Some springtails

alfbranch

alfbranch

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Alf
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Some from a springtail safari yesterday I got my Olympus OMD E-M1ii, Olymnpus STF-8 flash and Sigma 105 out with the 25mm extension tube and Raynox DCR 250 and then switched back to the Laowa 50mm f2.8 which I prefer as it is smaller lighter and goes from infinity to 2:1 no add ons.


This is six shot MF handheld stack of a Dicyrtomina saundersi with the sigma

Dicyrtomina saundersi by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Chasing this guy around with the Sigma was not easy

Springtail by Alf Branch, on Flickr

A three shot stack with the 50mm handheld and of course MF

Springtail 2 by Alf Branch, on Flickr
 
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Great set Alf :)
The first one doesn't look real, and great detail in the 3rd.
 
Interesting to see you doing manual focus brackets with those setups Alf. Well done finding nice subjects, and being able to stack from hand-held with such small subjects.

I'm getting interested in Olympus kit - again. I have some practical questions; I hope you don't mind.

Do you have to have more than one/some/many attempts to get a set that will stack ok?

Do you get a set which goes from front to back and you can use them for the stack sequentially as shot, or do you have to sort through them to find a (subset) of shots that will work (if you put them in the appropriate order). I'm thinking that my hand/eye coordination and hand steadyness are not up to doing straight through sequences manually and it would likely be pretty hit and miss. That has put me off trying to stack such small subjects. Instead I've been going for even smaller apertures than before and doing what I can in post processing to mitigate the extreme diffraction softening. But I can't help thinking about hand-held bracketing, preferably automated bracketing. The most likely kit looks like an em1 with STF-8, 60mm macro and MC-20 TC. (It doesn't officially work, but with a 16mm extension tube between the MC-20 and the 60mm, and a bit of scraping inside the extension tube it does work fine, apparently, including both bracketing and in-camera stacking.)

Does the EM1ii give you enough visual feedback to tell where the focus plane is falling as you move through the shots? (Wouldn't matter with automated bracketing of course, but I can't help but be interested in the Laowa 50mm for manual bracketing.)

(How) are you diffusing the STF-8?
 
How on earth does anyone do a hand held stack?
I struggled using a tripod.
 
Cobra said:
Great set Alf :)
The first one doesn't look real, and great detail in the 3rd.
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris
Are you suggesting I have photographed a model of a Dicyrtomina saunders :dummy:

Gav-canon said:
Nice work Alf (y)
Click to expand...

Thanks Gav

soupdragon said:
How on earth does anyone do a hand held stack?
I struggled using a tripod.
Click to expand...

Tony I bought a tripod to use for macro and all I have a heavier tripod than I need for landscapes I only shoot handheld
Stacking handheld is a bit hit and miss you try and if it works out great but if not delete them and move on but you move the camera not the focus.
 
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GardenersHelper said:
Interesting to see you doing manual focus brackets with those setups Alf. Well done finding nice subjects, and being able to stack from hand-held with such small subjects.

I'm getting interested in Olympus kit - again. I have some practical questions; I hope you don't mind.

Do you have to have more than one/some/many attempts to get a set that will stack ok?

Do you get a set which goes from front to back and you can use them for the stack sequentially as shot, or do you have to sort through them to find a (subset) of shots that will work (if you put them in the appropriate order). I'm thinking that my hand/eye coordination and hand steadyness are not up to doing straight through sequences manually and it would likely be pretty hit and miss. That has put me off trying to stack such small subjects. Instead I've been going for even smaller apertures than before and doing what I can in post processing to mitigate the extreme diffraction softening. But I can't help thinking about hand-held bracketing, preferably automated bracketing. The most likely kit looks like an em1 with STF-8, 60mm macro and MC-20 TC. (It doesn't officially work, but with a 16mm extension tube between the MC-20 and the 60mm, and a bit of scraping inside the extension tube it does work fine, apparently, including both bracketing and in-camera stacking.)

Does the EM1ii give you enough visual feedback to tell where the focus plane is falling as you move through the shots? (Wouldn't matter with automated bracketing of course, but I can't help but be interested in the Laowa 50mm for manual bracketing.)

(How) are you diffusing the STF-8?
Click to expand...

Thanks Nick

:olympus:

Stacking in MF is case of moving the camera enough to attempt a stack with a cooperative subject it works some of the time but it never works if you do not try. I first attempted it with multiple shots of the same subject that looked promising without trying. From those occasions the subject is still enough to make multiple attempts to get the subject in focus.
They may be a bit all over the place and I do not need to put them in order and I only use Photoshop which is not the best.

The auto in camera stacking is good but I have not really used it with the 60mm f2.8 which I not a fan of due to the MF getting tediously slow from 1:2 to 1:1 and I prefer MF to AF. I have used auto in camera stacking to great effect with the wonderful 40-150mm f2.8 and MC-14 I have a custom setting for it on the mode dial which is great. Here is a stack with that. and like most M.Zuiko lenses the close focus is amazing at 0.7m

This was stacked in camera not focus bracketing and handheld
Common darter by Alf Branch, on Flickr

The diffusion is not that special

E-M1ii macro rig 3 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

If you want to know more just ask.
 
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alfbranch said:
Thanks Nick

:olympus:

Stacking in MF is case of moving the camera enough to attempt a stack with a cooperative subject it works some of the time but it never works if you do not try. I first attempted it with multiple shots of the same subject that looked promising without trying. From those occasions the subject is still enough to make multiple attempts to get the subject in focus.
They may be a bit all over the place and I do not need to put them in order and I only use Photoshop which is not the best.

The auto in camera stacking is good but I have not really used it with the 60mm f2.8 which I not a fan of due to the MF getting tediously slow from 1:2 to 1:1 and I prefer MF to AF. I have used auto in camera stacking to great effect with the wonderful 40-150mm f2.8 and MC-14 I have a custom setting for it on the mode dial which is great. Here is a stack with that. and like most M.Zuiko lenses the close focus is amazing at 0.7m

This was stacked in camera not focus bracketing and handheld
Common darter by Alf Branch, on Flickr

The diffusion is not that special

E-M1ii macro rig 3 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

If you want to know more just ask.
Click to expand...
Thanks Alf, that is very helpful. I may well come back with more questions! Thanks for the offer.
 
Very nice set.
 
Super set and helpful info Alf, just subscribed to that channel to I learnt more in a few minutes than I have for ages
 
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the black fox said:
Super set and helpful info Alf, just subscribed to that channel to I learnt more in a few minutes than I have for ages
Click to expand...
Thanks Jeff.
Geraint is an enthusiastic guy but he is pretty straight talking.
 
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