Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Not my first stacked insect, though. Got a live one to show later.
This is a Yellowjacket that was one of many that had to be cleared out from the siding of our house while I am painting the porch. I froze it, then posed it in a somewhat lifelike position on a green apple. The background is a scrap of blue construction paper.
89 focus stacked images were taken with the help of the Helicon Fb tube, at f/6.3 with a 100mm Canon macro. The step value for this stack was "20" which is considerably larger than the default value in the Helicon program. I am sure I could have used a much larger step value. I have been calibrating my rig by stacking through fine-printing, and step values of 40 or 80 seem to be ok! Anyway, I wanted to be sure to get a good stack.
Yellowjacket wasp, stacked specimen by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

I know that some people are mighty curious about using the Helicon tube, so below I show the very (very!) informal rig that I used for this stack. This was done at our dining room table (Sippyjug would be appalled!) The camera is mounted on a tripod with a "boom" arm, and lighting for this stack was an old fluorescent ring light from a dissecting microscope. It is simply taped to the front of the lens. You can see near the top that an iPhone is connected to the Helicon tube which is at the base of the lens. This isn't the iPhone actually used, but I include it here for illustration. The phone would have an app which programs the Fb tube. The remote shutter cable near the bottom is used to take the pictures in "burst' mode.

The images were merged in Zerene Stacker. This is the PMax image. I did not seem to have much of an artifact problem (halos, etc.), so I only touched it up a little.

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Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

For we non-focus-stackers, please define 'step value for this stack was "20" '. Thank you.

When this group cooperatively authors the Helicon HB Tube article, I want to use BOTH of this images to illustrate basic hardware set-up.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

In the app that is used to program the tube, one of the parameters is 'Recommended step'. This is a number, and it represents the amount that the lens focus is changed just before the next picture is taken. The number is described to be in 'arbitrary units', since the physical distance that the focus will be changed will be different for different lenses. But for a given lens a larger number is for a larger focus change. The default value for my lens at this aperture was 7, and I had previously learned that the focus change is excessively small and that I could use larger values. So here I changed it to 20 so I could get through the stack with fewer pictures. I think I could have done '40' and gotten this stack with half the number of pictures.

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

Nice job Mark.

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

Nice job, cloning the pin out would be quite easy I would think and make it more realistic. I admire what you and the others are doing in this stacking work, it is very interesting to follow your progress.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Thank you. I did mull over removing the pin. In a later session I think I should do that.

docshark Loc: Millersville, PA

Outstanding detail Mark. I never got into the stacking thing. Might have to give it a try. Of course I'll be looking to you and Gary for much needed help.
-Doc

Gampa

Very very nicely done!

Dixie Native Loc: Leicester, NC

And a fine one it is! Congrats.