Best aperture (sweet spot) for Panasonic 14 - 140 mm lens

I once believed that the smallest aperture (f22) would give me the sharpest photo as most things would be in focus but since then I've read that it varies between different lens so I was wondering if someone know what the best aperture to use for the Panasonic 14-140mm zoom lens that will give me that sharpest photo.

If not then is there some test I can do to determine the best aperture to use?

Brian

https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Panasonic/Panasonic-LUMIX-G-VARIO-14-140mm-F35-56-ASPH-POWER-OIS-mounted-on-Olympus-OM-D-E-M1-Mark-II---Measurements__1136

The following were extracted from the above and combined as below in terms of the sharpness test from 14 to 140 on evert f/stop. The greener the sharper, the more red the worse.

Source: DXO  Mark (Center, 1/3 field, 2/3 field, corner

I would say wide open of 14-140 f/3.5-5.6 could get the best result in most case (except for the best corner between 25~50 as from above.

In real life I keep this lens wide open all of the time. If I get any not crispy sharp result (center to 1/3~2/3 from focus point) on 1:1, 99% would be either because of shutter shock (the older models using the olde m-shutter or no e-shutter option) or stability issue of myself.

As a general rule for M43 lenses (except 45-200 and 100-300 which has their sweetest spot at f/7.1-f/8), f/8 could be the edge before diffraction will kick in to soften the output.

My 2 cents.

rashid7 wrote:

rashid7 wrote:

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/panasonic-lumix-g-vario-14-140mm-f-3-5-5-6-lens-review-22632

F8 in general (if u don't need more light!)

I would never go smaller than f11, due to defraction, unless you have a compelling need for depth of field (macro?)

Actually, ephotozine graphs seem to show that only at 14mm do you need to close down to f8. At 50 and 140mm its pretty sharp wide open. I would have expected the opposite, which seems to be the case with most zoom lenses i own.

I wish lenstip had reviewed it; I tend to trust them more. Check out some others?

Remember, in most lenses, esp cheaper ones (?) there may be considerable copy-to-copy variation. Often, aberrations are on the outside of the frame, which may be eliminated by using a smaller aperture (=larger#).

Only lens rentals does tests on multiple copies (normally ten!). And their blogger, Roger C, plots the variation he finds.

Hi rashid7.

To be clear on what you mean when you wrote "using a smaller aperture (=larger#)."

would you refer to a f16 as a smaller aperture?

Brian

nevada5 wrote:

Article on diffraction here goes into a lot of detail that might help. With M43 I usually consider f/11 as narrow as I want to go.

With regards to the 14-140 - I use the lens a lot and I've found that f/8 is where I get sharp corners, so I'll leave it there unless I have a specific DOF or shutter speed concern.

Thanks for the info nevada5.

Brian

rashid7 wrote:

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/panasonic-lumix-g-vario-14-140mm-f-3-5-5-6-lens-review-22632

F8 in general (if u don't need more light!)

I would never go smaller than f11, due to defraction, unless you have a compelling need for depth of field (macro?)

Thanks rashid7.
I have too replies confirming f8 is the best aperture.

Brian

alcelc wrote:

https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Panasonic/Panasonic-LUMIX-G-VARIO-14-140mm-F35-56-ASPH-POWER-OIS-mounted-on-Olympus-OM-D-E-M1-Mark-II---Measurements__1136

The following were extracted from the above and combined as below in terms of the sharpness test from 14 to 140 on evert f/stop. The greener the sharper, the more red the worse.

Source: DXO Mark (Center, 1/3 field, 2/3 field, corner

I would say wide open of 14-140 f/3.5-5.6 could get the best result in most case (except for the best corner between 25~50 as from above.

In real life I keep this lens wide open all of the time. If I get any not crispy sharp result (center to 1/3~2/3 from focus point) on 1:1, 99% would be either because of shutter shock (the older models using the olde m-shutter or no e-shutter option) or stability issue of myself.

As a general rule for M43 lenses (except 45-200 and 100-300 which has their sweetest spot at f/7.1-f/8), f/8 could be the edge before diffraction will kick in to soften the output.

My 2 cents.

Thanks alcelc.

It's good when many agree on one aperture setting (f8)

Brian

Brisn5757 wrote:

I once believed that the smallest aperture (f22) would give me the sharpest photo

OH waouh, this is a serious misconception.

ok let’s try to keep it simple. First you should never ever use the smallest aperture on ANY lens on ANY format. Except in very very close macro shots where the subject is only a few centimeters away’ there is no reason to do that, ESPECIALLY on smaller sensors

Now, while F8 on micro 4/3 sensor is going to give you great DOF,this does not mean this is the aperture where you are going to get the greatest IQ in terms of resolution.

The best rule of thumb on micro43rds is something like

You need to reason compared to the max aperture

on a bright single focal length say like a lens between 12mm and 45mm (24 to 90mm in 35mm equivalent) the best IQ would be reached between 2 and 3 stops from the maximum aperture

on a variabke aperture zoom say a f4 to f 5.6 transtandard zoom , the best aperture would be usually ONE stop from the max aperture or at the max aperture when the max aperture is the slowest (5.6 in this example)

at full aperture you lay encouter a bit of vigbetting ( although not too likely if the longest focal length is long and it is automatically fixed in post)

So if you want to make it simpler , i would summarize like this

Single focal length 2 or 2.5 stops

Zoom with fixed max aperture 1 stop

Zoom with variable max aperture 1 stop at the lowest end of the zoom. 0 pr 1 stop at the longest end of the zoom with the smaller maximum aperture

Now regarding extended DOF which is a different matter, you can stop down one more stop from this rule of thumb if the subject is only a few meters away but if the subject is like 10 meters away, there is no need to even close further down

Hope this helps

as most things would be in focus but since then I've read that it varies between different lens so I was wondering if someone know what the best aperture to use for the Panasonic 14-140mm zoom lens that will give me that sharpest photo.

If not then is there some test I can do to determine the best aperture to use?

Brian

Harold

Great Bustard wrote:

Brisn5757 wrote:

I once believed that the smallest aperture (f22) would give me the sharpest photo as most things would be in focus but since then I've read that it varies between different lens so I was wondering if someone know what the best aperture to use for the Panasonic 14-140mm zoom lens that will give me that sharpest photo.

If not then is there some test I can do to determine the best aperture to use?

Brian

TLDR: The sharpest aperture for most situations is like from wide open to two stops down.

Let's begin with OL's MTF-50 tests of the lens:

In short, wide open to one stop down delivers the highest resolution *on the focal plane*. However, as you stop down, more and more of the scene is within the DOF. So, even when diffraction starts exacting a toll on the resolution on the focal plane, the photo, as a whole, may continue to have more resolution since more of it comes within the DOF.

However, when stopping down, one of two things necessarily happens:

• Less light is projected on the sensor for a given exposure time, resulting in a more noisy photo.
• To maintain the amount of light projected on the sensor, a longer exposure time needs to be used, which increases the risk/severity of motion blur.

So, what's the "best aperture"? Well, it's wide open if you want:

• a more shallow DOF
• less motion blur
• a less noisy photo

And all three of those come as a set. But if you want a deeper DOF for an overall sharper photo, then the "best aperture" is most narrow aperture you can use up to the point that:

• the motion blur is too great
• the photo is too noisy
• the loss of resolution due to diffraction is too great

All of these things are not merely subjective, but dependent on the scene and the viewing conditions of the photo.

Beautifully explained.

Brisn5757 wrote:

alcelc wrote:

https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Panasonic/Panasonic-LUMIX-G-VARIO-14-140mm-F35-56-ASPH-POWER-OIS-mounted-on-Olympus-OM-D-E-M1-Mark-II---Measurements__1136

The following were extracted from the above and combined as below in terms of the sharpness test from 14 to 140 on evert f/stop. The greener the sharper, the more red the worse.

Source: DXO Mark (Center, 1/3 field, 2/3 field, corner

I would say wide open of 14-140 f/3.5-5.6 could get the best result in most case (except for the best corner between 25~50 as from above.

In real life I keep this lens wide open all of the time. If I get any not crispy sharp result (center to 1/3~2/3 from focus point) on 1:1, 99% would be either because of shutter shock (the older models using the olde m-shutter or no e-shutter option) or stability issue of myself.

As a general rule for M43 lenses (except 45-200 and 100-300 which has their sweetest spot at f/7.1-f/8), f/8 could be the edge before diffraction will kick in to soften the output.

My 2 cents.

Thanks alcelc.

It's good when many agree on one aperture setting (f8)

Brian

Not for this lens I am afraid.

Not go beyond f/8 is just to avoid diffraction effect only.

As per DXO's result, f/8 is already not the optimal performance of this lens. Nothing wrong to shoot at f/8 ( for the better DoF because it is eq to f/16 of FF already), but if looking for the best performance of this lens (sharpest), stop down to f/8 is not.

FYI.

F4.0 - F8.0

Brisn5757 wrote:

rashid7 wrote:

rashid7 wrote:

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/panasonic-lumix-g-vario-14-140mm-f-3-5-5-6-lens-review-22632

F8 in general (if u don't need more light!)

I would never go smaller than f11, due to defraction, unless you have a compelling need for depth of field (macro?)

Actually, ephotozine graphs seem to show that only at 14mm do you need to close down to f8. At 50 and 140mm its pretty sharp wide open. I would have expected the opposite, which seems to be the case with most zoom lenses i own.

I wish lenstip had reviewed it; I tend to trust them more. Check out some others?

Remember, in most lenses, esp cheaper ones (?) there may be considerable copy-to-copy variation. Often, aberrations are on the outside of the frame, which may be eliminated by using a smaller aperture (=larger#).

Only lens rentals does tests on multiple copies (normally ten!). And their blogger, Roger C, plots the variation he finds.

Hi rashid7.

To be clear on what you mean when you wrote "using a smaller aperture (=larger#)."

would you refer to a f16 as a smaller aperture?

Brian

it might be time for an explanation of the term and syntax.

The proper way to write it is "f/x.x", because it is a mathematical fraction. The "/" is frequently left out, because that's the way it's spoken.

What it refers to is the physical diameter of the aperture of the lens as a fraction of the lens' focal length. Using a 100mm lens to keep it simple:

If f=100mm then

f/2 = 50mm diameter aperture;

f/4 = 25mm diameter aperture;

f/8 = 12.5mm diameter aperture

And so on for other values. Because the numeric value is the denominator of the fraction, the result (aperture diameter) gets smaller as the number gets bigger. Also, as the focal length of the lens changes, the physical diameter of the aperture will be different even if the f/number is the same.

Steve

Great Bustard wrote:

Brisn5757 wrote:

I once believed that the smallest aperture (f22) would give me the sharpest photo as most things would be in focus but since then I've read that it varies between different lens so I was wondering if someone know what the best aperture to use for the Panasonic 14-140mm zoom lens that will give me that sharpest photo.

If not then is there some test I can do to determine the best aperture to use?

Brian

TLDR: The sharpest aperture for most situations is like from wide open to two stops down.

Let's begin with OL's MTF-50 tests of the lens:

In short, wide open to one stop down delivers the highest resolution *on the focal plane*. However, as you stop down, more and more of the scene is within the DOF. So, even when diffraction starts exacting a toll on the resolution on the focal plane, the photo, as a whole, may continue to have more resolution since more of it comes within the DOF.

However, when stopping down, one of two things necessarily happens:

• Less light is projected on the sensor for a given exposure time, resulting in a more noisy photo.
• To maintain the amount of light projected on the sensor, a longer exposure time needs to be used, which increases the risk/severity of motion blur.

So, what's the "best aperture"? Well, it's wide open if you want:

• a more shallow DOF
• less motion blur
• a less noisy photo

And all three of those come as a set. But if you want a deeper DOF for an overall sharper photo, then the "best aperture" is most narrow aperture you can use up to the point that:

• the motion blur is too great
• the photo is too noisy
• the loss of resolution due to diffraction is too great

All of these things are not merely subjective, but dependent on the scene and the viewing conditions of the photo.

Hi Bustard.

It's like the old saying "You can't have your cake and eat it" so it's either one way or the either. I can deal with noise by having slower shutter speeds and if there is plenty of light I may be able to keep a reasonable shutter speed to avoid hand shake.

So it looks like the main problem is diffraction.

If I zoom with the lens to 140mm then due to the reduction in light I'm using the widest aperture most of the time and when I'm on the widest setting of 14mm then it improves the depth of field even at a wide aperture. So maybe not too many losses.

Brian

evetsf wrote:

Brisn5757 wrote:

rashid7 wrote:

rashid7 wrote:

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/panasonic-lumix-g-vario-14-140mm-f-3-5-5-6-lens-review-22632

F8 in general (if u don't need more light!)

I would never go smaller than f11, due to defraction, unless you have a compelling need for depth of field (macro?)

Actually, ephotozine graphs seem to show that only at 14mm do you need to close down to f8. At 50 and 140mm its pretty sharp wide open. I would have expected the opposite, which seems to be the case with most zoom lenses i own.

I wish lenstip had reviewed it; I tend to trust them more. Check out some others?

Remember, in most lenses, esp cheaper ones (?) there may be considerable copy-to-copy variation. Often, aberrations are on the outside of the frame, which may be eliminated by using a smaller aperture (=larger#).

Only lens rentals does tests on multiple copies (normally ten!). And their blogger, Roger C, plots the variation he finds.

Hi rashid7.

To be clear on what you mean when you wrote "using a smaller aperture (=larger#)."

would you refer to a f16 as a smaller aperture?

Brian

it might be time for an explanation of the term and syntax.

The proper way to write it is "f/x.x", because it is a mathematical fraction. The "/" is frequently left out, because that's the way it's spoken.

What it refers to is the physical diameter of the aperture of the lens as a fraction of the lens' focal length. Using a 100mm lens to keep it simple:

If f=100mm then

f/2 = 50mm diameter aperture;

f/4 = 25mm diameter aperture;

f/8 = 12.5mm diameter aperture

And so on for other values. Because the numeric value is the denominator of the fraction, the result (aperture diameter) gets smaller as the number gets bigger. Also, as the focal length of the lens changes, the physical diameter of the aperture will be different even if the f/number is the same.

Steve

Thanks Steve.

It can be misunderstood when people say small aperture (small number f1.8 or narrow aperture.  I think it's better to say wide or narrow aperture.

Brian

alcelc wrote:

Brisn5757 wrote:

alcelc wrote:

https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Panasonic/Panasonic-LUMIX-G-VARIO-14-140mm-F35-56-ASPH-POWER-OIS-mounted-on-Olympus-OM-D-E-M1-Mark-II---Measurements__1136

The following were extracted from the above and combined as below in terms of the sharpness test from 14 to 140 on evert f/stop. The greener the sharper, the more red the worse.

Source: DXO Mark (Center, 1/3 field, 2/3 field, corner

I would say wide open of 14-140 f/3.5-5.6 could get the best result in most case (except for the best corner between 25~50 as from above.

In real life I keep this lens wide open all of the time. If I get any not crispy sharp result (center to 1/3~2/3 from focus point) on 1:1, 99% would be either because of shutter shock (the older models using the olde m-shutter or no e-shutter option) or stability issue of myself.

As a general rule for M43 lenses (except 45-200 and 100-300 which has their sweetest spot at f/7.1-f/8), f/8 could be the edge before diffraction will kick in to soften the output.

My 2 cents.

Thanks alcelc.

It's good when many agree on one aperture setting (f8)

Brian

Not for this lens I am afraid.

Not go beyond f/8 is just to avoid diffraction effect only.

As per DXO's result, f/8 is already not the optimal performance of this lens. Nothing wrong to shoot at f/8 ( for the better DoF because it is eq to f/16 of FF already), but if looking for the best performance of this lens (sharpest), stop down to f/8 is not.

FYI.

Hi alcelc.

If f8 is not the sharpest then I'm wondering what is, maybe going to f11 or f16 will give me better performance (sharper picture) or is going the other way having a wider aperture going to improve my sharpness (I'm not talking about DOF).

I was also told that diffraction reduces that photos sharpness so if I reduce diffraction shouldn't I get a sharper photo.

Brian