Life is better somewhere in the mid-range apertures of f/8 to f/11

All a lens’ has a ‘sweet spot’, which is the setting where the aperture setting at which it is the sharpest). Keep in mind that a lens does not retain the same level of sharpness throughout its aperture range, and by finding your lens’ sweet spot; you will put yourself in a better position for getting sharper images.

The unofficial rule states that your lens’ sweet spot will usually sit somewhere in the mid-range apertures of f/8 to f/11. Nevertheless, how do you find that sweet spot? Here is how to do it in three easy steps.

Steps to find the sweet spot

1. Set your camera on a tripod; attach a sheet of newspaper to a flat wall in front of it
   
2. Point your lens straight at the paper. Focus on it, and then take a series of pictures at each full aperture stop as f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16 and f/22
   
3. Look at the shots on your PC screen, zooming in to 100%. You will see a difference in clarity and contrast between each setting.