Thistle

[rob marshall]

A stack of twelve shots in CS5. Canon 5D Mk2 and Sigma 105mm.

[FrankMi]

Very nice, Rob. I love what focus stacking can do for right image!

I checked and was amazed at how many different types of macro focusing rails are available from under $40 (US) for manual positioning to over $500 for those that can position, delay for flash recharge, shoot, and reposition repeatedly, electronically.

[KeithH]

An excellent macro Rob, pin-sharp and full of detail.

[rob marshall]

Very nice, Rob. I love what focus stacking can do for right image!

I checked and was amazed at how many different types of macro focusing rails are available from under $40 (US) for manual positioning to over $500 for those that can position, delay for flash recharge, shoot, and reposition repeatedly, electronically.

I'm sure that for over $1,000 you can get one that picks the flowers, trims them, does the shoot, then pours you a cold beer.

I'd quite like to try one though. Do you have any good links to them. I tried looking some time ago and couldn't find much.

[rob marshall]

An excellent macro Rob, pin-sharp and full of detail.

Thanks Keith, I was trying out more images in the stack - as you said yesterday. But there are still one or two tiny areas that are a bit OOF. The problem with a plant such as this is the large depth from front to rear.

[FrankMi]

Do you have any good links to them.

Sure Rob, give a few of these a try:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search...tialSearch=yes

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...rail&x=16&y=17

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeXjpZpaZns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WnE-KI3cng

Enjoy!

[rob marshall]

Sure Rob, give a few of these a try:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search...tialSearch=yes

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...rail&x=16&y=17

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeXjpZpaZns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WnE-KI3cng

Enjoy!

Thanks, Frank. I'll have a look at those in more detail. there seems to be more available now than when last I looked. I suppose macro is becoming more popular - and quite rightly do.

[KeithH]

Thanks Keith, I was trying out more images in the stack - as you said yesterday. But there are still one or two tiny areas that are a bit OOF. The problem with a plant such as this is the large depth from front to rear.

Sometimes you have to be a bit creative Rob and clone in/out any offending bits if possible.

Be wary of the cheap slide rails and try before you buy if you can. A friend bought some from Amazon and they were worse than useless. They were far too flexible for a heavy DSLR and the focusing screws were much too coarse for high magnification macro work.

[rob marshall]

Sometimes you have to be a bit creative Rob and clone in/out any offending bits if possible.

Be wary of the cheap slide rails and try before you buy if you can. A friend bought some from Amazon and they were worse than useless. They were far too flexible for a heavy DSLR and the focusing screws were much too coarse for high magnification macro work.

Can you recomend a rail?

BTW I meant to mention yesterday - do you have one of these? You were saying about holding things in place. These are excellent for small items. very strong and well built too. You can rotate in any angle.

[KeithH]

I have three of these Rob and they end up being used for holding A4 card breeze-blockers and background sheets outside as I don't do a lot indoors. I'm not up on slide rails but from what I've learned from my mates rail, and posts I've read over time, then you are talking a lot of money for a good one. It has to have a very fine adjustment thread on all its movements and no backlash otherwise you end up chasing your tail

When I have shot inanimate objects indoors I have placed them on a square glass coaster sat on the glass of a heavy picture frame. If I then run the edge of the coaster against the frame edge, and if its lined up with the lens axis, I can get very small movements of the subject in relation to the camera - but again, its a hit and miss technique I suppose. Sorry I can't be of more help on this, its just that I'm a get out and have a go sort of guy

[waha]

Twelve shots!
Sounds like you labored hard to get everything just right. The result clearly justifies the sweat. Amazing not only in its sharp focus, but also a great composition: there's so much to look at, from the thorny leaves jutting out in seemingly random directions to the symmetry of the middle and top parts of the photo, to say nothing of the glorious color of the blossom.

More, more.

[Peter Ryan]

Hi ROb,

I look at this and on my screen this looks a bit oversharpened. I can apprecie the clarity and enjoy your use of this technique but it's the sharpening that might be a bit over done on this one for my taste. Maybe just my screen.