Mushroom and Cone.

[RonS]

Mushroom and Cone. A Focus Stack from last spring.

A 28 image stack put together with HeliconFocus. Nikon Z7, 105mm f2.8G macro.

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Per request from DaveG, here is one frame, the front of the mushroom, and a blowup at the center of that frame.

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[Palouse]

Excellent.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Very attractive!

 

[daveg]

Good example.

Ron, if it is not too much trouble, could you post a single frame from somewhere in the series to show how limited the DOF is at those settings and with that lens/distance from subject?

DG

 

[Pa]

Mushroom and Cone. A Focus Stack from last spring.

A 28 image stack put together with HeliconFocus. Nikon Z7, 105mm f2.8G macro.

View attachment 1654104

Good job getting the important parts in sharp focus. The out-of-focus grass blades in the foreground are a little bit distracting, but I know how hard it is to deal with that, having been there myself.

Did you use the Z7s automatic focus shift feature to do this?

 

[Mike Buckley]

Did you use the Z7s automatic focus shift feature to do this?

His first post in the thread explains that that's what he did. You might first have to know that Helicon Focus, which he also refers to, only does the focus stacking, not the focus shifting.

 

[Pa]

His first post in the thread explains that that's what he did. You might first have to know that Helicon Focus, which he also refers to, only does the focus stacking, not the focus shifting.

Actually, I have used Helicon Focus for several years, so I'm very familiar with it. And he didn't explicitly state that he used the focus shifting feature of his Z7, just that he used that camera.

 

[RonS]

Good example.

Ron, if it is not too much trouble, could you post a single frame from somewhere in the series to show how limited the DOF is at those settings and with that lens/distance from subject?

DG

Dave, I posted one frame and a blowup of the center. Gives an idea of the DOF.

 

[RonS]

Excellent.

Thanks Nick.

Very attractive!

Thanks Mike.

 

[RonS]

Very attractive!

Yes, see below.

Good job getting the important parts in sharp focus. The out-of-focus grass blades in the foreground are a little bit distracting, but I know how hard it is to deal with that, having been there myself.

Did you use the Z7s automatic focus shift feature to do this?

Yes, Z7 focus shift, with silent photography option an 0.4 sec between shots.

Also, per request from DaveG, added one frame, the front of the mushroom, and a blowup at the center of that frame.

 

[daveg]

Thanks Ron, it gives a better idea of what you are up against at these distances from the subject and the limited dof. Focus shifting is now available to a lot more people with the facility built into the cameras. But the choice of software to use is still not clear. I am reluctant to get third party software when I already have Photoshop CC and it does a reasonable (if not always perfect) job of stacking the images. The other thing that strikes me when looking at images such as yours produced by Nikon Cameras is that I want to know "how many images and what step width".

 

[RonS]

Thanks Ron, it gives a better idea of what you are up against at these distances from the subject and the limited dof. Focus shifting is now available to a lot more people with the facility built into the cameras. But the choice of software to use is still not clear. I am reluctant to get third party software when I already have Photoshop CC and it does a reasonable (if not always perfect) job of stacking the images. The other thing that strikes me when looking at images such as yours produced by Nikon Cameras is that I want to know "how many images and what step width".

The step width is interesting. As you probably know the camera gives you 10 dimensionless step widths. Plus the aperture determines the DOF for each step as a function of the distance from the lens. All this means, at least for me, is trial and error. No single answer.

BTW, I tested this on landscapes where the first 'slice' was close to the camera and the last was at infinity. I used the biggest step size and f8 or f11. Only needed a few steps since each step covered a large distance, many miles. The results were Great. No hyperfocal focus needed and the camera automatically stops the sequence at the infinity stop of the lens.

 

[daveg]

I tried the same thing recently and ended up with just two useable images albeit that they worked perfectly in Photoshop CC. I probably did not push it hard enough in terms of the closest focus point of the step width. Also with a 24mm lens you have to work hard NOT to get everything in focus.

 

[AndreaBur]

So true, I made so many attempts until I could get in focus on a 24mm the part which I aimed for. You need a lot of perseverance to take a good picture, with a good focus point, which I don't have. I get mad and annoyed sometimes, and to chill a bit, I usually have a smoke from https://getkush.io, then I can go and try again. I will buy a new objective soon, and it will be easier, especially for a non professional like me. I am practicing regularly so I will be better in the future.

 

[mjcmt]

excellent macros