1.
Brian V.

[John_B]

Soto,
Only you can answer what is the best aperture for your macro photo. I personally set f/11 as a standard and then adjust according to the scene.

[Soto]

Difficult question to answer because you can argue you more detail with greater DOF ( ie small apertures) simply because more is in focus (even though it's softer). You have to balance sharpness vs DOF. As above- I tend not to shoot smaller than F11 at 1:1.
Brian V.

Hello LordV... I remember you saying in another thread "For flash shots - camera in M mode ISo100, 1/200th F11 is a good place to start"... it really is a good starting point

[dpastern]

I typically shoot at f11, unless I'm trying natural light shots, or trying something different focal plane wise. As Brian has said, larger f stops like f22 will give you more DOF, but at the expense of sharpness due to diffraction issues. This is becoming more and more important with newer cameras imho - smaller and smaller pixel size due to pixel cramming.

Dave

[martines34]

From reading the "macro" books the optimum is to shoot at f32.

Experience will help you select the ISO and shutter aperture.

I find that "live view" is the most important function for me to judge with and use. I wouldn't think of a macro shoot without live view and a tripod. The lower the ISO the better the shot.

Another thing is the use and need of the new inexpensive infrared shutter releases.

[asty80]

I try F16 normally...will try F11 based on the advice here..thanks!

[bokchoi]

f/11 in my experience has been the typical sweet spot for 1:1 macro lenses, including my Sigma 150mm and my friend's Canon 100mm.

For greater than 1:1, however, I find that diffraction softness becomes much more visible if I shoot smaller than f/8. I generally find that trading sharpness for DOF is usually not a good trade off, and I will attempt to focus stack instead in such cases.

[alann]

F32!?!?!?! What book? Don't want to waste $$$.

[LordV]

F32!?!?!?! What book? Don't want to waste $$$.

:) :) - agree though!

Brian V.