Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM: Single Frame Performance at f/9 vs Focus Stacking at f/9 (Bristlecone Log Low View)
Related: depth of field, focus stacking, Inyo National Forest, peak bagging, Pinus longaeva, Sony, Sony FE, Sony FE 12-24mm f/4 G, Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM, Sony Lenses, White Mountains, Zerene Stacker
See my Sony mirrorless wish list.
Focus stacking using Zerene Stacker. See my tutorial/how-to in Making Sharp Images.
The about $2198 Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM offers the convenience of a zoom lens with good performance and relatively compact size and weight.
But how does one deal with outdoor scenes in which the depth of field of f/22 would be desirable, but f/22 is unavailable and both f/22 and f/16 would degrade the image unacceptably (by diffraction)? The answer is focus stacking
As this example makes obvious, depth of field even at 17mm at f/9 remains strictly limited. Using f/13 would help but also degrades the image by diffraction and still cannot deliver the required depth of field.
This comparison shows a 4-frame focus stacked image to a single frame taken at f/9, the frame delivering the sharpest rendering of the log.
Sony 16-35/2.8 GM: Imaging Performance @ 17mm, Single Frame vs Stacked: Bristlecone Log Low View
Includes images up to full resolution, with crops.
Sony A7R II + Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM @ 17mm
[low-res image for bot]
