sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

This Asian Beetle was looking to get out of the cold as I found it along the inside of our backdoor. With 12-degrees and the first snow, I'm thinking of somewhere warm myself..!

This is yet another focus stacked image taken with the 28mm reversed enlarger lens mounted on a 2X teleconverter attached to 36mm of extension tube. The lens was set at f/5.6 with an exposure of 1/10 second. Stacked images were taken via the digital motorized focus rail at 15-micron increments. With the distance traveled for focus from front to rear 356 images were required. The stack of images were processed in Zerene Stacker (Pmax mode only).

As always, thanks ever so much in advance for your comments, suggestions, questions and critique

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newtoyou Loc: Eastport

Interesting to note that insects have facial expression.
Most of your full body scans would look great in large, even on 20×30.
Beautiful, as always.
Bill

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks Bill, I always look forward to your replies and educational narratives. I've learned a lot from you and the other UHH regulars.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

👍

Pysanka Artist Loc: Rochester, NY

Beautiful! It looks like the front of the right eye didn't make it in focus to me. What type of digital motorized focus rail do you use?

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Linda, I agree that the front of the face is soft. I suspect that I set the "closest point of focus" too far out which I established as "Start". When this happens there are several shots that are taken that have no sharp spot so they produce a full out of focus area. Eventually as the camera marches its way forward taking a shot each time it eventually gets points coming into focus. This then continues until I establish the "farthest point of focus" which I define as the "End".

The digital focus rail that I use is manufactured by WeMacro. There are several to choose from and I have found William of WeMacro to provide a quality product at a very reasonable price and he has always made himself available for any support that I needed although I must say it is fairly simple to set up and use.

The macro rail is capable of movement as fine as one micron. When I use the 10X power microscope objectives I move in 8 to 10 micron steps.

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

Do you use another way, a tube that does the same thing?
As you know, the inexpensive geared rails are no where near accurate enough.
I now use a Pentax bellows, sans bellows, and that is much better.
I need to cut this short.
I'll be back.
Bill

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Bill, thanks for asking for I truly enjoy sharing what I do and how I do it.

As far as configurations of lenses, I use a combination of methods depending upon the size of the subject. I use extensions on all of my lenses with the exception of the Laowa 60mm 2X macro which I shoot with no assistance. Everything else is either extension tubes, a helicoid or bellows (I have a short Novoflex and a longer Nikon F bellows).

Again, except for the Laowa macro lens, I couple the lenses in series with either a magnifying lens or a 2X teleconverter which increases the amount of magnification. Adding the extensions pushes them even higher.

The lenses that I use are "flat field of view" so the depth of field is only a few microns deep. Most times I can only see a pinpoint of focus with everything else being a blur.

I then use the aid of a digital motorized focus rail to provide a consistent distance of travel between steps, to pause and to actuate the shutter. I tether the camera to the PC so that I can view what the camera sees and to control all functions of the camera (ISO, shutter speed, aperture, White Balance, ect.).

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

Nice one Gary.