FB101
Well-known member
- Post score: 14
- #1
Earlier this year I bought Steve's video course on focus stacking and pretty muted left it unused for the following 6 months but as I was preparing to go to Colorado for a few days I figured I'd binge watch it and try some of the techniques Steve presents.
First of all, the course is fantastic, very clear, very easy to follow and extremely detailed.
Second, focus stacking is far more demanding and involved than it initially looks. If you think drop 5 files in a software and Bob's your uncle, think again. I now understand why Steve emphasizes the initial image capture so much - every little mistake will get amplified in the process or have big repercussions.
And finally, Photoshop sucks at stacking (Steve's nice when he says he "prefers" the other options, PS just plain sucks on images the other two have no issues dealing with) - I have landed on Zerene Stacker because it gave me the best results but also because they just released a Mac M1 build which is fast and smooth to use on a new Mac.
So here is the first shot - it's not earth-shattering, just a first learning experience but Summit Lake on Mt Evans seemed like a good place to start. This is an 11 picture stack with the D850 / Nikon 16-35 f:4 IS at 17mm f:5.6 and Iso 64 on my Gorilla Pod.
What did I learn from this? The 16-35 f:4 with its heavy field curvature and edge "fuzziness" is not the best lens for this exercise... when the center of the frame is in focus, the edges in the same focal plan are "smudged". It probably would have been better at f:8. Live and learn.
And buy the video, it's so worth it even if you don't do much stacking (I don't intend to let it consume me, but now and then it will come in handy), it's always nice to learn something new.
First of all, the course is fantastic, very clear, very easy to follow and extremely detailed.
Second, focus stacking is far more demanding and involved than it initially looks. If you think drop 5 files in a software and Bob's your uncle, think again. I now understand why Steve emphasizes the initial image capture so much - every little mistake will get amplified in the process or have big repercussions.
And finally, Photoshop sucks at stacking (Steve's nice when he says he "prefers" the other options, PS just plain sucks on images the other two have no issues dealing with) - I have landed on Zerene Stacker because it gave me the best results but also because they just released a Mac M1 build which is fast and smooth to use on a new Mac.
So here is the first shot - it's not earth-shattering, just a first learning experience but Summit Lake on Mt Evans seemed like a good place to start. This is an 11 picture stack with the D850 / Nikon 16-35 f:4 IS at 17mm f:5.6 and Iso 64 on my Gorilla Pod.
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What did I learn from this? The 16-35 f:4 with its heavy field curvature and edge "fuzziness" is not the best lens for this exercise... when the center of the frame is in focus, the edges in the same focal plan are "smudged". It probably would have been better at f:8. Live and learn.
And buy the video, it's so worth it even if you don't do much stacking (I don't intend to let it consume me, but now and then it will come in handy), it's always nice to learn something new.
