Someone correct me if I'm wrong f/4.8 is going to give you a shorter depth of field. I thought the rule of thumb was with landscapes you wan tot use a higher aperture. This is why it looks soft.
If I was shooting this shot I would have approached it this way.
Camera on a Tripod (Your going to have to hold the camera still with these settings)
ISO 100 / 200
Aperture Priority at f/16
(Camera sets the shutter speed) it's going to be a long exposure that why you need the tripod.
Yes at f/4.8 your going to let more light into the camera but you shorten up your DOF by doing it. You could raise your ISO making your camera more sensitive to light, but by doing so you start to run the risk of introducing noise into the shot which can also soften up a landscape shot.
Come on Rick M. your the landscaper around here. Am I correct on my thinking?
Lol, Thanks Rick.
It really depends on the lens also. With a wide angle f6.3- f8 is good depending on the focus point. Standard to telephoto lenses won't have much DoF at 4.8 as above shot at 120mm, you'll need a smaller aperture as Rick stated. I usually shoot f6.3 - f11 for landscapes, sometimes a smaller aperture to slow water. I agree, it's soft, not sure what the focus point was. Tripod for certain and I would have cranked up the ISO
if you needed more speed. Trees and leaves are almost always moving, especially near water, so you'll need to compensate for that.
On a side note, for Dx shooters with these new high pixel density sensors, you are going to experience diffraction sooner at small apertures. The good thing is Dx tends to have a higher percieved DoF due to the crop factor. You'll need to find the right balance for the sensor.
