rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Well, here I am, bored again. I set up a table top studio rig with several Lume Cubes as lights with stands, a Lume Cube panel on a super clamp hung off a BeFree travel tripod, and a Platypod macro set up to hold the Fuji X-T30 with Fuji XF 35 mm f1.4 lens.

The studio rig has a white nylon backdrop, which annoyingly had been folded and was showing seams. So I had to iron it smooth. My wife was gobsmacked that 1) I knew where the ironing board was and 2) I knew how to turn it on and use it. Hah, showed her.

I had just seen a video on Fuji's approach to focus stacking, which they call Focus Bracketing, and wanted to try it.

I set the focus bracketing to 50 exposures. 10 step and 0-sec interval. This was programmed to the BKT 2 setting on the top command dial. I thought the 50 exposures was overkill, but with such shallow depth of field, I needed all 50 to get everything in focus.

I positioned the lights with the Lume Cube panel set to 5600K, down from the top, and the 2 Lume Cubes on stalks on either side of the lens. I used a can of compressed air to remove dust, and most importantly, keep the Cat from cruising into the tabletop studio when I turned my back. Kitties do not like blasts of compressed air!

The exposures were imported into Lightroom then opened as Layers in Photoshop, which were auto aligned and stacked, then flattened.

I used Topaz Simplify to apply an oil painting filter on a new layer which was blended with the original to produce the final look. Save back to Lightroom and applied a silver greyscale conversion. Greyscale looked best with the hardware.

Kodak Doublet from 1923 (I think)

(Download)

Agfa

(Download)

Nikon FG w/ 50 mm lens

(Download)

Nikon FG

(Download)

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

Good set.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

I think I still have a very similar set. Somewhere ...
Tho mine aren't quite as cute!

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

Well done.

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

Excellent work.

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

Your cameras make excellent models with creative poses. It does sound like a bit of work to get it all set up but that is what boredom will drive you to do. Nice work and I like the B&W presentation.

Ourspolair

Great images. Handy that the camera does the multi-shot work for you - saves extra hardware. These are great renderings in B&W. Thanks for sharing.

tcthome Loc: NJ

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

That first one reminds me of my mom's camera. It was my toy as a child, and I took lots of weird pictures! But I think my mom's was older than that. I'd love to have one again, even if I didn't shoot it!

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

Nice work!

I just had an Agfa Josolette like that one refurbed by Mr. Kreckel. Haven’t put any film in it yet. Does setting the shutter to 1/500th on yours take quite a bit more force than the other speeds?

Stan

Baud Loc: Bonifay Florida

great captures 🙏

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Great stuff! That sounded like a lot of fun (even the ironing part would create a feeling of satisfaction).
There is this nit-picking "thing" about terminology. Focus bracketing is technically where one takes pictures at different focal points. Focus stacking is where one "stacks" and merges those pictures --> a single picture. But the term focus stacking is informally used in reference to all steps in the process, and there is no point in quibbling about it.

Like how people often use "bokeh" in reference to simple out of focus backgrounds, when really the term is about the out of focus points of light that one can sometimes get. Again, no point in arguing.

A10 Loc: Southern Indiana

Nicely done!

sirvive Loc: South Louisiana

larrylas Loc: MA

you give me great hope that if work hard and listen to you I might get better at table top studio stuff!