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Video: Steve Perry on lens diffraction

Lens Diffraction on Wetpixel

Nature Photographer Steve Perry has posted a video onto YouTube that explains the causes, issues and cures for lens diffraction. Somewhat technical to start with, the tutorial goes on to provide practical answers for “real life” issues.

Here are some of the questions answered in this video include:

“Wait a minute, I thought when I stopped the lens down to a smaller f-stop that I would have more in focus. Is that not true?” (4:05)
“OK, if I get more diffraction as I stop down, why is my lens sharper when I stop it down a notch or two from wide open?” (5:05)
“So, does this mean I should never shoot small f-stops - just stick with the sweet spot or at least f/8 and faster?” (6:05)
“I hear that higher resolution cameras show the effects of diffraction much sooner than lower resolution cameras. Does that mean that I shouldn’t upgrade to a higher resolution camera?” (7:05)
“Can I just sharpen out diffraction?” (10:55)