This article shares a selection of new images captured using handheld in-camera focus stacking HHFS at the RBG (Royal Botanical Gardens) in Burlington Ontario.
Whenever we go out with our cameras to photograph nature there is a risk that our planned subject matter may not appear. Or, that our anticipated shooting conditions may change. So, some flexibility can come in handy.
I initially started my day with the intent to photograph birds-in-flight. Not many birds were present that morning at Hendrie Valley, so I decided to try my luck at the outdoor gardens at the RBG.
NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.
During my last couple of visits to this location there were precious few dragonflies anywhere to be seen. So, I left my M.Zuiko 150-600 IS zoom in the car, deciding instead to use my M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 PRO IS macro lens with MC-20 teleconverter.
I did spot one perched dragonfly close to one of the walking paths. After grabbing a few images using in-camera focus stacking, I decided the focus of my visit would be using HHFS at the RBG.
One of the benefits of using the M.Zuiko MC-20 teleconverter with the 90 mm PRO IS macro lens is the increased reach.
This comes in very handy when selecting individual blossoms to photograph that are positioned a bit further back in a flower bed, rather than being limited to ones that are directly adjacent to walking paths.
Photographing blossoms under harsh, late morning sunlight necessitated using some exposure compensation at times.
Selecting different blossoms in the same flower bed is a good way to practice finding pleasing shooting angles under crowded conditions.
I decided to stop my lens down to between f/13 and f/16 to experiment using these apertures with handheld in-camera focus stacking.
Using these stopped down aperture settings with HHFS at the RBG was also a good way to reinforce the importance of subject distance to background in terms of achieving various depths-of-field.
As photographers we can sometimes become over reliant on our choice of aperture when considering the desired depth-of-field in our images.
Good subject separation can still be achieved even when using apertures like f/16 if the subject distance to background is appropriate.
One my way out of the RBG I noticed a blossom turned away from the walking path. It occurred to me that I seldom capture images of the back of blossoms, even though they can make for some interesting photos. Since the blossom was in a shaded area I open up my aperture to f/10 for this image.
During my HHFS at the RBG visit I did hunt for photographic opportunities around one of the lily ponds… and happened on a perched damsel fly. I sat on a rock and stretched my arms out over the pond to get as close as I could to the damsel fly as possible.
To try to minimize noise in my out-of-camera jpeg I used a shutter speed of 1/80… and was able to get this full frame capture. It ended up being one of my favourite photographs of the morning.
Technical Note
Photographs were captured handheld with the camera equipment noted in the EXIF data, and using single point auto-focus. Handheld in-camera focusing stacking was used for all of the images featured in this article. I used a stack of 12 images with focus differential set to 5. All images were created from out-of-camera jpeg files using my standard process in post. This is the 1,404 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.
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Thank you for an inspirational post and the concept of using such a high aperture for focus stacking.
I’ll have to give this a go when I next venture out.
Keep up the excellent work.
Hi Andrew,
Obviously you’ll get some noise when using higher ISO values due to stopped down apertures… but as long as you have some good noise reduction software there’s a good chance you’ll still get some usable images. As far as ‘standard’ macro images go, I’ve been quite surprised and pleased with how well the 90 mm f/3.5 PRO IS macro performs with the MC-20 teleconverter at stopped down apertures like f/13 to f/16.
Tom
Have you tried the 90mm Len’s with the 1.4 converter? Is it as effective or is it only worth using the x2 converter?
Hi Francesca,
The MC-14 teleconverter works very well with the 90 mm macro lens. It really comes down to personal preference whether a photographer likes to use the MC-14 or the MC-20. I find the MC-14 is easier to use when shooting handheld macro photography when compared to the MC-20. I just happen to like the added reach when using the MC-20 over the MC-14… but that’s just me. There are no issues at all when using the MC-14 and it does extend the reach of the 90 mm macro by 40%. My review of the 90 mm macro has some images captured using the MC-14: https://smallsensorphotography.com/m-zuiko-90mm-pro-is-macro-review.
Tom
You have some very successful images, Tom. I’m wondering if you can take a moment to address ‘ghosting’, where an out-of-focus edge rims the in-focus edge, typically with white or bright edges. I’ve been using HHFS for the past year and only a very few of the JPEGs from the camera DO NOT show at least some ghosting—brightly backlit Ghost Plants and mushrooms, for example, but is found elsewhere. I know it is an artifact of stacking; I guess I’ll just need to work on the technique —perhaps using a smaller aperture like you did and/or having using more images. Your thoughts?
Hi Terry,
I do occasionally get some ghosting to varying degrees. I believe it has more to do with my technique than anything to do with the performance of my E-M1X. On a personal basis I’ve found keeping my body as still as possible, using a smooth shutter release motion, and the timing my breathing helps quite a bit. That’s why I almost always shoot while sitting on a stool… although I did not have my stool with me for these images.
Any subject movement can cause issues so I do my best to time my shutter release when shooting outdoors. Shutter speed and aperture also can make a difference with faster shutter speeds and stopping down apertures being helpful. In my experience it is harder to avoid ghosting with macro subjects than when using HHFS with landscapes and other subject matter. This is likely because minor subject movements and any camera movement/shake can be more pronounced when shooting handheld with macro.
I use a slightly different approach depending on the macro lens I use. With the 60 mm f/2.8 macro I typically use a stack of 10 images with a focus differential of 4. With the 90 mm f/3.5 PRO IS macro, a stack of 12 images with a focus differential of 5 seems to work better for me.
Tom
Thanks, Tom.
Terry