Lens' sweet spot

[ast]

heard that our lens' sweet spot is 'usually' 2-stops down from our lens widest opening. just want to ask you guys for tips / settings you normally used for indoor/outdoor shots with the ff. lens below, because my photos doesn't seem to 'pop'

1. 50mm f1.8D
2. 18-70mm kit lens
3. Sigma 70-300mm APO II



p.s. i have SB-800 flash, if there are tips with flash.



.

[sirhc55]

heard that our lens' sweet spot is 'usually' 2-stops down from our lens widest opening. just want to ask you guys for tips / settings you normally used for indoor/outdoor shots with the ff. lens below, because my photos doesn't seem to 'pop'

1. 50mm f1.8D
2. 18-70mm kit lens
3. Sigma 70-300mm APO II



p.s. i have SB-800 flash, if there are tips with flash.



.

Hi ast

Personally I believe the sweet spot can vary from lens to lens of the same genre. On my kit lens I like to use around f/8 to f/11. The same with my 12-24mm.

Chris

[birddog114]

I second to Chris,
I've found sweet spot of my lenses are difference with others and it's depend on the body as well.

[Raydar]

One thing I have found on my 1.8 50mm is there’s two small indents on the aperture ring one underf8 & the other under f4, weather this is Nikons half assed attempt to show you were the sweet spot is I don’t know?????

Can any one tell me what there for??????

One thing I done one night when I was bored.

Set the cam up on a tripod & shot something with a little detail in it using all the f stops on the lens.
Load them up in your PC & have a look at them & try & work out what one looks best for you.
Next Day go out & use that f stop on a few images & see if you have found the sweet spot.


Cheers
Ray

[MHD]

hmmm... interesting! My 50/1.4 has the same marks...

[digitor]

One thing I have found on my 1.8 50mm is there’s two small indents on the aperture ring one underf8 & the other under f4, weather this is Nikons half assed attempt to show you were the sweet spot is I don’t know?????

Can any one tell me what there for??????

Cheers
Ray

This is where the tapped holes are for mounting the "claw" to engage the meter on older Nikons. Perhaps they put these dimples there to make it easier to add a modification to the old style, as a drilling guide. Here's a pic of my FM2, with 1.4/50 mounted.



Cheers

[Raydar]

Thanks mate.
That would be it, makes sense to me

Nice shot by the way

Cheers
Ray

[Grev]

I like f7 with my kit lens, but that's just me... I'm sure it's different from lens like others have said.