Best aperture and settings for "epic" landscape photography?

[KateR]

I recently came back from a trip to south africa with some really disappointing landscape shots from my X-Pro1. Having never really done much landscape stuff, I thought all i had to do to get lovely depth of field was whack the lens up to its maximum aperture and check that the shutter speed was still within safe limits.

Turned out not so much, and when i posted about it on the forum I learned about diffraction (and also never using the high DR settings unless i want high ISO-a-go-go).

So, I'm about to go to the US and this time thought i'd ask the question upfront. For really epic landscapes with huge depth (the kind of thing at the top of this page: Delicate Arch Photo Tips - Arches National Park - Fototripper ):

1) Have I got any chance of getting near that with my camera, or is this serious full frame territory? (i keep being told there's nothing the X-Pro can't do, etc )

2) Lenses coming with me include the 18mm f2, the 35mm f1.4, and the 55-200 zoom. Assuming that light isn't an issue (and even if it is, as i'll be taking a tripod for once!), can anyone advise me on the optimum aperture for the best results in terms of depth of field and clarity? Everything always looks dandy to me on the screen, by the time i get home to check things out on the large monitor it's too late!

3) Other than locking down the ISO and using a tripod and timer to minimise wobble, anything else I should be doing?

Really grateful for any tips. It'd be lovely to not come home sad again. Especially as most of the best shots seem to involve getting up at a time i generally consider to be torture, let alone on holiday...

thanks, Kate

[khollister]

Diffraction starts to set in beyond about f/8 for the Fuji cameras (any APS-C camera really). You can go to f/11 without getting killed, but I would avoid it. I shoot landscapes at f/8 max. You need to look up a DOF calculator online (and there are phone apps) to determine the hyperlocal distance. This is the focus distance that yields the greatest DOF including infinity. Since the Fuji's have a focus distance indicator in the EVF, pick something in the scene that you think is about that distance and focus on it. Then check the distance scale in the EVF and adjust as necessary. Alternatively, select MF and just focus the lens until you get the desired distance. ISO 200, good tripod, 2sec timer and off you go.

 

Now the bad news - hyperlocal distance will work on the 18mm and the 35, but the 55-200 is going to have a lot less DOF. The trick with telephoto lenses is to choose your DOF band so that the closest thing in the scene that needs to be in focus is in the front of the band and let the stuff at infinity be slightly OOF (your eye will forgive a bit of OOF on distant objects). Alternatively, compose your tele landscape shots to minimize the need for huge DOF.

 

You can't cheat physics 

 

You are often fighting dynamic range with landscape shots, so shooting in raw as opposed to jpg is always helpful. In raw, the Fuji's have more shadow latitude than highlight latitude, so watch your skies. You can bring up shadows 2-3 stops at base ISO, but there is only 1 stop at best in the highlights.

[DrAdvertising]

Yes, the main thing is to figure out the Hyperfocal distance.  You can use a calculator like this:  http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html to help you.  If you focus on the Hyperfocal point, you'll get the maximum depth of field for your lens.

 

My other tip is to try to shoot in the "golden hours."  Think of that as the first hour after sunrise and the hour just before sunset.

[Larry Bolch]

Lenses designed for APS-C sensors hit the peak of sharpness between f/4.0 and f/8.0. While corner detail may be sharper at f/8.0, centre sharpness is usually best at f/5.6. One tends to place the most significant content in the centre of the image so f/5.6 is usually a safe choice. Fall-off at f/4.0 or gain at f/8.0 is just not that significant.

 

The X-Pro1 can take horrible images in the hands of the pretentious but inexperienced owner. As a true "pro" camera, it does what the photographer tells it to do—assuming the photographer has taken the time to completely understand the camera. The forums are full of "the camera is incapable of _____." Translated "I haven't a clue. Aren't camera supposed to think for me?"

 

There is no reason in the world why the X-Pro1 would not be able to produce equivalent results to your reference. Read and absorb the page. Not only is the shoot very well covered but there is good general information there too. Gearheads need stuff to flame-war over, but in fact, the level of digital cameras are at an amazing level. Way more important than megapixels or the latest way of reading a sensor is the way a camera feels in your hands. In absolute terms, there is a spread, but what counts is in relative terms to the way you do photography. 
 

To specifics—the 18mm and 35mm can produce superb landscapes. The 55-200mm can also do so, but not so obviously. It has the advantage of compressing distance. A distant derelict house with a tree far beyond. Everything else out of focus. Not easily seen by a beginner. The compression can also be very effective when shooting panoramas. If this is of interest, start practising now. The X-Pro1 has a panoramic mode that can be useful. However, it does take a combination of skill and luck to use with success. I appreciate it for a nominal panorama, but one I really want for a print, I will do with individual exposures to be later stitched.

 

Fuji has an interesting way of reading its sensor that makes ISO800 not a whole lot different from ISO200. In bright daylight, with the aperture set to f/5.6 and the 35mm lens mounted, you should do fine with a shutter speed of 1/60th-1/125th. As the light drops, Fuji gave us back the threaded shutter release. Every cable release over the past half-century works perfectly! As an alternate, using a shutter delay also works fine. On very long exposures such as 30 seconds during a lightning storm, the time it takes for the camera to settle down is too short to register in the exposure. A tripod is always your friend.

 

Everything else taken care of, dynamic range can still be an issue. My main landscape body is a Nikon D700 that allows a ±4.0EV bracketing range. I choose the exposure with full detail in the clouds, full detail in the forest and whatever is in between and merge in Adobe Camera RAW. The result is a .dng file that looks perfectly natural, but with no blown highlights or large areas of black. The X-Pro1 only offers a ±1.0 bracket, but it can make a significant improvement. 

[KateR]

Thankyou all, that gives me confidence that if I work hard enough, it's doable!

 

OK so f5.6 to f8 as a starting point, great.  I always shoot raw so I can faff with the dynamic range / exposure latitude later, and will probably do that rather than trying to deal with filters etc.

 

I know that I also have to be realistic,  I only have a couple of days in Moab and a shot like that could take weeks of persistence until the right conditions come together (and that'd be the day i forgot the right lens, anyway...), just interested in whether I could hope for that sort of clarity. And I appreciate that the best setup in the world won't help if the light is rubbish. Plus I have the "grumbling partner" handicap, so all in it's very much going to be making the best of a bad job - one day if i'm very very good I might even find myself in an amazing landscape on my own so that I can concentrate purely on getting a shot...

 

I actually didn't know about the panorama mode, so i'll look into that and have a play before I leave!

Edited April 9, 2016 by KateR

[milandro]

I agree with Larry Bloch,

 

Knowledge is power. Know Thy camera!

 

I have a dear friend of mine whose attitude towards photography has been, consistently, ever since there were autofocus cameras, to rely of the camera doing all the thinking. She uses her camera ( a FF Nikon no less!) to document her scientific and professional activity but doesn’t possess an understanding of general photography nor does she know her camera.

 

She had to leve for a month to the tropics for an historic research, and the NIGHT BEFORE, she calls me a wanted me, on the phone, to explain how her camera worked.

 

I told her that her best chance was, ih her case, to rely on the various program modes offered by the camera. They have things like landscape, landscape at night, portrait, portrait at night and so on

 

Of course since many cameras ( fuji too) are being produced to cater for someone who wouldn’t necessarily know how to use a camera they have these easy way out.

 

However understanding what is what is a lot better.

 

I am afraid that there isn’t an aperture for epic landscapes but the understanding of how aperture is related to depth of field and what its relation is to shutter speed is fundamental.

 

Unlike traditional analog photography, modern digital photography can make a much better use of the ISO. Whereas before we had a film and varying its sensitivity implied different processing and a serious impact on the film rendering. digital photography is a lot less problematic when it comes to this.

 

I have found that even at 1600 ISO the camera still gives outstanding results.

 

In fact It has been argued that in modern digital photography easy and quick access to the ISO controls is just as important as the shutter or the aperture.

 

In all honesty Kate, the best that you can do is invest not only in reading the manual but maybe consider taking some courses. In just a few days you will interiorize much more than any book would ever give you and it will be fun.

 

First a general course on general photography and then a specialized one ( landscape, macro) and so on.

 

Good Luck!

[gdanmitchell]

I generally shoot a full frame system for landscape photography, working from the tripod and the whole nine yards. But I also use a Fujifilm system for other photography and occasions for landscape stuff, too.

 

On a cropped sensor camera the supposed ideal aperture is likely to be a bit larger than on a full frame camera. On many Fujifilm lenses (including your three) I would estimate the f/5.6 is a good normal aperture when no other factors compel you to use something different. Looking at the three photographs at the link, the more distant photograph would work fine at f/5.6, especially with your two primes. Normal and wide angle lenses are a bit more forgiving in this regard, while the telephoto may tend to seem to have narrower depth of field due to its greater magnification.

 

You can shoot at f/8 without worries. Frankly you can shoot at f/11 without much worry also. If you are particularly picky about these things, you work from the tripod, and you try to make a 16" x 24" print or larger, when you look very closely at the print you might just barely be able to detect the tiniest bit of difference at f/11... but I really would not worry about it. 

 

You are bringing a tripod — very good choice for landscape photography. Do you have a remote release for the camera? That is a better option than relying on the camera's self-timer, and releases are not all that expensive. Also, do you have a tripod plate for your camera. You really don't want to be screwing the tripods screw head directly into the base of your camera. Trust me on this!