Aperture Value - My Experiences

Unlike with focal lengths, I can't contribute much here.

    Many say f/1.4 is among the best aperture values. I personally wonder why. Have those who claim this ever taken many photos at f/1.4? I've taken many pictures at f/1.4 and can say for myself that the value is too high. Yes, the blur, the bokeh from Japanese photography, can look good. But you have to use it subtly. What's the point of having the model in focus in a street shoot, for example, but not being able to see the background? The same applies to product photography. What good are the pictures if the product and those further back aren't in focus?

    Personally, I prefer f/4 when I can use it. A nice bokeh effect, but subtle. I use f/4 when I can, when I have the time to focus carefully.

    It's different with street photography. Here, everything has to happen quickly. If you miss the moment, it's gone forever. Generally, the best practice here is to use f/8 in conjunction with Zone Focusing. Set the aperture to f/8 and everything within walking distance will be in focus. Generally, everything from 1.5 to 5 meters, depending on the lens.

    I personally haven't used f/0.95 or f/16. I never bought an f/0.95 lens and I never needed f/16. As I said, this is all based on my own experience from my specific applications.

    Finally, I'd like to add that Leica's "Summilux" and "Noctilux" sound incredibly appealing from a marketing perspective and reflect their corresponding price tags. However, once you understand the meaning behind these names, they don't really matter much to you personally.

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