[bertwert]

Quite a few cameras have a maximum shutter speed of 1/2000 and low ISO of 200. In bright scenarios you might need to stop down the lens to not get overexposure. Or if you want to take a long exposure of water or something. So there still is a good reason for compacts to be able to stop down.

[BigMackCam]

Quite a few cameras have a maximum shutter speed of 1/2000 and low ISO of 200. In bright scenarios you might need to stop down the lens to not get overexposure. Or if you want to take a long exposure of water or something. So there still is a good reason for compacts to be able to stop down.

Yes, I had mentioned that in my original question:

My question is this... assuming that there isn't so much light that exposure can't be controlled via shutter speed and ISO sensitivity alone, is there any real benefit to stopping down the lenses on cameras like these, rather than just shooting them wide open all of the time?

But yes, I agree

[bertwert]

Oops I missed that bit in your question

[clackers]

That said, luftluss came up with the one situation where I think there might be justification in stopping down on this particular camera, and that's to get better depth of field on close focus shots...

But wide open on any lens is where it's worst at sharpness, vignetting, chromatic aberration, distortion, fringing, etc.

About two stops down is the best for a lens quality wise.

[UncleVanya]

Another perspective is that diffraction limits need to be balanced against lens flaws. The highest MTF may not come with the lowest diffraction - and corner sharpness may matter more than central sharpness which may require increased diffraction as someone else pointed out.

This discussion may shed some light:
Re: LX7 Diffraction Limit: Panasonic Compact Camera Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

[BigMackCam]

But wide open on any lens is where it's worst at sharpness, vignetting, chromatic aberration, distortion, fringing, etc.

About two stops down is the best for a lens quality wise.

Yes, but if you're already into diffraction - and with the Panny, at least, I'm pretty sure diffraction has already kicked in wide open at f/3.3 as it's a 1/2.3" 12MP sensor - any gains made in stopping down could be countered by increased diffraction...

EDIT: See this article, and the diffraction limit calculator part way down the page.
---------- Post added 01-11-2016 at 08:17 PM ----------

Another perspective is that diffraction limits need to be balanced against lens flaws. The highest MTF may not come with the lowest diffraction - and corner sharpness may matter more than central sharpness which may require increased diffraction as someone else pointed out.

This discussion may shed some light:
Re: LX7 Diffraction Limit: Panasonic Compact Camera Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Thanks. I haven't read the article yet, but from your point, it sounds like this will get me closer to a more complete answer (in addition to luftluss's useful thoughts re close focus / macro shots).

Something to read later

[clackers]

Yes, but if you're already into diffraction - and with the Panny, at least, I'm pretty sure diffraction has already kicked in wide open at f/3.3 as it's a 1/2.3" 12MP sensor - any gains made in stopping down could be countered by increased diffraction...

It'll be an offset for sharpness, to be sure. But you want the other qualities to be there, too.

[BigMackCam]

It'll be an offset for sharpness, to be sure. But you want the other qualities to be there, too.

Agreed. Something of a balancing act.

[Nicolas06]

Diffraction is a concept, it is really present sure, but if your lens perform actually better at f/5.6 than f/3.5, diffraction factored in, then it still make lot of sense to use f/5.6... And in day light you can close down apperture quite easily to f/8-f/11 in many occasions.