Aspect Ratio?

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matt b

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Matt
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Hi all
I was just wondering what is the best aspect ratio to shoot in. Is there a ratio to stick to or do you change it knowing what size you are going to be printing in. My G1 lets me shoot in 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9.
Thanks for any help.
Matt
 
I had a Panasonic FZ8 (I think it was that name anyway) and had the same options. I used to use the 16:9 occasionally for the extra width (even though it's only an illusion) but I'd normally shoot in 3x2 if you're getting them printed in 6x4.
 
Interesting question..

If you want to shoot in a certain aspect ratio with a specific frame shape in mind, or otherwise for artistic purposes, setting the camera to shoot in that ratio (e.g. the 16:9 mode that many compacts have) will allow you to compose the shot on the LCD and achieve a better-composed result.

But for general photography, I'd set the camera to use the whole sensor available, which means shooting in 4:3 for most compacts, 3:2 in full-frame, etc. Any cropping to achieve a different aspect ratio can be done later in post-production.

I had an experience of this when I wanted to show our holiday pics to the in-laws. I had the idea of cropping them all to 16:9 to fill the TV screen. Some, such as landscapes, were ideally suited to this format, but with others it was difficult to crop them without losing important detail. 16:9 for a photo is wider than you think..

A.
 
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It depends on the subject. There are some things that I actually like in 1:1
 
Mix and match to suit the scene and the purpose you're taking it for (if you only want to use standard off-the-shelf frames and mounts then stick to the standard ratios.. I quite like 16:9, both for landscapes and with the addition of letterbox bars to give a movie look, but it's a personal preference.
 
The G1 has a native 4:3 sensor (hence the four thirds name) and other aspect ratios effectively crop off the top and bottom. I would therefore shoot in the native 4:3 ratio and then crop if desired in PP. This will give more flexibility as you can choose what to crop instead of the camera doing it for you.
 
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