Focus Shift Shooting Nikon Z Series
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
- In previous videos I have talked about using focus stacking in your landscape photography. Well, the Nikon Z series cameras have a way to automate this using their Focus Shift feature.
In this video I talk about how to configure Focus Shift shooting on your Nikon Z series camera for landscape photography and how to blend the images in Photoshop. These settings apply to the Nikon Z6, Z6ii, Z7, and Z7ii.
Content:
00:00 - Intro
02:03 - Focus Shift Options
05:58 - Taking a Focus Shift Shot
07:55 - Post Process Stacking
14:32 - Wrap-up
🎥 Videos Referenced
How to Focus Stack - • How to Focus Stack - L...
Basic Lightroom Editing Workflow - • Editing Landscape Phot...
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As a macro shooter, Nikon should have made focus stacking a "mode" so you can just use the shutter button to start your sequence. Try shooting a moving bug while navigating that menu. Olympus got it right.
100% agree. Why they don’t let you tie that to your shutter button but make you dive into the menu system… Not a great design from that standpoint. Mainly an annoyance for landscape photographers, but practically deal breaking for macro.
Wish more content was like this: less about making a lengthy video and more about information. Thank you!
Glad you liked it! Appreciate the comment!
Thank you for the concise and easy to follow instructions especially the PS part. Instead of just saying stack your images in PS and your done.
Glad the video was helpful!
Thank you. You made this whole process super easy for a guy like me who knows zero about Photoshop.
Glad it helped! Luckily once you know where to go in Photoshop it isn’t too bad!
I've used the focus shift for macro but not for landscape. One of the 3 things that effects depth of field is the distance to where the focal point is from the camera. That depth of field changes the further away the focus point is moved. As far as I know Nikon cameras shift the focus on an even amount throughout the shift phase instead of increasing the depth of field as it focuses farther away. If you're shooting macro that depth of field isn't going to change that much but if you're focusing on a rock or log at the minimum focus distance and then moving it through the scene, you may only have inches of depth of field at the start. But by the time you're halfway through the scene the depth of field may be several years deep until you reach infinity. I think what I need to do is try focusing manually where I think I need to focus and then try focus shifting. Then compare both photos. I don't want to take more photos than I have to because things might move on me. And sometimes I bracket my shots. I think Nikon needs to have one mode for landscape and one for macro. The one for landscape should adjust the depth of field accordingly depending on the focal length and aperture settings instead of shifting the focal point the same amount for every shot. I hope I'm making sense. I used to have a Tamron 24-70mm that had some focus breathing. I traded it in on the Nikon lens. So far I don't see much focus breathing but I haven't done much focus stacking with it.
Nikon could make what the interval really means more clear. And it probably would make sense to potentially have one focus shift mode for each of those situations.
Thank you very much for the guidance, testing, and willingness to share information.
No problem! Hopefully the video was helpful!
Thank you, your tutorial was so easy to follow and understand. I have done several focus stacking images with flowers setting up in my little studio but want to get out and do landscapes. Very helpful tutorial.
Glad the video was helpful! If you can focus stack flowers - landscapes will be easy!
cool and thankyou for the process in photoshop it was easy to follow
Glad it was helpful!
This is something new to me (as merely a keen hobbyist). Thank you very much for this, it's going to be a massive help.
Glad the info was helpful! It can be a handy trick to know for some super sharp photos.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
❤❤❤❤❤❤ I’m so glad that I found this video, mega helpful
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Great job! Thanks for the info!
Glad it was helpful!
Very helpful. I’ve tried this a couple of times on the fly without really understanding the settings. Now I really need to do a couple of disciplined tests using your advice.
It's worth playing with. I still manually focus stack on occasion as well, but having the camera do it for you is pretty handy!
Thank you for putting together this helpful video! Very informative!
Got yourself a new subscriber!
I'm glad the video was helpful! Thanks for the sub - much appreciated!
very well explained, thank you.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Very clear, thank you so much !
Glad it was helpful!
Very clear 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Nice, thanks!
Thanks! Glad you liked the video!
Hello from Scotland 🏴. Really liked this video. I have just ordered a Z series camera and although focus shift is available on my current camera I wanted to see what it was like in a Z. Your explanation and walk through is really good. Not too fast; very clear; very well explained. Subbed straight away. Twice! As I was in my personal account initially and now in my public face account 😊.
Your final crop really made the image. Liked that a lot. I am off now to watch 5 tips for autumn photography. I have missed peak colour due to illness but there are still some leaves up. Bye for now.
Alastair
Hello! Thanks for watching and subscribing! Very much appreciated!
Glad the video was helpful. It's a pretty cool feature that I often use when I don't feel like manually stacking.
Hope you enjoy the 5 tips for autumn photos!
In case any Nikon dev engineer takes a look on this video: Maybe try to copy Panasonics system just a bit :) There you just activate focus stacking and start the process like a normal photo with the shutter button. This means that you can also use it without a tripod (unlike Nikon). Also, it starts from the desired main subject and then focuses in front and behind the subject. This helps with ensuring that whatever subject caught the eye in the first place is dead sharp in any case.
Taking 20 shots with a Z7 is nice and achieves the same result in the end - but at that moment you will have filled your memory card with 2GB of images for just one photo. And it requires way more processing power to combine 20 shots.
I need to take a closer look at the focus stacking features of the GX85 (I have one of those for sort of a travel camera). I know in general it seems M43 systems have a lot of pretty cool features that often seem lacking on some of the full frame folks.
Thanks for the watching and the comment!
Nice explanation! The problem that I run into with focus stacking with my Nikons is when there are moving objects due to a breeze, like tree limbs, leaves, plants and gases. PS does not seem to be able to get those alignments right and they often look funky. It seems that this process works best when every items in the scene is perfectly stationary.
Thanks for watching Mark! A breeze can definitely make things more difficult.
The scene in this video was pretty still, with barely any breeze. Which helped a lot for the situation where I wanted sharp focus from front to back and a slightly longer exposure to help blur the moving water. If it had been windy it would have been much harder to get the water the way I wanted it to look and keep the leaves in focus.
If I was focus stacking a scene with no moving water and it was windy, I probably would have adjusted my ISO up so I can could have a shutter speed that would freeze the motion of tree limbs and grasses from the wind and go with those settings.
Thank you for the explanation it was very helpful. I would like to know how do you handle in Photoshop objects in the background that are moving such as leaves.
Thank you - glad it was helpful!
First, you do still need to watch the shutter speed and make sure it is fast enough to stop the motion of blurred leaves. Focus stacking needs things to be be in focus for at least one frame.
If something needs fixed manually because PS didn't stack it well, then you'd use the layer masks in Photoshop and paint in black to conceal the out of focus areas, and then white to reveal the in-focus areas.
Hope that helps!
Hey Jeffrey, thanks for your videos they are like master class to me. Question I have plan to buy the Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D but it does not have any comunication with the camera (z5) do you think the focus shift shooting works as well. Thanks in advance
Thank you - I am glad the videos have been helpful!
I only have first-hand experience with Nikon lenses, but my understanding is that Focus Shift shooting will only work if the lens can autofocus on the camera body. If the lens is completely manual, then focus shift shooting would not work. But I've only worked with Nikon lenses (or 3rd party lenses, that fully communicate with the camera). Hope that helps!
Hello, it was really clear and simple, thank you so much.
I miss some details, or something obvious that I would like to ask you, the start bottom on the menu is enough?, or I have to push the front bottom anyway.
Thank you very much.
Hello! Yes - just the start button in the menu will start the focus stack for you. Hope that helps!
Hi ! Nice video , question, which Z camera support focus stacking / shifting and are there ones who also auto stack them for you or not?
I believe the Z5, Z6, Z6II, Z6III, Z7, Z7II, Z8, and Z9 support focus shift shooting (oh, and the Zfc as well?). The Z50 is the one that I am aware of that lacks it (unless it was added in a firmware update).
As for compositing the images together in camera, I am not aware of Nikon having that option. They tend to automate the capture of the images with different focus points, but then rely on blending them together in post-processing software.
Hope that helps!
Hey, Jeff, nice vid. Thanks for sharing this with us. May I ask, though, how do you record the camera menu? I'd like to do that, but I'm not sure how to go about it. Do you use an external device like an Atomos, or do you just use the PC/Mac? Maybe you've even already done a video on this... if so, could you maybe point me in the right direction? Thanks!
Hello! Thanks for watching, glad you liked the video. To record the camera menu I use a Camlink 4K HDMI caputure card, connect it to my computer, and then use Camtasia to capture and record that input.
@@JeffreyTadlockPhotography Fantastic, thank you so much!!
I use Affinity Photo 2.0. This software is much more advanced and does it fully automatic
I have not tried Affinity, but I know it has lots of cool features!
Did I not catch the shutter speed you used? No waterfall blur, so I'm guessing pretty quick?
Probably around 1 second or so. It was slow moving water that morning. Probably would need to usee an ND filter to slow the shutter speed down some more or the smoother water.
Hi Jeff, re photo shifting on my z6ii, I have set up the ps in my menu and did the same format as you. But when I go to start it's a no go. Does the camera have to be in manual or auto to make this work? Not clear in your video. Thanks
Hello Alan! Do you have the self-timer on? If so - that will gray out the Start option in the Focus Shift menu.
When I focus shift, I use manual mode and if I want to reduce any chance of camera shake, I will enable exposure delay, which does let you have the Start option available in Focus Shift, whereas self-timer does not.
Let me know if that works for you!
Hi, thanks for your helpful Video, what Lens do you use? In my Menu Focus shifting ist always greyed out, I use a Nikkor 24-70/4 S and a Tamron 70-300 Macro on my Z7.
I have used it with a 24-70 f/4 lens, so that combo should work. Here are a few things that can keep it from working though:
-lens has to be in auto focus mode
-bracketing has to be off
-no self-timer
-no HDR
-there has to be a memory card in the camera
-the date and time need set
This article might help as well, in case I missed something above.
www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/focus-shift-the-basics-stacking-focus.html
@@JeffreyTadlockPhotography thank you very much, but it didn´t work. But after reseting all settings it works properly!!
Glad you got it working!!
Is there any chance of Nikon creating an update for focus shift on the Z50?
I'm not sure if they will or not. Based on past firmware releases, they've been slow to add/bring actual features to camera in my opinion. With that said, they recently were rumored to have said they were going to get more responsive with firmware updates and relay more customer feedback to their firmware development teams. We'll see if they actually do that.
I've said in other videos that I think camera companies should do more for their existing users through firmware updates to help build more loyal customers over the long term. Hoping Nikon follows through on that rumor.
Great video Sir. I have Z6 but why do I have to start the focus shifting from the menu but not from the shutter button ? because that means I have to lose the viewfinder or lose the composition if not using tripod. I can not find any shortcut to assign it to any custom fn button.
Thank you! I don’t think Nikon has allowed the option to shortcut assign it unfortunately. I believe it is only accessible through the menu (I do add it to ‘My Menu’ to help make accessing it a little easier, but of course, that still requires going into the menu to start the focus stack, so not helpful for handheld.
Great video! I just learned about this feature recently. I was wondering about your lens. Probably a newbie question, but does it matter if it's in auto or manual?
Thanks for watching! I am glad you liked the video! For the camera focus stacking to work, the lens needs to be in auto. Hope that helps!
@@JeffreyTadlockPhotography Very helpful. Thanks
@@markseymour80 No problem - glad it helped!
Hi Jeffrey
Can you able to check Focus Shift on Nikon Z series with AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED and FTZ adapter, thank you
Hello! Which Nikon Z series camera do you have?
@@JeffreyTadlockPhotography Nikon Z5 would be better, Thank you
Focus stacking should work with that camera body and lens combination. (I have not tested that specific setup, but the Z5 should have the menu option and focus stacking does work with the FTZ adapters, if the lens has autofocus.) You should be all set!
@@JeffreyTadlockPhotography appreciate your clarification
Hi Jeff, I added focus shift to my I menu for fast access. Focus shift seems to grey out unless I am in manual or auto. I have single point af also set. When I go into focus shift the start is yellow, I tap it and an error message come up telling me it cannot start. Error with shooting mode. Am I missing something? Alan
Hi Alan! I just checked on my z6ii and I was able to use aperture priority or shutter priority and start a focus shift sequence (though I usually use manual mode for Focus Shifting) as well.
So - even in manual mode though, Start is not grayed out, but if you choose it - it gives you the error with shooting mode?
Other common things that can cause it not to work would apply ( lens has to be in auto focus mode, bracketing has to be off, no self-timer, no HDR, there has to be a memory card in the camera, and the date and time need set. Do any of those apply to when you are trying it?
Bonjour, j'avais le même problème et j'ai du réinitialiser le menu du Z6 ii pour avoir accès au focus stack.
Hi Jeffrey, the video is called Focus Shift Shooting Nikon Z series, but this feature is not available on the Nikon Z 50.
In retrospect I should have called it 'for full frame' - but then of course, I believe the Z30 has the option, which is pretty much a Z50 without the viewfinder. Nikon doesn't make this easy!
Thanks, I have mirrored your recommendations, and get an error that states: can’t start shooting, change settings below: shoot mode?
What lens and camera body are you using? if the lens has a switch, is it set to AF for automatic focus?
It also won't work if the self-timer is on, exposure bracketing is enabled, or shooting in HDR mode.
Let me know what happens!
@@JeffreyTadlockPhotography Thanks for getting back to me. I had it set on auto, when I moved it to M, it all worked as advertised. I appreciate your help
@@Shneepster great! I'm glad you got it working!
Does this work with Back button focus or does that need to be turned off?
I use it with back button focus - should be fine. Hope that helps!
Can you do focus shift shooting with any lens or does it have to be a Nikon?
Yes, it will work on a non-Nikon lens, but the lens does need to have auto-focus. I've used it on an adapted Sigma 100-400 before. Hope that helps!
What does width actually mean? Is it in inches, feet, meters, etc. Hard to know exactly what values to use. Do you know?
Nikon never defined it, supposedly because of all the variables involved - focal length, aperture, etc, soo it was a moving target to define I guess.
I tend to leave mine set to 3 or so for landscapes (and even that might be too narrow resulting in more images than I need). Nikon recommends 5 or less in this article:
www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/focus-shift-the-basics-stacking-focus.html
Hope that helps!
is really necessary 20 shots for a landscape photo for stacking? I ask because wanted to start some stacking but this is too many files to have..
I just set it to 20, because that sets the maximum number of photos. I used to set it to 10, but on some more complex scenes (usually woodland scenes), it would want to take 11 or 12 shots. It generally doesn’t take that many - for more open scenes, it seems like 4 or 5 is what it likes to take. Totally agree about the files adding up over time! Hope that helps!
@@JeffreyTadlockPhotography thanks Jeff, really clear and nice tips
By stacking so many images for landscape you will cause many photos to look quite flat. 2 or 3 max upto a few hundred only gor very fine macro.
I haven't really seen a scene go flat from focus stacking, can you describe what you mean more by that?
The number of images for a stack can vary - often 2 or 3 is the right amount, sometimes 4. But if there is a strong, detailed foreground element close to the lens of the camera, more shots can be needed for a good blend. I often find complex woodland scenes when there is something prominent in the foreground are a situation where 3 or 4 shots won't work.
But agreed - very fine macro is where the number of shots gets really high.
Its greyd out on my Z6 🥹
There are a few other settings on the camera that can cause it to be greyed out, here's a list of some common ones:
"Focus shift cannot be combined with some camera features, including movie recording, time-lapse movies, bracketing, the self-timer, long time-exposures (bulb or time photography), HDR (high dynamic range), multiple exposure, and interval timer photography."
Also - make sure there is a memory card in the camera. If there isn't a memory card, I believe it is greyed out as well. Hope that helps!
for landscape u dont need 20 shots for stacking.
The number of shots is the max it will take, not the set number.
Depending on the complexity of the scene, it seems to average between 6 and 12 shots. Because I've seen it take more than 10 photos for some scenes, I set it to 20 shots (instead of the 10 I used to).
Thanks for watching!
@@JeffreyTadlockPhotography i stack landscape with 3 photos, macro with more 10
When I manually stack (which I probably do more than using the automatic focus shifting), I usually capture 3 images as well - sometimes 4.
Bot video tip: Never use the word "what" unless you are asking a question. Eliminate "what I'm going to do is I'm going to ..." and the related "what you wanna do is you wanna" and all those This Old House'isms.
Thanks.
Get off your high horse..
@@davefitzpatrick8775Hot tip: What you wanna do is you wanna get off your high horse.