How to Get Entire Landscapes in Sharp Focus (Understanding f/8 - f/16)

When shooting landscapes, you usually want everything from the rocks at your feet to the distant mountains to be in perfect focus. Beginners often think the solution is to crank their aperture to the highest number possible, like f/22. But doing so actually makes the image softer.

This is due to a physics phenomenon called lens diffraction.

Finding the Sweet Spot

Every lens has a "sweet spot"—an aperture where it is sharpest edge-to-edge. For most lenses, this is between f/8 and f/11. Shooting in this range gives you a massive depth of field without introducing the softness of diffraction.

The Assignment: Put your camera on a tripod. Focus on a subject about 15 feet away. Take three photos: one at f/4, one at f/8, and one at f/22. Zoom in on your computer and compare the sharpness of the distant background. You will clearly see the sweet spot.

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