Showing posts with label Zion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zion. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Sharpness, Resolution and Depth of Field

5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f/2.8L II, 28mm at f/16, 1/40 sec, tripod


5D Mk III, EF 100 f/2.8L IS, and EF 25 Extension Tube, f/2.8, 1/40 sec, tripod
Sharpness, Resolution and Depth of Field, these all play a major role in the quality of the final image.
All are chosen by the photographer ultimately.

Resolution is determined by the quality of the lens, not the camera, you put a cheap lens in front of a 22 megapixel camera, you end up with low resolution images, especially if shooting beyond f/8 where diffraction starts to kick in.

Depth of field which the photographer selects by choosing the aperture of the lens, (f/1.4 - f/64)

Sharpness is what all of this adds up too essentially, choose a high quality lens, use a method for camera stability and understand depth of field vs diffraction and you will end up with high resolution, sharp images.

I almost never go beyond f/16 in any of my images, 35mm format lenses are just not up to par with medium and large format type glass that can be shot at f/64, but using good methodology and knowing your equipment you can maintain high resolution images that are tack sharp.

I chose the two images above to demonstrate the wide depth of field that can be achieved with good lenses, while maintaining very high resolution and sharpness.


Ross

Friday, May 31, 2013

EF 24-70 f/2.8L II final thoughts

Image: Upper Zion, Canon 5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f/2.8L II
f/11, 65mm, 1/200 sec, hand held.

  Image: White Pocket, Canon 5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f/2.8L II 
f/11, 41mm, 1/160 sec, Tripod. 
Larger Image
See my first impressions here

Resolution, this lens provides lots and lots of resolution, the higher the quality of the glass that is in a lens, the better the resolution provided by that lens, the new 24-70 f/2.8L II provides oodles of it.

Sharp throughout, little distortion and no chromatic aberration make this a keeper lens, color rendition and micro contrast are also excellent, it beats its Canon stable mates and is a great all around lens.

From portrait shoots to wide landscapes, on a Canon full frame camera you cant beat it, I'll take it over three f/1.4 primes any day. Paired with the EF 16-35 f/2.8L II and the EF 70-200 f/4L IS, I don't feel a need for any thing else for a shoot in the back country.

Only downfalls are weight and cost, I got it with the $200 rebate after the priced dropped a little.

Its missing Image Stabilization, is that a downfall? not if it increased the weight and size, I shoot all critical images on a tripod where Image Stabilization does nothing and even in low light Image Stabilization isn't much help.

Image: Redwood Forest, Canon 5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f/2.8L II 
f/11, 24mm, 1/80 sec, Tripod. 

Oh and corner to corner sharpness : )