We Macro Focus Stack of Tiny Orange Flower Detail at 1.6x Life Size On Sensor (Not An Easy Project For Me)
Feb 21, 2022 16:01:38 #
Dear Fellow True Macro Ugly Hedgehogers:
Here is another of my flower images shot with my new WeMacro (Focus Stacking) Rail. This is an unknown flower from my backyard. I think it is about 8x20mm. It is a challenging learning experience. Please read through and feel and free to answer my questions and make comments or ask me questions.
Photographed ruler to determine actual magnification; crop factor APS-C sensor:
23mm/14mm = 1.6x
DoF: 0.18mm
Camera: Pentax K-3 (24MP)
Lens: Nikon El-Nikkor 75mm f/4 Enlarging Lens
Pentax Manual Extension Tube K #1
Pentax Bellows Unit II M42
190mm “bellows” extension from the sensor to lens.
Camera set for Manual Focus and Manual Exposure
M42 to K Adapter Ring
Exposure: ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/15 second
Lighting: Single 5000K LED bulb & SmallRig Pix M160 RGBWW LED Light 5000K
WeMacro Rail Program:
Stacked in distance mode
Shutter waiting time 1 s
Shutters per step 2
Interval of shutters 1 s
Backlash 180 um
Run Mode by Distance
After done Return
Step length 100um(slow)
Total distance 15000um
Total steps 150 steps
I set the Step Length at 100um based on a DoF of 0.18mm but I could have chosen 150um for my Step length and had 50 fewer steps. I also started too far in front of anything being in focus. And deleting over 25 exposures that were not needed before the leading edge. And thus, I cut myself short a bit at the farther end of the flower tube.
The shooting took only two tries but I had a horrible time creating the focus stack in Photoshop. It virtually froze my PC. And my Dell XPS tower has 32GB of RAM and 3.41GHz 4core i7 with hyperthreading. Seems Ps CS6 does not use more than one thread or core at a time. The initial unflattened stack ended up being 34GB!!! And for some reason Ps did not like stacking camera made JPGs. I virtually never shoot JPGs, but this time I tried it that way thinking it would be easier and run faster. It was not! I finally after hours of frustration, converted the JPGs to DNGs with the ACR. Now the huge stack ran in reasonable time. I was also able to eliminate about 40 images from the beginning and end of the sequence that were beyond the in-focus range of DoF planes. Also I noticed another strange thing every time I have shot a stack with the WeMacro Rail and Program. The files are of course ordered consecutively chronologically but the assigned file number sequence skips or is even reversed order for some exposure files. They are weird, like this: 0201, 0202, 0205, 0206, 0208, 0209, 212, 211, 214, 215 . . . And to make this more annoying, the instructions are for say a DSLR to set the program to have the camera take two exposures of each step with the mirror still up before moving to the next step to avoid camera shake. One only needs one exposure for a MILC. So one is to later delete the first image in each pair. But what I get they are not then going to be all even if the first is say -01. And if I have Windows display them in file name (numeric) order, I am going to delete many wrong ones. It is crazy. But why? It seems the ACR Image File Uploader does not upload and assign file names in the order they were shoot. Perhaps I should try the Zerene Stacker program over Ps for this? Free to try, but fee to keep using after 30 days. Again, any comments or help appreciated. Thank you.
- Mike
Here is another of my flower images shot with my new WeMacro (Focus Stacking) Rail. This is an unknown flower from my backyard. I think it is about 8x20mm. It is a challenging learning experience. Please read through and feel and free to answer my questions and make comments or ask me questions.
Photographed ruler to determine actual magnification; crop factor APS-C sensor:
23mm/14mm = 1.6x
DoF: 0.18mm
Camera: Pentax K-3 (24MP)
Lens: Nikon El-Nikkor 75mm f/4 Enlarging Lens
Pentax Manual Extension Tube K #1
Pentax Bellows Unit II M42
190mm “bellows” extension from the sensor to lens.
Camera set for Manual Focus and Manual Exposure
M42 to K Adapter Ring
Exposure: ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/15 second
Lighting: Single 5000K LED bulb & SmallRig Pix M160 RGBWW LED Light 5000K
WeMacro Rail Program:
Stacked in distance mode
Shutter waiting time 1 s
Shutters per step 2
Interval of shutters 1 s
Backlash 180 um
Run Mode by Distance
After done Return
Step length 100um(slow)
Total distance 15000um
Total steps 150 steps
I set the Step Length at 100um based on a DoF of 0.18mm but I could have chosen 150um for my Step length and had 50 fewer steps. I also started too far in front of anything being in focus. And deleting over 25 exposures that were not needed before the leading edge. And thus, I cut myself short a bit at the farther end of the flower tube.
The shooting took only two tries but I had a horrible time creating the focus stack in Photoshop. It virtually froze my PC. And my Dell XPS tower has 32GB of RAM and 3.41GHz 4core i7 with hyperthreading. Seems Ps CS6 does not use more than one thread or core at a time. The initial unflattened stack ended up being 34GB!!! And for some reason Ps did not like stacking camera made JPGs. I virtually never shoot JPGs, but this time I tried it that way thinking it would be easier and run faster. It was not! I finally after hours of frustration, converted the JPGs to DNGs with the ACR. Now the huge stack ran in reasonable time. I was also able to eliminate about 40 images from the beginning and end of the sequence that were beyond the in-focus range of DoF planes. Also I noticed another strange thing every time I have shot a stack with the WeMacro Rail and Program. The files are of course ordered consecutively chronologically but the assigned file number sequence skips or is even reversed order for some exposure files. They are weird, like this: 0201, 0202, 0205, 0206, 0208, 0209, 212, 211, 214, 215 . . . And to make this more annoying, the instructions are for say a DSLR to set the program to have the camera take two exposures of each step with the mirror still up before moving to the next step to avoid camera shake. One only needs one exposure for a MILC. So one is to later delete the first image in each pair. But what I get they are not then going to be all even if the first is say -01. And if I have Windows display them in file name (numeric) order, I am going to delete many wrong ones. It is crazy. But why? It seems the ACR Image File Uploader does not upload and assign file names in the order they were shoot. Perhaps I should try the Zerene Stacker program over Ps for this? Free to try, but fee to keep using after 30 days. Again, any comments or help appreciated. Thank you.
- Mike
My Latest Image. Taken With A 75mm Enlarger Lens. Next Project Back To Using A 100mm Macro Camera Lens Again.
(Download)
My Set-up In My Office / Project Room. Sorry It Is So Busy Looking Filled With Stuff Everywhere! But This Should Give You An Idea Of What I Am Going With Stacked Close-ups.
(Download)
Feb 21, 2022 18:09:11 #
I would warn you about getting hooked but you already have. Very nice shot. I will get back into macro when summer sets in. I still don't have even one shot I'm willing to post 
Feb 21, 2022 18:37:10 #
Feb 21, 2022 18:56:22 #
sippyjug104 wrote:
Look'n good..! Keep them coming.
Thanks. Do let me know what you think of the problems I am having. PhotoShop gave me headaches.
Feb 22, 2022 12:14:26 #
lamiaceae wrote:
Dear Fellow True Macro Ugly Hedgehogers: br br b... (show quote)
Appreciate the photo of your setup. Thanks.
Feb 22, 2022 13:02:57 #
Feb 22, 2022 14:25:43 #
It looks good. I would worry about the shaky looking table, unless the floor is concrete. I am wondering about what is on your shelves. A huge cd or VHS collection?
Feb 22, 2022 14:55:58 #
Mark Sturtevant wrote:
It looks good. I would worry about the shaky looking table, unless the floor is concrete. I am wondering about what is on your shelves. A huge cd or VHS collection?
The house is on a concrete floor and foundation. Raised homes are rarely built in California these days due to earth quakes. Yes, that is part of our huge music collection. The other half of the alphabet of audio CDs is in another room. There could have been a slight amount of shake or flower wilting through 150 exposures!
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