I also tried using the focus stacking feature on the Olympus OMD EM1 III. While it's very good, it does have a few limitations-the most notable being a maximum of 15 images per stack. Another drawback is that if there’s even a slight movement of the subject or a minor camera shake, the final merged image won’t process completely. That’s why I switched to the Canon R7, which is impressive for producing even super-macro shots. It offers flexibility with the Focus Increment settings, allowing adjustment from 1 to 10, so you can precisely control how narrowly the focus moves backward if desired.
I use a Canon R7, and what’s remarkable about this camera is its focus stacking capability, allowing up to 999 images in just 10 seconds. The results are absolutely stunning, saved in JPG format, while all captured images are also stored in RAW format. This enables further processing using focus stacking software if needed. The feature has allowed me to produce more macro shots in a very short time and with minimal effort. I find no issues with the final JPG image when processing it with Photoshop. I’ve completely eliminated the need to spend excessive time using focus stacking software
Great video, Espen! As a user of Helicon Focus myself, I find it easy & intuitive to use both as a stand-alone app and as a Lightroom plugin. Sometimes I do studio stacks with hundreds of images in a stack on a home made 'stacking rail made out of an old microscope focusing block... Splitting the pics up into 'slabs' of around 30 shots, then stacking all the slabs at the end can help a lot with any stray artifacts, retouching, and editing later on. Thanks for the great video's you always post! 👍👏👏
Thanks, Espen. I tried Helicon when I was using a Nikon D800 (10 -12 years ago). Just getting the captures right was such a pain that I gave up on it. With the new OM cameras (and even the EM - 1 cameras) the capture has become MUCH less of a problem, so I should really get back into macro shooting.
Thank you for this video. I have been meaning to get Helicon and you have inspired me to finally stop procrastinating. I have focus stack photos of a Root Borer Beetle that I stacked in Photoshop and the result was disappointing. Helicon seems like it might be able to handle it. Thank you again 😃
@@EspenHelland Yeah, it's definitely significantly slower than other RAW developers. And apparently also focus stacking software. But free for OM System customers. :-) I don't do macro, but since it's free, I was curious about your reasons to spend money on a dedicated piece of software instead. Thx!
I also tried using the focus stacking feature on the Olympus OMD EM1 III. While it's very good, it does have a few limitations-the most notable being a maximum of 15 images per stack. Another drawback is that if there’s even a slight movement of the subject or a minor camera shake, the final merged image won’t process completely.
That’s why I switched to the Canon R7, which is impressive for producing even super-macro shots. It offers flexibility with the Focus Increment settings, allowing adjustment from 1 to 10, so you can precisely control how narrowly the focus moves backward if desired.
Thanks! As you said, it’s pretty quick so I usually do all three and select the one I prefer...
I use a Canon R7, and what’s remarkable about this camera is its focus stacking capability, allowing up to 999 images in just 10 seconds. The results are absolutely stunning, saved in JPG format, while all captured images are also stored in RAW format. This enables further processing using focus stacking software if needed.
The feature has allowed me to produce more macro shots in a very short time and with minimal effort. I find no issues with the final JPG image when processing it with Photoshop. I’ve completely eliminated the need to spend excessive time using focus stacking software
Nice one Espen. I must give this a go one day.
Great video, Espen! As a user of Helicon Focus myself, I find it easy & intuitive to use both as a stand-alone app and as a Lightroom plugin. Sometimes I do studio stacks with hundreds of images in a stack on a home made 'stacking rail made out of an old microscope focusing block... Splitting the pics up into 'slabs' of around 30 shots, then stacking all the slabs at the end can help a lot with any stray artifacts, retouching, and editing later on. Thanks for the great video's you always post! 👍👏👏
Nice one Russel! Looking forward to using it a lot more for next year when I dive more into macro :)
Thanks, Espen. I tried Helicon when I was using a Nikon D800 (10 -12 years ago). Just getting the captures right was such a pain that I gave up on it. With the new OM cameras (and even the EM - 1 cameras) the capture has become MUCH less of a problem, so I should really get back into macro shooting.
Thank you for this video. I have been meaning to get Helicon and you have inspired me to finally stop procrastinating. I have focus stack photos of a Root Borer Beetle that I stacked in Photoshop and the result was disappointing. Helicon seems like it might be able to handle it. Thank you again 😃
Nice one Karin, hope you get on well with it 🙂
Indeed Quick. But, Espen, may I ask why you didn't use the focus stacking feature in OM Workspace?
To be honest I didn’t think about it. I don’t tend to use workspace as I find it a bit slow. Do you use it?
@@EspenHelland Yeah, it's definitely significantly slower than other RAW developers. And apparently also focus stacking software. But free for OM System customers. :-) I don't do macro, but since it's free, I was curious about your reasons to spend money on a dedicated piece of software instead. Thx!
Ive used Helicon in the past but now use Zerene. Cant remember why I changed. All definitely better than PS.
Yeah, very happy to have a faster solution.
Are you using HeliconLite?