I think Graham has the same issues we all have if trying to use AF to set the two points. For example, one frustration is many landscape shooters have the rear button set to focus and the shutter button to only release. To use the focus stack tool you have to disable this use of the rear button, as that's the button that triggers shooting the stack.
Wayne,
I am new to the XF, so I may be making 2 mistakes that result in a correct action
ROTFL
, but I find that the rear button works to initiate the focus stack even though I have camera set to back button focus. Based on Graham Welland's comments in Post #25, I have had success using the following process...
1.) In regular shooting mode, use AF to set desired distant point (in my set-up, using the rear button for AF activation).
2.) Swipe into Focus Stack Tool, touch the gear symbol (camera appears to determine MCU's), then set distant point for stack with front top key.
3.) Swipe back to regular shooting mode, clutch lens from AF to MF, manually bring focus to general area of desired near point, clutch back to AF, set AF on desired near point.
4.) Swipe into Focus Stack Tool, touch gear symbol, then set near focus point with rear top key.
5.) Remaining in Focus Stack Tool, use rear dial to set desired number of exposures, push rear button to initiate sequence of focus stack images.
It appears to work in the 4 or 5 trials I did. These tests were all indoors, due to weather, covering a range of 4' to 15' with 55mm LS. When examining in C1 with focus mask on, I can see the green focus indication march across the images from far to near points. Zooming into 100% and examining images in C1 verifies the in-focus area marches across the images in the stack.
It sounds more complex than it is, also. Again, I acknowledge that I am a neophyte on the XF, but it seems to work.
John