Golden fly

[WearyLandcrab]

Trying out my new lens, its a lens taken from a old microfiche reader giving around x3 magnification

[Hatter]

Great detail.  Shame the wings are a bit tatty! 

[ChrisD]

Its certainly working Andy, nice shot. I that a single exposure or stack?

[WearyLandcrab]

ChrisD,  it is a stacked image 144 shots stepped at 35 microns,  probably could have done it as well with less.

[Hatter]

15 hours ago, WearyLandcrab said:

 it is a stacked image 144 shots stepped at 35 microns

Could you explain the set-up please, Andy?  I understand the concept of focus-stacking but how do you take that many shots with the focus changed so precisely?

[WearyLandcrab]

Hatter, I use a stacking rail which is controlled by the PC, it can step from 0.7 of a micron ( 0.00003 inch )upwards in very precise steps. Typically I set it around 65 microns which gives an  50% overlap depending on which lens i'm using .

[Hatter]

7 hours ago, WearyLandcrab said:

Hatter, I use a stacking rail which is controlled by the PC, it can step from 0.7 of a micron ( 0.00003 inch )upwards in very precise steps. Typically I set it around 65 microns which gives an  50% overlap depending on which lens i'm using .

Thanks.   This is clearly more complex than I thought!

How long does it take to record that many images?

[WearyLandcrab]

I give around 10 seconds between shots to allow vibrations to settle and flashes to recycle, with a good shoot I can normally have a finished picture in hour and a half.

[FUJI]

9 hours ago, Hatter said:

Thanks.   This is clearly more complex than I thought!

How long does it take to record that many images?

Hi, Hatter,

Stacking doesn’t have to be that precise, or have that many Focusing stacks...

When I dabbled in the dark arts of macro photography, I learned to ....stalk insects that were.... 1 ... Sunning themselves.....2 ... or were feeling the cold....

Some can remain remarkably still if you are lucky..... giving you enough time to fire off three or more frames aiming focus on different parts as you go, whilst keeping a reference point in view....a day with no wind is essential.

The free Stacking Software I used also used a reference point to line up slightly out frames, bringing them together as a very satisfactory whole.

I recommend the.....manual....rocking, back and forth method of focusing for best results.....

Give it a go...you might surprise yourself.

Our Weary, has become an expert in the more, precise method, that can only be done with dead or cooled subjects.

FUJI

 

 

[Hatter]

14 hours ago, WearyLandcrab said:

I give around 10 seconds between shots to allow vibrations to settle and flashes to recycle, with a good shoot I can normally have a finished picture in hour and a half.

Thanks.  I think my comment about the wings being tatty  was a bit too flippant, considering the effort you put into it!  

[Hatter]

14 hours ago, FUJI said:

Hi, Hatter,

Stacking doesn’t have to be that precise, or have that many Focusing stacks...

When I dabbled in the dark arts of macro photography, I learned to ....stalk insects that were.... 1 ... Sunning themselves.....2 ... or were feeling the cold....

Some can remain remarkably still if you are lucky..... giving you enough time to fire off three or more frames aiming focus on different parts as you go, whilst keeping a reference point in view....a day with no wind is essential.

The free Stacking Software I used also used a reference point to line up slightly out frames, bringing them together as a very satisfactory whole.

I recommend the.....manual....rocking, back and forth method of focusing for best results.....

Give it a go...you might surprise yourself.

Our Weary, has become an expert in the more, precise method, that can only be done with dead or cooled subjects.

FUJI

 

 

Thanks, Fuji.

That was more the sort of thing I was thinking of from what people have said at my camera club.  I'd got the impression it was a bit like HDR where you merged 3 to 5 exposures.

Gareth