A Key to Sharp Photos The closer a subject is to you, the shorter the depth of field.
The higher the magnification, the shorter the depth of field. 200mm Lens at f8 - Subject at 100ft. DOF is = 37ft (Near Point 85ft and Far Point 122ft)
200mm Lens at f8 – Subject at 5ft. DOF is = .96 inches (Near = 4.96ft and Far = 5.04ft)
At a distance of 12 inches, the DOF is .02 inches
DOF ranges will vary slightly by camera
Range of sharpness = 1/3 in front, 2/3 back www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html Macro Photography – When subject is more than one to one.
Close-up Photography – Camera is very close to subject but is less than one to one.
I mostly use two lenses, 70 to 200mm f2.8 telephoto 0r 200mm macro f1.4.
Focus Stacking is very useful in landscape photography when trying to get near and far objects in focus.
To extend the Depth of Field, you shoot a series of photos and focus on different spots. Then you process and blend the photos to combine the in-focus points into one photo where everything is in focus. The blending and stacking can be done in Photoshop or stand-alone software like Helicon Focus and others.
Manual, where you refocus each shot.
Automatic, where Helicon Remote or CamRanger take control of your camera and refocuses each shot and automatically fires the shutter. Use a tripod and use live view to raise mirror after focusing or focus with live view. Manually focus except in Helicon Remote where the camera must be in auto focus. Aperture has to remain constant for every shot. Using shutter to change exposure is ok so consider shooting in aperture priority if exposure will change between shots. Study subject carefully to note each surface or point that should be sharp. Start at front of object and take a shot. Then move the focus ring slightly toward back of object and shoot again. Then move the focus ring slightly toward back of object and shoot again. Keep moving focus ring slightly until back of object is in sharp focus. Don’t be afraid to take a lot of shots.
Use the lowest ISO. Usually 100 or 200 depending on camera. Use the best aperture on your lens. Sweet spots are usually two and three stops higher than the most open aperture on your lens. For my 70 to 200m f2.8 lens, the sweet spots are f5.6 and f8. For my macro lens, they are 4.0 and 5.6.
1.8 2.8 4.0 5.6 8.0 11 16 22 Photoshop CS6 or earlier Helicon Focus $115 Helicon Focus with Helicon Remote $200 Zerene Stacker $89 (No Remote) CombineZP Freeware (Windows Only and No Remote) Open photos as layers in Photoshop (Lightroom or Bridge) Select layers Edit>Auto-Align Layers>Auto Edit>Auto-Blend Layers>Stack Images Flatten Layers Post Process Photo
Note: After aligning there is often a white border that requires cropping. After blending, white lines may appear that will disappear when layers are flattened. For stacking of manual focused shots, Photoshop is great and better at aligning photos that contain movement. For very fine macro work, Helicon Remote is almost essential. Shooting in windy conditions can produce ghosting that even Photoshop can’t deal with. White flowers are error prone. Remote control device for Focus Stacking, Advanced HDR Bracketing, Time Lapse, and Movies. Works with Iphone, Ipad, and Android or both Mac and Windows computers. 150 foot range or greater. Great for shooting in awkward situations and precise focusing of macro shots. Price is $300
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