Focus Stacked Image of a Paper Wasp (Page 2): Thanks, It's nice to hear that you enjoyed seeing it.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Manglesphoto wrote:

Thanks, It's nice to hear that you enjoyed seeing it.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

sippyjug104 wrote:

Our home is located in the center of the Paper Was... (show quote)

Wonderful Head shot...I seem to have a lot of these guys in my neighborhood as well.

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

Fascinating and well done!

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Dr J wrote:

Your work is amazing!...and the information you have researched on their anatomy - and your processing with the kill jar etc.
How long does it take to set up and do a shot and post processing?
Thank you in advance for your answer.

Thanks ever so much for the feedback and the questions for I truly enjoy sharing what I do and how I do it.

Attached is a image of my most often used setup. The camera is a small mirrorless Fujifilm X-T20. The bellows is a vintage (nice name for old) Novoflex. I attach a variety of lenses to the bellows depending on the size of the subject and the amount of magnification that I am trying to achieve to fill the frame with the portion of the subject that I want to showcase.

All of that is attached to a motorized digitally controlled focus rail that I program to produce the length of distance for each shot taken in the stack of images based on magnification and the flat depth of field produced by the lens or microscope objective used. The entire setup is attached to a base that is firmly mounted to about 400-pounds of mass with high density vibration isolation pads between the granite stone and the granite table. It sits on the basement concrete floor which provides a near vibration-free mounting. When taking several hundred shots any vibration or movement can ruin the results of a session. The average distance that the camera advances for each shot is on average 20-micrometers per shot and when using microscope objectives it is 8 to 12-micrometers per shot. This is why it takes several hundred shots to travel a few millimeters of advancing focus.

The subject needs to move in position for the camera and then stay firmly in place. I use a sliding work table (the green thing) that is used for a drill press or milling machine. It moves left and right as well as forward and back. I use either a laboratory scissor jack or a manual focus rail to elevate the subject inline with the camera. A Magic Arm allows for final adjustments of the specimen in front of the camera. Specimens are mounted on a pin that is stuck into a dab of plasticine modeling clay which can be mushed around to turn the subject where I want it.

Cleaning the subjects (insects are true trash collectors) and getting them into position is the most time consuming, yet enjoyable, part of the process.

Illumination that I use is constant LED lighting as well as fiber optic lighting and I use common materials such as paper towels, packing foam, translucent plastic cups and containers, ping-pong balls and whatever to diffuse the light. Some insects are shiny while others are drab or fuzzy so the lighting has to match their characteristics. Many others prefer to use flashes however I do so much that I wear them out. I'm on my second camera for I racked up over 250,000 shots on my Nikon D810 so I now shot mirrorless with electronic shutter.

When the hundreds of images in the stack session have completed (about 15 to 20 minutes of automated shooting time) they are loaded into Zerene Stacker or Helicon Focus for processing into the final image. It typically takes 45-minutes to a hour of computer crunching to meld them into a final image. I use Photoshop to clone out the mounting pin and any other unwanted items that distracts the result.

(Download)

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

ecobin wrote:

Excellent stack!!

Thanks, Elliot. It's good to know that you enjoyed seeing it.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Blair Shaw Jr wrote:

Wonderful Head shot...I seem to have a lot of these guys in my neighborhood as well.

Thanks, Blair...they are taking over the world and we will someday be their servants.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

phlash46 wrote:

Fascinating and well done!

Thanks for dropping by and for the reply.

raymondh Loc: Walker, MI

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

raymondh wrote:

Thanks for the reply.

11bravo

Always fascinating. But are you sure the dome on top is not to cover its on-board radar?

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

11bravo wrote:

Always fascinating. But are you sure the dome on top is not to cover its on-board radar?

Thanks for viewing. In a way their 'simple eyes' (they have three of them) do help them in navigating so in essence it plays the part of radar guidance and they use the horizon among other things to find their way back to their nests to care for their brood.

For what it's worth, a heavy mix of liquid dish soap and water makes a wonderful and safe wasp spray killing them quickly as it clogs their breathing holes.

JeffDavidson Loc: Originally Detroit Now Los Angeles

Another WOW!

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

JeffDavidson wrote:

Another WOW!

Thanks ever so much.

Dr J Loc: NE Florida

sippyjug104 wrote:

Thanks ever so much for the feedback and the questions for I truly enjoy sharing what I do and how I do it.

Attached is a image of my most often used setup. The camera is a small mirrorless Fujifilm X-T20. The bellows is a vintage (nice name for old) Novoflex. I attach a variety of lenses to the bellows depending on the size of the subject and the amount of magnification that I am trying to achieve to fill the frame with the portion of the subject that I want to showcase.

All of that is attached to a motorized digitally controlled focus rail that I program to produce the length of distance for each shot taken in the stack of images based on magnification and the flat depth of field produced by the lens or microscope objective used. The entire setup is attached to a base that is firmly mounted to about 400-pounds of mass with high density vibration isolation pads between the granite stone and the granite table. It sits on the basement concrete floor which provides a near vibration-free mounting. When taking several hundred shots any vibration or movement can ruin the results of a session. The average distance that the camera advances for each shot is on average 20-micrometers per shot and when using microscope objectives it is 8 to 12-micrometers per shot. This is why it takes several hundred shots to travel a few millimeters of advancing focus.

The subject needs to move in position for the camera and then stay firmly in place. I use a sliding work table (the green thing) that is used for a drill press or milling machine. It moves left and right as well as forward and back. I use either a laboratory scissor jack or a manual focus rail to elevate the subject inline with the camera. A Magic Arm allows for final adjustments of the specimen in front of the camera. Specimens are mounted on a pin that is stuck into a dab of plasticine modeling clay which can be mushed around to turn the subject where I want it.

Cleaning the subjects (insects are true trash collectors) and getting them into position is the most time consuming, yet enjoyable, part of the process.

Illumination that I use is constant LED lighting as well as fiber optic lighting and I use common materials such as paper towels, packing foam, translucent plastic cups and containers, ping-pong balls and whatever to diffuse the light. Some insects are shiny while others are drab or fuzzy so the lighting has to match their characteristics. Many others prefer to use flashes however I do so much that I wear them out. I'm on my second camera for I racked up over 250,000 shots on my Nikon D810 so I now shot mirrorless with electronic shutter.

When the hundreds of images in the stack session have completed (about 15 to 20 minutes of automated shooting time) they are loaded into Zerene Stacker or Helicon Focus for processing into the final image. It typically takes 45-minutes to a hour of computer crunching to meld them into a final image. I use Photoshop to clone out the mounting pin and any other unwanted items that distracts the result.

Thanks ever so much for the feedback and the quest... (show quote)

INCREDIBLE SET UP! You are truly an entrepreneur!

canonclicker

I do appreciate your counsel. I'll try soap/water. I was told to use ammonia, but it seems to ruin color, also I've had a grasshopper in ammonia and after a few days it was still alive. Soap/water seems to be quicker.

Slow death is not my means of producing my best photography even tho' it's necessary! I like to treat it like museums and your dish soap/water sounds good to me.

I still need to learn how to treat spiders. I was told ammonia doesn't work on spiders.

Thank you so much for being kind enough to help those of us who are learning.