In-camera focus bracketing: usable past 1x magnification?

16GreenBeans wrote:

gardenersassistant wrote:

16GreenBeans wrote:

Hey all,

As someone interested in trying out macro photography around the 2x-5x level, from what I understand, focus bracketing seems pretty vital to ensuring a sharp, detailed photo.

As focus bracketing manually using a rail seems rather time consuming, I was wondering, would using an in-camera method of automatic bracketing be precise enough at such a high level of magnification? Say the kind found in newer fujifilm and olympus mirrorless bodies?

Yes. See the work of OneOfOne25, who uses in-camera bracketing with an Olympus camera and an Olympus 60mm macro lens with and without a teleconverter and/or Raynox close-up lenses, sometimes at very high magnifications, producing superb, super-detailed images.

That said, if you are intending to photograph animals, especially live animals, particularly live animals out in the field, most particularly ones that are rather small and ones that may be wandering around/on foliage that is moving in the breeze/engaging in active behaviours/not in one place or pose for very long, then using focus stacking will considerably restrict the range of scenes you can tackle.

FWIW (and obviously your mileage may vary), I prefer the flexibility that single-capture imaging gives me for active subjects out in the field at magnifications of up to 8X. I can't get the details or depth of field that focus stacking would enable, but there are compensations, such as being able to photograph subjects as they move around and/or engage in behaviours such as grooming, blowing bubbles, wrapping prey or giving birth. In terms of sharpness and accuracy I make do with images like the ones below. But obviously, this may not be the sort of thing you are interested in, or if it is the sort of thing you are interested the image quality may not be up to your standards. We each have to find our own way.

A globular springtail, head and body probably around 2mm long

One of a 26-image series captured as the snail was moving around, varying from shots like this through "full body" shots out to "environmental" shots.

This ant was rushing around. It had, possibly, stopped momentarily (I don't recall).

Aphid giving birth.

From an action sequence. A wasp trying to tear flesh from a pheasant carcass. (They had to work really hard at it.)

This mite's body was probably around 1mm long. It was moving around.

This woodlouse was in motion.

This fly wasn't moving. Perhaps it stayed still long enough to be stacked. I don't recall. But this sort of thing is good enough for my purposes.

I have nothing against focus stacking btw. I use it quite a lot for close-ups of flowers etc (hand-held, using in-camera focus-racked video and stacking in Helicon). Just not for invertebrates.

Hey Garden,

I think for the most part I'll be sticking to static, non-living things when it comes to macro. That said, fantastic shots you have there.

Thanks for the advice.

Cheers,

GB.

always blown away by Gardenerassistant's shots....and probably have been most inspired and also most taught by their work