What are the drawbacks of focus stacking for landscape photography?
Asked 9/28/2012
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2 answers
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I’m shooting landscapes and want both the foreground and background to look sharp. I came across focus stacking, but I’m concerned about image quality and the practical downsides.
Are these real disadvantages of focus stacking?
- movement between frames causing ghosting or blur
- changing light between exposures
- some areas still ending up soft if the stack isn’t done well
What other drawbacks should I consider, especially compared with using a small aperture and hyperfocal focusing for landscapes?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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You are right about the disadvantages of focus stacking, also, the process of taking pictures for focus stacking (taking multiple pictures at different focus ring positions and getting every bit of the picture sharp in at least one picture) can be a bit technically challenging.
That is why traditionally landscape photographers solve this issue by using a small aperture, slow shutter speed (to compensate for the aperture) and hyperfocal distance focusing - its much simpler then focus stacking.
The "hyperfocal distance" is a distance (from the camera's sensor) that if you focus farther than it everything from half the focus distance all the way to infinity will be in focus, for small apertures the hyperfocal distance is quite short and you can get everything in focus with a single exposure.
The hyperfocal distance is calculated based on the aperture value and focal length, every depth of field calculator I've even seen also tells you the hyperfocal distance.
Originally by user2481. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2481
14y ago
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Yes—those are real concerns. Focus stacking can work well, but its main drawbacks for landscapes are:
- movement between frames: wind, water, clouds, or shifting subjects can cause ghosting or blur
- changing light: if the light changes between exposures, blending can be harder
- technical difficulty: you must capture enough frames at the right focus distances so every area is sharp in at least one shot
- time: it takes longer to set up, shoot, align, stack, and retouch
- post-processing complexity: stacking software and settings matter, and small errors can create artifacts or unexpected color changes
Because of that, many landscape photographers prefer a simpler single-exposure approach: use a smaller aperture and focus near the hyperfocal distance to get foreground-to-infinity sharpness without stacking.
Focus stacking is generally more useful in macro photography, where depth of field is extremely shallow. For landscapes, it can still give good results, but it’s usually only worth the extra effort when a single exposure at an appropriate aperture and focus distance won’t give enough depth of field.
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