JohnClif
Senior Member
So, I tried another experiment with focus stacking, this time attempting to generate a stacked image of the bore/inside of a surplus pistol barrel.
The first attempt using in-camera focus stacking was a failure. You can't build a decent image with only 15 shots. So, I abandoned in-camera focus stacking and went to focus bracketing instead.
I realized that I needed overlap on DoF so I set the interval to '1' and had a limit of 999 shots... everyone surely knows that the bracketing sequence can be stopped by pressing the shutter again. I rested the barrel on a pill container (it was handy), and used two LED lights, one illuminating a napkin placed past the end of the barrel as a bore reflector, and one on top of the camera to light the chamber, breech, and bore. I did all of this sitting at the kitchen table, getting a good stable position by bracing my forearms on the table with my elbows against my chest.
On my E-M1.III, focus bracketing started at the point of focus obtained on a half-press of the shutter, and went incrementally further out (away from the camera) with each image. I focused on the breech end of the barrel, so that's how I did it.
Here's the OM Workspace focus stacking attempt:
Using OM Workspace's focus stacking feature
This did not turn out well at all... the bore looks threaded! I think this is because the interval was too far apart and so the software interpolated what was supposed to be in the blurry parts.
Next, I tried Helicon Focus after grabbing some new photos. It did a decent job but didn't show the detail that I could see in the bore. I did go into PS to bump up the contrast and sharpen the image, but it didn't make much of a difference.
Finally I tried Zerene Stacker, something I hadn't heard of before but my buddy ChatGTP recommended it for longer focusing ranges and detail. It did the best job of all three, generating an image which is very much what the eye sees. I did grab new images, hoping to do a better job of centering the bore... nope, just different.
Note the preserved detail of the tool marks in the grooves (the recessed areas) and what looks like fouling (firing residue and/or jacket deposits from the bullet) on the lands (protruding rifling).
So far, Zerene Stacker seems to be the winner for this application.
--
'Do you think a man can change his destiny?'
'I think a man does what he can until his destiny is revealed.'
The first attempt using in-camera focus stacking was a failure. You can't build a decent image with only 15 shots. So, I abandoned in-camera focus stacking and went to focus bracketing instead.
I realized that I needed overlap on DoF so I set the interval to '1' and had a limit of 999 shots... everyone surely knows that the bracketing sequence can be stopped by pressing the shutter again. I rested the barrel on a pill container (it was handy), and used two LED lights, one illuminating a napkin placed past the end of the barrel as a bore reflector, and one on top of the camera to light the chamber, breech, and bore. I did all of this sitting at the kitchen table, getting a good stable position by bracing my forearms on the table with my elbows against my chest.
On my E-M1.III, focus bracketing started at the point of focus obtained on a half-press of the shutter, and went incrementally further out (away from the camera) with each image. I focused on the breech end of the barrel, so that's how I did it.
Here's the OM Workspace focus stacking attempt:
Using OM Workspace's focus stacking feature
This did not turn out well at all... the bore looks threaded! I think this is because the interval was too far apart and so the software interpolated what was supposed to be in the blurry parts.
Next, I tried Helicon Focus after grabbing some new photos. It did a decent job but didn't show the detail that I could see in the bore. I did go into PS to bump up the contrast and sharpen the image, but it didn't make much of a difference.
Finally I tried Zerene Stacker, something I hadn't heard of before but my buddy ChatGTP recommended it for longer focusing ranges and detail. It did the best job of all three, generating an image which is very much what the eye sees. I did grab new images, hoping to do a better job of centering the bore... nope, just different.
Note the preserved detail of the tool marks in the grooves (the recessed areas) and what looks like fouling (firing residue and/or jacket deposits from the bullet) on the lands (protruding rifling).
So far, Zerene Stacker seems to be the winner for this application.
--
'Do you think a man can change his destiny?'
'I think a man does what he can until his destiny is revealed.'
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