best aperture opening

what is the best aperture opening on EF 300mm f2.8 L II tele lens for sharp images. Though its very sharp even at f2.8. and shutter speed also matters.

jai.

The "sweet spot" for most lenses is about 2 stops down from wide open, but that varies. One tester claims that F8 is the sharpest.

Looking at Canon's MTF, f/8 is a bit sharper then f/2.8 but were talking about minuscule differences. Shoot at whatever aperture you need for the image you are trying to get. I doubt that you will be able to see the difference unless you start pixel peeping at sub-100% levels.

I normally use f5.6 at 1/1250th for enough depth of field and freezing movement. But wide open can work too.

Photo from bildeb0rg's gallery.
Image hosted by forum (1022239)

Thanks. Great photo.

Jai.

Thanks, hope you get the answers you are looking for

I have heard that 2 stops down.
Each lens may be different.
I would set up a tripod and take a several photos of something with crisp lines and details.

With the Canon 300mm f/4, the best resolution MTF value determined by photozone.de comes at f/8 ...two f/stops down from wide open.