Settings for Focus Shift Shooting - Z 105mm

[billpics]

I watched a few videos tutorials on this, and understand the menu choices for Focus Shift Shooting on my Z5, but I'm not grasping which other settings to use. I can make some educated guesses, but thought I would ask those who are experienced. A pre-flight checklist? Many thanks.

Focus Mode: AF or MF
Release Mode: Single or Continuous
AF-area Mode: Single-point, Wide, Auto-area

 

[Blue439]

I have done focus shift shooting many times with that lens mounted on a Z7 and a Z7 II. I am not quite sure what question you are asking, so I will tell you how I do it, and then you can pick and choose what you need in my answers, or ask any further questions you may have.

1. You focus-shift shoot when you intend to stack focus in post-production, obviously. In order to do that successfully, you need all your shots to have the exact same framing, otherwise even Photoshop’s Auto-Align function will not give you good results. Therefore, you need the camera to be on a sturdy tripod so that nothing moves.

2. Because you will call upon the automated focus-shift shooting that’s built into the camera, you will want to automate all things that can be automated, so that you do not have to touch the camera at all once the shooting begins. Therefore, Focus Mode has, of course to be on autofocus, not manual. Why would you want to fiddle with the focusing ring by hand when you can have the camera do it all by itself?

3. Because focus-shift shooting is an automated sequence, the question of Single or Continuous release mode is moot: it will be automated, with the camera taking all the exposures by itself in accordance with the parameters you set.

4. Because you want the camera to start in sharp focus on a very specific part of the image, then move on towards the last part you want in focus, Single-Point is the mode to choose.

So, in the Focus shift shooting menu, you set the numbers of photos you want your sequence to have, and the focusing interval. This is the trickiest parameter, as this interval is not measured in millimeters or any other unit of measurement, so you have to go by trial and error. For macro work, I tend to use 1 as my focus step width. After all, if you have too many shots, it’s not really a problem, your stack will just take a bit longer to process. For tabletop work, I set it on 2, sometimes 3, never more. I guess if I did focus-shift shooting outside, like on a landscape, I would use a different setting, but then I don’t think I would ever use focus-shift shooting for landscapes at all, as what you need there is just two or three exposures, rarely more, and those are just as easy to set manually and shoot one after the other without calling up the focus-shift function.

The “Interval until next shot” depends on many extraneous factors. For example, in macro or tabletop work, as nothing moves in my subject, I have all the time I want, and so I often set this at 10 seconds to make sure the flashes will have more than ample time to recycle and be ready to fire.

“First frame exposure lock” I usually set ON so that exposure will be the same throughout the sequence, and “Silent photography” is OFF as the clicking noise, and then the absence of it, is a good reminder of when the sequence is finished (I usually don’t stay around to watch the proceedings, which are not especially fascinating).

 

[Clovishound]

I played around a little with the auto focus stacking and never use it anymore. Keep in mind, I do my macro almost exclusively in the field. I assume you are going to be using it for macro work, given the lens you mentioned. I do my focus stacks manually, and mostly handheld. Yes, sometimes they don't work post processing, but I use on camera, diffused flash for most of my macro shots, and so using a tripod does not work well for my style of shooting. I use Photoshop to stack the images, and I find it is extremely forgiving for framing discontinuity, but there are limits. I photograph a lot of insects, and they are normally poor subjects for focus stacking. Movement of the insect will usually result in extra antennae or leg in the stacked image. Sometimes that can be removed, but I only try this technique on insects that are rock still, which is seldom.

When I focus stack, I use the small apertures I normally use for maximum DOF, usually F11- F22. The Z105 micro has good diffusion control IMO, so I don't hesitate to use F22. Using small apertures has the advantages of not having to change my settings, and I can use fewer individual shots to get my stack. I start out with the camera focused on the nearest part of the image I want in focus and take a shot. I then move the camera to successively change the focus point further away from the camera until I have the rearmost point in focus. Like Blue439 mentioned for the auto process, the number I choose and how far between focus points is based on experience and trial and error.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from using the auto focus stacking, just giving you another option. I do know that the camera will refuse to initiate the focus stack if you have your settings incompatible with stacking, for example, camera in manual focus, or an incompatible focus mode. You will have to use a tripod with auto focus stacking as well. You start the focus stack through the menu, and so you have no way to see where you are focused when the exposures begin. This means you must be on a tripod, frame, and put your focus point on the nearest point you want in focus, and then go into the menu to start the process, blind, as it were.

What program will you use to stack the images? I assume you realize the camera will not stack the images in camera, you must use editing software to stack them.

 

[Blue439]

When I focus stack, I use the small apertures I normally use for maximum DOF, usually F11- F22. The Z105 micro has good diffusion control IMO, so I don't hesitate to use F22.

It’s interesting you should say that. I go the exact opposite way, precisely because I don’t need that have a deep depth of field in each shot, as I will be taking lots of them anyway, so I will end up having in sharp focus everything I want, regardless of how deep or shallow the DoF in each of them. Therefore, I can afford to use whatever lens I’m using at its sweetest spot aperture, often between ƒ/5.6 and ƒ/8.

I even use larger apertures (say, ƒ/3.5 or 4) when I know I’ll want the sharp part to drop quickly at the end, with the rest of the frame being quite blurred. Using a lager aperture value allows me to limit the “feathering” inherent in any photo being taken at a smaller aperture.

 

[Clovishound]

Well, since I am taking mine manually, I don't really want to have to take a lot more than is really necessary, especially when I am taking them handheld. The other issue is that I'm frequently taking them using flash, and need to take time for the flash to recycle. Which is usually only a second or two, but it adds up with lots of shots. I have done a few experiments taking photos using progressively smaller apertures. using real world targets, I don't notice much diffusion until I go past F22 using the Nikkor 105mm micro lens. Perhaps there is a small difference that could be seen using resolution charts. My normal shooting aperture is F16 or F11, unless I feel that I need greater depth of field for a single shot of a certain subject.

I see that, using the auto focus stacking, some folks are taking 50 - 100 shots per image. I typically use less than 10 for most of my stacks. I'm not saying that one has to use as many shots as these people are to get good results, but using a larger aperture definitely increases the need for more images per stack.

 

[billpics]

Thank you, gentlemen, for both your replies. A very helpful discussion. I don't have the Z 105mm at the moment but will rent one for a day in order to gain enough experience with image stacking to consider buying the lens. Thank you.

 

[Clovishound]

Thank you, gentlemen, for both your replies. A very helpful discussion. I don't have the Z 105mm at the moment but will rent one for a day in order to gain enough experience with image stacking to consider buying the lens. Thank you.

Sorry, I was under the impression you had one, due to the title. My 2 cents, the Nikkor Z105 micro is an excellent macro lens, if you are using a mirrorless Nikon. It never fails to impress in sharpness and handling. If money is tight, there are other options. Extension tubes do surprising well, especially if you have a good prime to use it with. I got very good results using tubes with my 24-70 F4, prior to getting the 105. The biggest issue I had was very short working distance, which ended up shading the subject from my flash at maximum magnification. The nice thing about starting with extension tubes is that not only are they affordable, they can still be used with a macro lens, if you get one later, to increase magnification.

Still, there is nothing like a dedicated macro lens for the small stuff.

 

[Paliswe]

If you use the Z 105mm lens, each step in focus stepping is a very short distance. Different lenses moves the focus point differently far. That is, if you move the focus one step on a Z 24-200mm lens, you have to move the focus 4 steps on the Z 105mm lens to get just as far.
So there is a trial and error here, and for safety's sake, always take much more pictures than first anticipated, until you find out how many steps and pictures you need, depending on what lens you use.
I usually make focus stacking without flash so I set the interval to zero and silent shooting. Of course I have the camera on a tripod, otherwise there's little chance to have control of what's happening. When the shooting is over, you check where the focus point is and if you haven't taken enough pictures, just start it again and make another run! This is impossible without a tripod.

 

[billpics]

I played around a little with the auto focus stacking and never use it anymore. Keep in mind, I do my macro almost exclusively in the field. I assume you are going to be using it for macro work, given the lens you mentioned. I do my focus stacks manually, and mostly handheld. Yes, sometimes they don't work post processing, but I use on camera, diffused flash for most of my macro shots, and so using a tripod does not work well for my style of shooting. I use Photoshop to stack the images, and I find it is extremely forgiving for framing discontinuity, but there are limits. I photograph a lot of insects, and they are normally poor subjects for focus stacking. Movement of the insect will usually result in extra antennae or leg in the stacked image. Sometimes that can be removed, but I only try this technique on insects that are rock still, which is seldom.

When I focus stack, I use the small apertures I normally use for maximum DOF, usually F11- F22. The Z105 micro has good diffusion control IMO, so I don't hesitate to use F22. Using small apertures has the advantages of not having to change my settings, and I can use fewer individual shots to get my stack. I start out with the camera focused on the nearest part of the image I want in focus and take a shot. I then move the camera to successively change the focus point further away from the camera until I have the rearmost point in focus. Like Blue439 mentioned for the auto process, the number I choose and how far between focus points is based on experience and trial and error.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from using the auto focus stacking, just giving you another option. I do know that the camera will refuse to initiate the focus stack if you have your settings incompatible with stacking, for example, camera in manual focus, or an incompatible focus mode. You will have to use a tripod with auto focus stacking as well. You start the focus stack through the menu, and so you have no way to see where you are focused when the exposures begin. This means you must be on a tripod, frame, and put your focus point on the nearest point you want in focus, and then go into the menu to start the process, blind, as it were.

What program will you use to stack the images? I assume you realize the camera will not stack the images in camera, you must use editing software to stack them.

In looking at the EXIF data for the 2 pics under your recent "Happy Camper" post (excellent btw) I can see how your comments are illustrated in the 2 shots. Manual Exposure set at 1/180th, f16 for using on-camera flash as your primary light source. So, ambient light is probably underexposed by 2-3 stops, and the almost-overhead diffused flash does the rest on a Z7ii with tons of mpx.

If using a Nikon speedlight, you are not relying upon its fill-flash tech because the speedlight needs to generate a constant output regardless of ambient lighting conditions, and the camera is set to manual exposure anyway. In this case, any capable flash will do. Am I in the ballpark?

Curious to learn what flash is used, and your diffuser.

 

[Clovishound]

I am using a Godox TT685 with an AK macro diffuser. I use the flash in manual mode and set the exposure by experience and trial and error. TTL works much of the time, but will need frequent compensation. I stick to manual as it is easier for me to control. I would suggest trying both TTL and manual and see which suits you. 1/200 sec is sync speed, so I usually have the camera at 1/180. I will occasionally lower the shutter speed in order to control the background exposure. Longer shutter speeds give brighter backgrounds. You just must be careful not to end up with ghost images if you go too low, or there is too much camera or subject movement. High speed sync will get you faster shutter speeds to lower background exposure, but HSS eats into your flash power.

If money is tight, extension tubes, an inexpensive flash, and a $10-15 small soft bos, or cloth diffuser that fits over the lens barrel will do the job just fine. An added benefit is that the flash and extension tubes can be a usable part of your kit, if you upgrade to a dedicated macro lens.

I shoot insects and small critters most of the time, so flash makes sense for me. I don't have to bother with a tripod and so can react quickly to the movements of these small creatures, and quickly position and reposition as necessary. The flash provides me with the capability of using small apertures, and low ISOs, as well as stopping motion with extremely fast light duration. Available light is often a better choice for stationary subjects such as flowers. A small scrim may be useful in those cases to fill in shadows, or even out lighting.

While not equipment related, another valuable addition to my macro shooting was planting a small wildflower lot in my backyard. Both of the pictures posted were shot there. I can wander out anytime I wish from mid spring to mid fall and find suitable subjects. I find it is also easy to learn the habits of many of the more frequent visitors. I can easily choose the time of day, weather, lighting etc for shooting with little to no preplanning. I will often just wander out back and see what is hopping, so to speak.