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Very happy with the stacked focusing option on EM1

Started May 16, 2016 | Discussions
DannyH Contributing Member • Posts: 615
Very happy with the stacked focusing option on EM1
16

I've been playing with the stacked focusing option on my EM1 and have been happy with the results. I like to have the option of getting objects in full focus and still have a nice soft background. I was out at the Shriner's Iris garden Sunday and it was raining, but the lighting was fantastic. I got some of the best rain drop flowers shots I have ever done and didn't mind holding an umbrella most of the time. The shot below is an iris that was under a tree canopy, which made the background dark and no water on the flower. I have the stacking feature on a button with 8 shots in a 4 focus differential. This seems to hit it most of the time. I use Zerene stacker to put the shots together. I tried the Olympus in camera software and didn't care for it.

The lighting on this outside flower worked well.

Olympus E-M1
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daddyo Forum Pro • Posts: 12,670
Re: Very happy with the stacked focusing option on EM1
3

Danny,

That is a very beautiful image -- irises are one of my favorite flowers, and you captured this one wonderfully. The focus bracketing really worked well, and I agree that most often extreme shallow DOF close ups are not all the appealing to me -- if a flower is the subject it should be in focus, not just a part of it.

Unlike you however, I have found the in-camera focus stacking to be very effective -- I have gotten some outstanding results, even hand holding, which I normally don't do on close up/macro shots.

Here is one I shot a few months back, with my E-M1 and 12-40mm mounted on a tripod:

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OlympicGuy Senior Member • Posts: 2,053
Re: Very happy with the stacked focusing option on EM1

Very nice results. I have also used zerene stacker with good results as well.

OP DannyH Contributing Member • Posts: 615
Re: Very happy with the stacked focusing option on EM1

That is a very nice shot and the in camera looks like it worked well.

gary0319
gary0319 Forum Pro • Posts: 10,522
Great shot!

I too have been using the focus bracketing (no in camera stack) with both my E-M1 and E-M5 II, but have been using 5 shot brackets with a 3 interval. But I surely will try your combination after looking at this stunner of an image.

Thanks for sharing.....

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daleeight Veteran Member • Posts: 3,195
Results....?

So you are not happy with the way the "in camera" stacking of the image looks? Well, might be too much of a negative, but you are much happier with the results of all the images blended in zerene, than you are with what the E-M1 did?

Anyway to show both?

I initially figured you used zerene and continued because you had in the past, knew the interface or options, etc. But maybe there is a real difference and the "in camera" is okay sometimes, really good others...like something makes it "not work so well"...?

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Dale

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OP DannyH Contributing Member • Posts: 615
Re: Results....?

daleeight wrote:

So you are not happy with the way the "in camera" stacking of the image looks? Well, might be too much of a negative, but you are much happier with the results of all the images blended in zerene, than you are with what the E-M1 did?

Anyway to show both?

I initially figured you used zerene and continued because you had in the past, knew the interface or options, etc. But maybe there is a real difference and the "in camera" is okay sometimes, really good others...like something makes it "not work so well"...?

I had mixed results with the in camera one. Sometimes it worked great, sometimes not. Zerene also has the ability to edit the image if it screws up on something. I find this useful sometimes. I used it in this shot on a background part that it used the most focused image, and I corrected it with the most out of focus shot.

Jegruller
Jegruller Regular Member • Posts: 216
Re: Very happy with the stacked focusing option on EM1

Great shot! Where did you set focus point in this case? On the front leaf?

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OP DannyH Contributing Member • Posts: 615
Re: Very happy with the stacked focusing option on EM1
1

Jegruller wrote:

Great shot! Where did you set focus point in this case? On the front leaf?

Yes, the front leaf. I have found that you have to make sure it's the closest object, because it works closest to further away in shooting.

gary0319
gary0319 Forum Pro • Posts: 10,522
Re: Very happy with the stacked focusing option on EM1

DannyH wrote:

Jegruller wrote:

Great shot! Where did you set focus point in this case? On the front leaf?

Yes, the front leaf. I have found that you have to make sure it's the closest object, because it works closest to further away in shooting.

Agree on the closest focus point being critical. If I'm able, I try to "sag" back just a tad once the auto focus sets for me. This assumes I'm handholding, which is normally the case for flowers

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Guy Parsons
Guy Parsons Forum Pro • Posts: 39,985
Stop it!

I have to ask all stackers to cease and desist!

It's making me unhappy with my E-P5 (where they never followed through with good firmware upgrades like those on the E-M1).

Meanwhile, DannyH, a totally nice image, it really works to show that flower well.

Regards..... Guy

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LearningForeverIHope
LearningForeverIHope Senior Member • Posts: 2,216
Re: Very happy with the stacked focusing option on EM1

Simply perfect. I'd love to see a few more.

Jean

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daleeight Veteran Member • Posts: 3,195
Re: Stop it!

Guy Parsons wrote:

I have to ask all stackers to cease and desist!

It's making me unhappy with my E-P5 (where they never followed through with good firmware upgrades like those on the E-M1).

Meanwhile, DannyH, a totally nice image, it really works to show that flower well.

Regards..... Guy

Or this particular one on the E-M5 mk2........

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Dale

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Opseuman Regular Member • Posts: 494
Wonderful image!

A beautiful job of stacking the images.

Really captures the glory of this flower.

Well done.

Thanks for sharing.

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Frank Phillips
Frank Phillips Senior Member • Posts: 1,186
Great shot

Yeah, I agree with the other posters....fantastic.

I hope to do some experimenting soon with my E-M10 II.

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OP DannyH Contributing Member • Posts: 615
Re: Very happy with the stacked focusing option on EM1

Thanks for the kind replies. My friends are amazed that Olympus put this feature on an older camera and didn't charge for it.

lester11
lester11 Contributing Member • Posts: 596
Re: Very happy with the stacked focusing option on EM1

Great shot!

What lens, speed, aperture, and distance to subject please?

Was it a focus bracket that you took (using Oly terminology)?  You mention starting from the front but in this case the camera does not merge in-camera.  On the other hand, when taking a focus stack (Oly terminology) the camera steps forward 2 and then steps back 5 from the start to give 8 frames which it then automatically stacks and merges in-camera.  As you say, the results from the in-camera merge are quite variable.  I've found that, so long as the images align and there is good focus overlap between the frames, the Oly in-camera merge of a focus stack is indistinguishable from a Photoshop or Helicon Focus merge.

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Lester

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