[gurtch]

Tuco: Thanks for the info regarding Helicon Focus. I just down loaded the trial, and will give it a try for landscape/seascape work. If I get any "keepers", I will post.
Dave

I made a series of focus stack tests using a 645D, 35mm A lens, 1/800 sec at f8. I focused on the nearest object visible in the viewfinder (about 5 ft away), then made 6 more exposures, the last of which was infinity (as marked on the lens)- the results look very promising for landscape/seascape work. I just received a 10 stop ND filter to use making seascapes, so the water will blur. Has anyone done focus stacking of moving objects, such as water? It might give a similar effect?
Thanks
Dave

[tuco]

...
Has anyone done focus stacking of moving objects, such as water? It might give a similar effect?
Thanks
Dave

Not me but for multiple picture blending and focus stacking, water is a popular subject in landscape because its okay to have motion blur from the water as apposed to wind blown trees, for example. An ordinary beach scene with half way decent light suddenly becomes a surreal image with good post processing skills, color augmentation, good composition and a sharp, crisp capture.

[civiletti]

I made a series of focus stack tests using a 645D, 35mm A lens, 1/800 sec at f8. I focused on the nearest object visible in the viewfinder (about 5 ft away), then made 6 more exposures, the last of which was infinity (as marked on the lens)- the results look very promising for landscape/seascape work. I just received a 10 stop ND filter to use making seascapes, so the water will blur. Has anyone done focus stacking of moving objects, such as water? It might give a similar effect?
Thanks
Dave

I've done exposure stacking with LREnfuse of moving water on APS-C sensor cameras. The results were consistent with the look of a single longer exposure, at least approximately. I had expected obvious artifacts that I did not find.

[gurtch]

I've done exposure stacking with LREnfuse of moving water on APS-C sensor cameras. The results were consistent with the look of a single longer exposure, at least approximately. I had expected obvious artifacts that I did not find.

Thanks for the input Civiletti.
Dave

[harklee]

Thanks so much for taking the time to provide such a detailed response. I appreciate you sharing your approach. I hadn't thought of a laser distance meter. I'll dive into your suggestions and see how it works for me.
Laurence

You are very welcome, Laurence, I hope it works out for you. FYI, I use the Leica Disto D2 and it doesn't work for anything farther than 200ft. It also doesn't work when the ambient light is too bright or on a reflective surface. : )

Regarding Focus Stacking, do you have problems with ghosting or alignment? I shoot extremely detailed landscapes that feature prairies and millions of blades of grass and flowers.
Also, if you were to shoot using hyperfocal distance, couldn't you try something subtle like taking just 2 shots at, say, f8? Let's say that the nearest subject is 2 feet and we also want infinity.
- 1st Shot: At f/8 on the 25mm lens on the 645D, you would set the lens to the hyperfocal distance for f/8, which is almost exactly 8 feet. This shot would get everything sharp (for the most part) between 4 feet and infinity.
- 2nd Shot: At f/8, focus the lens at something like 3 feet (a foot beyond the nearest subject) and guarantee that everything between 2 feet and a good amount beyond 4 feet would be in focus.
(Of course, you could probably take the first shot and focus a little further out than 8 feet to better guarantee that infinity looks sharp. Possibly set focus to 10 feet.)

The reason I'm asking is because, in my situation, taking too many shots will not work because of the problem with the wind blowing around the grasses and flowers. Even small movements will not align and cause problems with the stacking.

Mike,

You are absolutly right about the alignment issues, when you have grasses or flowers that do not have fixed positions, they could be a problem. But then again, you still have that issue even for a single exposure shot, since during the golden hour we are dealing with an exposure at least a second long. So the best way to go about it is get the right timing and take mutiple shots as quickly as possible while things are not moving. Also try to carefully partition your shots so that you won't have moving objects near the seams. : )

About the DOF question, the depth of field is directly related to the circle of confusion you allow, and therefore a very subjective quantity. That's why you cannot simply go hyperfocal and believe everything from the half the hyperfocal distance to infinity is 'sharp'. As I mentioned above, take some shots with different focus settings and take a look at 100%, so that you know what kind of pixel sharpness you are talking about. Also the sharpness issues can occur from lens defects such as field curvature (which has been an issue for FA 35mm), so I encourage this kind of first-hand tests.

Harklee,
Your images are stunning. I really love the Lake Tahoe Zephyr Cove shot. I've followed your posts for a few months now and thanks in part to your thoughtful reviews and beautiful images, I've taken the plunge and should get my 645D in a week or two. Thanks for your help.

Thanks for the kind words, Joe, I really appreciate the comment.

I have a few samples to be processed, and should show them here by the end of this month :
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-medium-format-645-6x7-645d/148891-...5mm-f-4-a.html

Thanks for sharing Zygonyx, that's a lot of useful information!

I shot this on an inexpensive camera just to demo Helicon's Focus stacking software that has a 30 day free trial. The shot has about 8 focus points, IIRC.

Great sample, Tuco, I will try that myself too. Thanks for sharing. : )

[lnorton]

Hark,

I picked up the Leica D2, and I'm very pleased with the ease of use. Fortunately for me, I rarely shoot in bright light.

I did a quick test with the nearest focus point 2 feet and the furthest at infinity (6 shots total). I went ahead on download the Helicon's Focus 30 day trial, and it came out fantastic. I still need to make a guide with focus points marked, and I really like your idea of the mirror to quickly and easily make the focus adjustments.

Now I just need the 25mm to become available.....

Laurence

[Zygonyx]

...

Thanks for sharing Zygonyx, that's a lot of useful information!

With pleasure, the picts are on line.