Panasonic focus stacking

D

davholla

Messages
2,828
Name
David
Edit My Images
Yes
I took some photos of springtails the other day and I was happy with them


EF7A9803Springtail by davholla2002, on Flickr

and
EF7A9809Springtail by davholla2002, on Flickr


Until I saw this taken with a GX80

https://www.flickr.com/photos/achimowl/30832952370/in/dateposted/
and
https://www.flickr.com/photos/achimowl/31072070982/in/dateposted/
(Not sadly my photos so you have to look at the link but it is worth it).
on Flickr
Do people think that similar could be achieved with Canon camera and MPE65 mm lens?
 
That is extremely interesting David. I've been playing with stacking Panasonic post-focus image sets in the past few days. (My Panasonics don't do in-camera focus stacking but I can get the same effect by extracting the images from a post-focus video and stacking them).

I am getting very interesting results with botanical subjects. However, I had assumed that it would only work with natural light. But your links (amazing photos, thanks for the links) were done with an LED light. I hadn't thought of that. Time to get an LED light I think. Time to do some research. :)

As to whether it could be done with a Canon camera and MPE-65, I don't think so, the main reason being that the MPE-65 is manual focus only. Even for lenses which do support auto-focus I don't recall reading that Canon have implemented focus stacking or post-focus on any of their interchangeable lens cameras, so I don't think you could use this technique with Canon cameras at present.
 
Could be done with an Olympus E-M1 for in camera focus stcking or focus bracketing to stack in PP or E-M5ii focus bracketing to stack in PP

With the same Zuiko 60mm f2.8 Raynox 250 and 16mm tubes combination which is a combination I need to get back out.

Here is a shot taken with the E-M5ii and the above maybe longer tubes at say 47mm single shot

Protaphorura aurantiaca + Symphypleona by Alf Branch, on Flickr
 
Last edited:
Looking at those shots lighting and processing along with angle are things you need to sort first.

Your kit is capable of this sort of thing.
 
Having focus bracketing on my Olympus EM5ii and stacking on the PC with Hugin makes it easy to do. But the bracketing needs an AF lens.
 
Last edited:
alfbranch said:
Looking at those shots lighting and processing along with angle are things you need to sort first.

Your kit is capable of this sort of thing.
Click to expand...
I think the angles for springtails are never going to be perfect. I am reasonably happy with these, what would you do differently with the processing? Increase the contrast or make brighter or darker?
 
sandboxmagician said:
Where is the best place to find springtails? I've literally never seen them myself.
Click to expand...
I usually find them under wood lying around in the garden, sometimes on the water butt. Alternatively buy a garden sieve and sieve leaf litter and you find loads (that is how I found a pseudoscorpion for the first time).

BTW do you live in the UK and if not where? If somewhere hot you might have to look a bit harder.
 
davholla said:
I think the angles for springtails are never going to be perfect. I am reasonably happy with these, what would you do differently with the processing? Increase the contrast or make brighter or darker?
Click to expand...

It's a matter of taste David, but FWIW here is a different take on them.


NOT MY IMAGE - davholla Springtail 1 - DxO JPG 01c SP7 LR6 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr


NOT MY IMAGE - davholla Springtail 2 - DxO JPG 01c SP7 LR6 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr


BTW, I should have said before, but got sidetracked by your links, springtails are difficult. Well done getting these.
 
GardenersHelper said:
It's a matter of taste David, but FWIW here is a different take on them.


BTW, I should have said before, but got sidetracked by your links, springtails are difficult. Well done getting these.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that (I removed the images for clarity). What did you change to get them like that? I am still getting into photo editing and I really find selecting the correct area difficult - partly due to cramped space I have to edit them).
 
davholla said:
Thanks for that (I removed the images for clarity). What did you change to get them like that? I am still getting into photo editing and I really find selecting the correct area difficult - partly due to cramped space I have to edit them).
Click to expand...

As you are getting into photo editing the process I used is probably too complicated to be helpful (I used three editors one after the other). What editing software are you using? If I have that software I will try to edit them just using that. If I don't have that software I will try using something similar.
 
sandboxmagician said:
Where is the best place to find springtails? I've literally never seen them myself.
Click to expand...

I regularly find them on my bin or the water butt I find them on my Fatsia Japonica or laurel hedge as well as on the leaf litter under the hedge.

You can find them on water on ponds stagnent and even on the beach on rock pools and in and around seaweed they like damp places and are easier to find on famp days when things are covered in condensation.

You can get good angles

Dicyrtomina-saundersi by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Dicyrtomina-saundersi 2 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Dicyrtoma fusca by Alf Branch, on Flickr
 
Last edited:
GardenersHelper said:
As you are getting into photo editing the process I used is probably too complicated to be helpful (I used three editors one after the other). What editing software are you using? If I have that software I will try to edit them just using that. If I don't have that software I will try using something similar.
Click to expand...
I normally use darktable, which people can do great things with it - but I am still learning.
 
alfbranch said:
I regularly find them on my bin or the water butt I find them on my Fatsia Japonica or laurel hedge as well as on the leaf litter under the hedge.

You can find them on water on ponds stagnent and even on the beach on rock pools and in and around seaweed they like damp places and are easier to find on famp days when things are covered in condensation.

You can get good angles
Click to expand...
I like the third one that is very good, but for some reason the face on angle for insects is not one that appeals to me. (I know almost everyone else likes it and I am not saying that they are wrong and I am right just different, I don't like coffee either which is quite a minority taste), I think it is the lack of sharpness that you can get in photos at this size, maybe if it were stacked and was all in focus. For deer it is different - but they are another scale altogether.
EF7A0175hind by davholla2002, on Flickr
 
davholla said:
I normally use darktable, which people can do great things with it - but I am still learning.
Click to expand...

Ah. That's one I don't have and can't run, being Windows only. I've had a quick look at the manual but I'm afraid I can't see what I would use and so I can't work out what to show you with another editor that would translate to something you could do in Darktable. Sorry, but I'm stuck. Hopefully someone knowledgeable about Darktable will be able to help you.
 
GardenersHelper said:
Ah. That's one I don't have and can't run, being Windows only. I've had a quick look at the manual but I'm afraid I can't see what I would use and so I can't work out what to show you with another editor that would translate to something you could do in Darktable. Sorry, but I'm stuck. Hopefully someone knowledgeable about Darktable will be able to help you.
Click to expand...
I am looking on one of those forums.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top