What DOF?

I hope to get some great landscapes when I go out West next year. But I am struggling with how to be sure aperature setting gives me a sharp, focused picture. It is hard on the small screen of the rebel xt to tell much about depth of field. I would hate to shoot the Grand Tetons and find the forground sharp and the Tetons soft. Any general suggestions?

Thanks.

if you shoot above f8.0 that will generally give you the DOF you need for landscapes...

sari

Hi

With an XT try f/8-f/11. You also might find manual focus works better as autofocus will sometimes 'cling' onto something at the wrong distance.

Thanks for the quick response.

hmv wrote in post #2256855
Hi

With an XT try f/8-f/11. You also might find manual focus works better as autofocus will sometimes 'cling' onto something at the wrong distance.

You said, with an xt, try 8 to 11. What is you were using a 5d? Should that make any difference?

Highest f/ number you can get (22 or so). Tripod or stable setting for the camera is a must.

If in doubt, bracket the apertures between 8 and the highest the lens can go and see what results you get.

If you can, take your laptop with you in the car and look at the shots right away.

I agree with the f8-f11 (I usually use f11)...but the general landscape rule is to focus about 1/3 way into your photo and then recompose...you'll get the best dof that way...

and no, it doesn't matter which camera you use...(p&s get great dof because they are automatically preset for that)
edit: what Pete said is true too...the higher aperture you use, the greater depth of field you'll get...the problem w/the highest numbers is hand hold ability...that's why most suggest f11...but f22 and a tripod will get you the greatest dof of all...

I use a 1Ds mkI.

A site (which I can't find) I found a while back explained diffraction which is where if you choose an aperture that is too small you get some image softening. One of the details was that the effect depends on the size of the "pixels" on the image sensor.

I happened to recall (because I use both) that the XT starts to soften after f/11 and the 1Ds mkI after f/16

Ah! Found the URL :- http://www.cambridgein​colour.com …ffraction-photography.htm

hmv wrote in post #2256855
With an XT try f/8-f/11. You also might find manual focus works better as autofocus will sometimes 'cling' onto something at the wrong distance.

Before I had the Manual Focus screen on my 20D; I had a really hard time MF'ing anything.

I'd recommend using a small aperture like F8-F11 and letting your camera focus using all AF points and making surethe main subject of your picture is illuminated. The ONLY time I change from Center Spot only AF point is when shooting landscapes.

Use a tripod as well!

-Tom D

another vote for the F8-F11 range

I always shoot on a tripod with the smallest apature possible.

carry a hyperfocal chart, and after you set f-number & zoom to focal length of your choice, focus on something at or just beyond the hyperfocal distance.

that will maximize your DOF