What is your favorite f-stop in 35mm photography?

What is your favorite f-stop in 35mm photography?

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back when i shot with my jupiter 3, it was f1.5, even if I was on the beach. on my 35mm skopar I dont really 'love' any of them, but usually end up shooting f2.5,
 
Wow, seems like a lots of potrait shooters here? For me it´s f 11 everytime there´s enough light for it. And the shutter speed is hopefully over 1/125...
Otherwise:bang: it´s blurred again:bang:
 
Maybe the tension here (about gear vs. photography) has to do with the way the question is phrased. To ask someone what their "favorite" aperture settting seems to indicate that nothing else matters when taking a picture. As I tell my students, there are only two creative controls on the camera: motion and D-O-F. And, obviously, they are interlinked. Framing and composition are not inherrant to the mechanical operation of the camera. If your passion is landscape but you slavishly shoot at f/2 you will probably have many photos that are less than satisfying. If ,on the other hand, you spend your time shoting portraits you will soon learn that f/11 often produces a cluttered image that takes away from your subject. That being said, it is perfectly understandable that lenses have a certain "look" at various apertures and you may find that you conciously, or unconciously, choose your subject to take full advantage of the lens you are using. But, with every photograph you must first make a decision, what is most important to this image: motion (showing motion or stopping motion and also considering camera shake) or is it
D-O-F (large or small)? If motion is your criterion then the aperture falls to whatever works for correct exposure. If D-O-F is the criterion, then the shutter is relegated to simply keeping the exposure in tact.
 
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'way back when, a relative gave me his cast-off Argus C3 to start me down this awful path ... he said "try to shoot everything at f/11 or f/16 so everything will be sharp."
Took me a year or two, and some better advice, to find out that led to horrible movement problems with Plus-X. Uncle's pictures were front-lit daylight group shots in front of Japanese temples and the Eiffel Tower, while I was trying to be Eugene Smith and Robert Capa. 😱
Since then 5.6 has been my friend, with indoor excursions into the widest apertures available. And almost any cheap-o lens looks decent at 5.6.
At least it taught me that well-meant advice isn't universal.
 
Originally Posted by thorirv
is it just me, or has the focus of this website shifted completely towards gear/tech stuff (or antitech in many cases), or is photography still of interest around here? i don't mean to be rude, but when i started lurking around this place, i had the feeling that this was a place of photographers (on whatever level they might be), but it sure doesn't feel that way today.

Depends where you hang out. I skim the new posts and then look at the gallery to see what's new. That's where the pictures are, and commenting and PM'ing have led to some good technique and composition questions. You get out what you put in.



"Tedium," said Sunny, which here means "I'm sure we have discussed all of these issues before and reached no satisfactory conclusion."
 
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I don't eally have a favorite f/stop. Each scene, requires the f/stop, that will most accurately convey what you want to show. It could be W-O, or at f/32...

Russ
 
Well to be honest I don't really have a favorite. It really depends on my Mood, and the camera I happen to be useing at the time. Also the weather some times dictates what I use.
 
Sorry, this is a dumb question.

It's like asking: "What's your favorite gear to drive your car in?"

Or: "What's your favorite oven temperature?"

The answer is always: "What ever it needs to be to get the job done."

Sheesh...
 
AusDLK said:
Sorry, this is a dumb question.

It's like asking: "What's your favorite gear to drive your car in?"

Or: "What's your favorite oven temperature?"

The answer is always: "What ever it needs to be to get the job done."

Sheesh...
Click to expand...


2nd gear.
200° C.
f/4

🙂

You always have a choice in all these situations. Do you prefer to rev in 2nd or cruise in 3rd? Cook quick and fast or long and slow? Shoot with a narrow depth of field, a deep depth of field, or a just-so (generally f4 in most situations for me) depth of field. Yes - the choices involce compromises, but they do exist.
 
Robin Harrison said:
2nd gear.
200° C.
f/4

🙂

You always have a choice in all these situations. Do you prefer to rev in 2nd or cruise in 3rd? Cook quick and fast or long and slow? Shoot with a narrow depth of field, a deep depth of field, or a just-so (generally f4 in most situations for me) depth of field. Yes - the choices involce compromises, but they do exist.
Click to expand...


2nd
Oven? huh???
f/2.8

Robin, I guess there are not too many choices for gunning out of a corner after desent entry, what else can you use?
 
Will said:
2nd
Oven? huh???
f/2.8

Robin, I guess there are not too many choices for gunning out of a corner after desent entry, what else can you use?
Click to expand...


Too true. But corners aside, 2nd would still be my favourite for one reason: my uncle's Nissan Skyline R31. Put it in first, accelerate. Fine. Put it in second, accelerate. Fine...no wait...what is happening...what has happended to my stomach? Why is everything blurry? Awesome turbo lag leads to huge smiles. 🙂 🙂
 
I use all manual cameras and f5.6 is my usual starting point. In 35mm and medium format. Of course I open and close as needed, but, my mid point and most often used is 5.6. That is the number I set my camera as I approach a photo op. That and my speed set at 1/60 sec. Easy to go 2 steps up or down on either aperture or speed and still be in good values for many shooting situations. Very bright or very dark situations and some older lenses with sweet spots require different approach.
 
B. Czar said:
Maybe the tension here (about gear vs. photography) has to do with the way the question is phrased. To ask someone what their "favorite" aperture settting seems to indicate that nothing else matters when taking a picture. As I tell my students, there are only two creative controls on the camera: motion and D-O-F. And, obviously, they are interlinked. Framing and composition are not inherrant to the mechanical operation of the camera. If your passion is landscape but you slavishly shoot at f/2 you will probably have many photos that are less than satisfying. If ,on the other hand, you spend your time shoting portraits you will soon learn that f/11 often produces a cluttered image that takes away from your subject. That being said, it is perfectly understandable that lenses have a certain "look" at various apertures and you may find that you conciously, or unconciously, choose your subject to take full advantage of the lens you are using. But, with every photograph you must first make a decision, what is most important to this image: motion (showing motion or stopping motion and also considering camera shake) or is it
D-O-F (large or small)? If motion is your criterion then the aperture falls to whatever works for correct exposure. If D-O-F is the criterion, then the shutter is relegated to simply keeping the exposure in tact.
Click to expand...
Pretty much agree with the sentiments here.Small apertures will give great results for some subjects whilst others work better with a large aperture, sometimes the choice is taken away somewhat. The one that I'm not massively keen on is f/8 as by its very nature its neither here nor there - having said that, I use it quite alot as its nature makes it very useful. Experimenting with f/1.5 alot at the moment as Gid has lent me his CV Nokton 1.5.
 
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