Rainy day output

[carregwen]

A rainy day yesterday, so I had an indoor macro session.

#1 Cacti - eight shots stacked in Helicon


#2 Cowslip - five shots stacked in Helicon


#3 Cacti - seven shots stacked in Helicon



#4 100% blow-up of section on shot #3 above to show the detail. You can see how accurate Helicon is in stacking and blending images

[Klickit]

Rob, can you tell me what lens you use for this please? I use a Tamron 90mm macro and would like to be able to do this stacking thing. However, when I take a series of pix, gradually adjusting focus through the subject, I get a slightly differently framed image each time. I think this is due to the way the Tamron works, but maybe I'm missing something in my technique?
BTW - great, sharp images. I particularly like the primroses with that lovely blue, and the cacti.

[Dave Humphries]

~ However, when I take a series of pix, gradually adjusting focus through the subject, I get a slightly differently framed image each time. ~

I know what you mean, the alternative being to leave focus alone and move the camera forward say, a millimeter at a time. The result will be the same though; slightly different sized images, so perhaps Helicon just takes that in its stride?

I'm definitely going to have to give it a try though - it might finally get me to use a tripod for macro as I doubt it would cope with my differently framed (and even differently angled) shots from handheld shooting

[carregwen]

Rob, can you tell me what lens you use for this please? I use a Tamron 90mm macro and would like to be able to do this stacking thing. However, when I take a series of pix, gradually adjusting focus through the subject, I get a slightly differently framed image each time. I think this is due to the way the Tamron works, but maybe I'm missing something in my technique?
BTW - great, sharp images. I particularly like the primroses with that lovely blue, and the cacti.

I use a Sigma 105mm macro lens, and I have also used my Canon 50mm f/1.8mm with extension tube on, but mostly the Sigma. I used to occasionally get mismatches as you describe, but not recently. This may be down to one of two things.

a) I have the latest version of helicon Pro (5.1 - released 9th April 2010) I think the latest version is important as they are continually making improvements,

b) Recently I have been shooting a lot in either bright light outdoors, or indoors, where I have used studio flash. These situations allow you to shoot around f/22, which gives a greater DOF. I would have thought that might cause more problems, not less as the difference between shots might be greater, but it seems to work. I use method B in Helicon for the stacking. I think it's supposed to be slightly more accurate than method A.

Don't have any knowledge of the Tamron, so can't help there. But I can't see why it shouldn't work OK. I got an electronic timer last week which can also be used as a remote cable release. It feels a lot more stable using the release - I just have my left hand making micro adjustments manually to the lens. Get into a very comfortable position before you start shooting, and try not to breath.

Shot #3 above had a DOF of about 2 inches on the spines, but as you can see it seems to have coped well with it.

http://www.heliconsoft.com/heliconfocus.html

[Klickit]

From what I can recall, Helicon is a pay for app, but there is also one - which I haven't yet tried - for free, called CombineZM.
http://www.wonderfulphotos.com/artic...ocus_stacking/
Here's a bit of a blurb with examples.

[carregwen]

From what I can recall, Helicon is a pay for app, but there is also one - which I haven't yet tried - for free, called CombineZM.
http://www.wonderfulphotos.com/artic...ocus_stacking/
Here's a bit of a blurb with examples.

I haven't tried Combine ZM. Next time I do a stack I'll try both in tandem to see how they stack up.

[Klickit]

Thanks for your detailed work method, Rob. I haven't tried shooting at such a dof before, so will give that a crack.

"Try not to breath."

Hah! Maybe that's the answer.

[rick55]

Great shots, Rob: #3 looks like something alien, and amazingly sharp.

Cheers,
Rick

[carregwen]

Great shots, Rob: #3 looks like something alien, and amazingly sharp.

Cheers,
Rick

Thanks, Rick. #3 is at least 100%. I think it's amazing how well Helicon performs. A very good bit of software, when you consider there are seven shots merged together there.

EDIT: Keep meaning to try helicon with a landscape - needs to be something fairly static though. Buildings might be good.