I’m looking for a camera system with a true focus bracketing rather than focus stacking feature. I currently mainly use Canon cameras and their ‘focus bracketing’ is definitely aimed at focus stacking rather than bracketing, and does not meet my needs.
In a nutshell, what I’m looking for is something which offers a sequence of three images - one at the current focus distance, one focused very slightly further away and one very slightly nearer, with the focus distance shifted back to its original position following the sequence. I ideally don’t want to stack images - I want to increase my chances of getting optimal focus throughout the scene in one of the shots.
For a bit of context, I’m a static scene photographer with many years’ experience. Most of the time I want the entire scene or most of the scene sharp as possible, though not always. I mostly work with smallish apertures. Most of the time I can get focus close to optimal, but this is not trivial when you’re pushing the boundaries of the depth of field, or don’t have anything at the optimal distance to focus on, and especially with the field curvature of most lenses being less than flat, and often unpredictable. I want insurance that I will have a shot where focus is optimal, so I can concentrate on getting everything else right. The depth of field in each shot needs to mostly overlap, but with a slight bias forwards or backwards. In previous decades, when lenses had well-marked focusing scales and tight focusing actions, I would commonly bracket focus manually using the distance scale on the lens, but that’s not practical now with focus-by-wire lenses.
Canon’s ‘focus bracketing’ feature fails to meet my needs in a number of ways. The biggest problem is that even with the focus increments set to the minimum, the distance steps are far too large. The depth of field in each shot barely overlaps, and the distance steps only get wider as you stop down. The second problem is that the focus distance is not reset to its original position after the sequence - it is just left wherever it ends up - meaning if I want to take a second sequence (eg. because exposure or composition wasn’t perfect) I have to re-focus. The third problem is that typically, none of the shots have the focus set exactly where I set it - the closest one usually being visibly front- or back- focused relative to what I chose, because the focus shifts are so big, meaning that I’m actually less likely to get a shot with optimal focus. Ideally, I would prefer the first shot to be the current focus distance, then one further and one closer, similar to how exposure bracketing works.
Ironically, before the whole focus stacking ‘craze’ took hold, many of Canon’s Powershot cameras worked in exactly the way that I want. I have an original G1X and the focus bracketing system works well for me. Probably 85% of the time the first shot of the sequence will be best; in the other 15% of cases, one of the others will be better and I’ll use that. Occasionally I might combine two of the images, but this is a last resort. It has been one of the best cameras I’ve ever used in terms of getting things optimally sharp, but it has its limitations, including a slow continuous shooting rate. I’d like to get this same consistency in an interchangeable lens camera which has improved IQ and flexibility, for occasions when the G1X doesn’t work.
I’ve tried this with the R5, R6 and R10, with a number of RF lenses. The problems I describe above have been consistent in all cases.
So does anyone know of a camera which works in the way that I describe? Or closer than the Canon system? Or do all systems work the same now? Would I find the same issues with Sony and Nikon, what about Olympus/OM? The most important thing is to have much finer increments, such that the depth of field in each shot substantially overlaps, and is only a very small shift in focus.Thanks for in advance for your consideration.
In a nutshell, what I’m looking for is something which offers a sequence of three images - one at the current focus distance, one focused very slightly further away and one very slightly nearer, with the focus distance shifted back to its original position following the sequence. I ideally don’t want to stack images - I want to increase my chances of getting optimal focus throughout the scene in one of the shots.
For a bit of context, I’m a static scene photographer with many years’ experience. Most of the time I want the entire scene or most of the scene sharp as possible, though not always. I mostly work with smallish apertures. Most of the time I can get focus close to optimal, but this is not trivial when you’re pushing the boundaries of the depth of field, or don’t have anything at the optimal distance to focus on, and especially with the field curvature of most lenses being less than flat, and often unpredictable. I want insurance that I will have a shot where focus is optimal, so I can concentrate on getting everything else right. The depth of field in each shot needs to mostly overlap, but with a slight bias forwards or backwards. In previous decades, when lenses had well-marked focusing scales and tight focusing actions, I would commonly bracket focus manually using the distance scale on the lens, but that’s not practical now with focus-by-wire lenses.
Canon’s ‘focus bracketing’ feature fails to meet my needs in a number of ways. The biggest problem is that even with the focus increments set to the minimum, the distance steps are far too large. The depth of field in each shot barely overlaps, and the distance steps only get wider as you stop down. The second problem is that the focus distance is not reset to its original position after the sequence - it is just left wherever it ends up - meaning if I want to take a second sequence (eg. because exposure or composition wasn’t perfect) I have to re-focus. The third problem is that typically, none of the shots have the focus set exactly where I set it - the closest one usually being visibly front- or back- focused relative to what I chose, because the focus shifts are so big, meaning that I’m actually less likely to get a shot with optimal focus. Ideally, I would prefer the first shot to be the current focus distance, then one further and one closer, similar to how exposure bracketing works.
Ironically, before the whole focus stacking ‘craze’ took hold, many of Canon’s Powershot cameras worked in exactly the way that I want. I have an original G1X and the focus bracketing system works well for me. Probably 85% of the time the first shot of the sequence will be best; in the other 15% of cases, one of the others will be better and I’ll use that. Occasionally I might combine two of the images, but this is a last resort. It has been one of the best cameras I’ve ever used in terms of getting things optimally sharp, but it has its limitations, including a slow continuous shooting rate. I’d like to get this same consistency in an interchangeable lens camera which has improved IQ and flexibility, for occasions when the G1X doesn’t work.
I’ve tried this with the R5, R6 and R10, with a number of RF lenses. The problems I describe above have been consistent in all cases.
So does anyone know of a camera which works in the way that I describe? Or closer than the Canon system? Or do all systems work the same now? Would I find the same issues with Sony and Nikon, what about Olympus/OM? The most important thing is to have much finer increments, such that the depth of field in each shot substantially overlaps, and is only a very small shift in focus.Thanks for in advance for your consideration.
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