Friday 27 January 2012

Sensor size and big skies

There are pedants who maintain that small sensors do not give greater depth of field.Well if you take the same lens, then strictly speaking they don't. But when people say the smaller sensors do give greater depth of field they are referring to framing the picture the same with the two cameras. In which case there is a difference.

The X10 has it's lens barrel handily marked with the full frame equivalent focal lengths. I took advantage of that to frame two shots using the same shutter speed and aperture on the X10 and a full frame camera. No guessing which of the two shots below is from which sensor!



This extra DOF can be advantageous, as can the X10's close up capabilities. I couldn't get the shot below with the full frame gear I have.


Out on the flatlands it's difficult to make anything of the landscape because there's nothing there! One approach, I suppose, is to make skyscapes. The ultra-wide lens is the traditional tool for the job.


There are a few things out there to make some visual interest. Most striking to me are the coverts and farmsteads that break up the horizon ever so slightly. Although it is largely featureless the light changes quickly on windy days. And when the weather's bad it can be quite dramatic at times. If I was into landscape photography I'm sure I could spend hours out there waiting for the light. I think I'd do it with a large format camera rather than a DSLR though.



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