Defraction still an issue

With today's newer camera and lenses is defraction still an issue ? I have heard several pros recommend shooting at F22 stating that defraction is no longer the issue it once was. 

I look forward to hearing from the landscape shooters ? I have generally gone to F16 and stopped there for my landscapes. 

Thanks

There's a recent article on the Naturescapes website on this subject, Andrew.  That author claims that it's still an issue and shows some examples.  However, he does say it's more important in large prints.  Typical web resolution at a reasonable crop probably won't show much effect.  Another consideration though is the resolution of your camera sensor-he was using a 100 MP camera back.  Most of us can't afford those, but the ones we normally use are getting closer to that.

Bottom line is I think you just need to experiment with the gear you have.  Extra shots are cheap in the digital world.
 

Dennis,

Please post the link. I checked Naturescapes and could not locate the article. Please post a link for all that are interested in this topic.

Thanks

Andrew

Andrew, I did a quick search and found this thread at Naturescapes. In the first post, there is a link to an article from Lens Rentals about diffraction that you may find interesting.
--P
 

Preston,

Thanks for jumping in on this topic and sharing your knowledge. I saw that link but it is from 2013. Dennis mentioned a recent article but I could not find it. Have things gotten better since we now have the Nikon D750, 800e and D5 ? 

Sorry about not posting the link.  It was on the cover page just a week or so ago, so I thought it would jump right out at people.  Here's the link.

Thanks Dennis for posting the link. Not sure why it did not come up when I searched the site for defraction. 

https://www.naturescapes.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=264699 is the link for the test case at f22. I use f22 occasionally for certain botanical subjects that do not have lots of textures and details, but rather broad flat planes of color.  If the subject has lots of detail diffraction can play quite a role in reducing image quality.  Focus stacking can get around that problem for sure.  Another article posted by the Helicon software group (  http://www.heliconsoft.com/heliconsoft-articles/improving-my-photography-an-inquiry-into-lens-diffraction/ )has some insight into using the best aperture for a particular lens.  There are some nice explanations for relating resolution to diffraction in practical terms..........................Jim

Jim,

Thanks for the post and links. I appreciate it.
 

I use f22 occasionally but usually if I need to go beyond f16 I focus stack if possible. As others have stated I think it can be a factor regardless of your equipment if you want to go big but for web presentation and smaller to medium sized prints it is probably a non factor in most cases. I would say a bigger issue is correct sharpening workflow and techniques for the type of presentation you are going for.

I haven't read the links above, so this may be redundant. But remember that diffraction is a physical property of light going through the aperture. The camera body doesn't matter as to the actual amount of diffraction that occurs. So asking is it "still" an issue is a little bit moot - you can't get rid of it, so it's always an issue.

What's different is whether or not the sensor can resolve the diffraction, and whether or not that presents an issue for the size you want to print or view the image. Modern high res sensors may capture the diffraction rather than "smooth" it out, which could produce artifacts you don't like. 

I agree with those above who mentioned good sharpening workflow and some testing to figure out what is best for you. Focus stacking has gotten pretty easy these days too, so for static shots you can definitely err on the side of caution if you're worried about it. There's a trade there between the effort to get multiple shots in the right planes of focus, versus the res loss you might see from diffraction. 

In my macro work, where dof is always a problem, I've tested all apertures out to f/32 on my macro lenses with my 5D3 and 7D2.  Looking at 1:1 with only moderate sharpening in camera raw, I see only very subtle increases in softness up to f/22.  There are notable increases for f/25 and again for f/32, but the sharpness is still acceptable.