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Is Digilloyd doing Focus Bracketing in the best way?

algrove

Well-known member
He complains that many GFX lenses will not focus on infinity with Focus Bracket".

I do not subscribe but look at his summary page from time to time. I see je show one example of his settimgs at 20, 2, 0 for a landscape capture.

Anyone out there with lots of good experience with this feature? Thanks.
 

Shashin

Well-known member
I understand he does complain a lot. So, I guess that is normal.

But why do you have focus to infinity?
 

Shashin

Well-known member
But you don't need infinity focus. You just need all distances to be sharp. Depth of field will cover what you need without actually focusing at infinity.
 

algrove

Well-known member
If you own any GFX you must know that this process focuses to the farthest point. I am referring to digilloyds comment that he could not get the GFX to focus to infinity since that's what he needed for his capture.

I am looking for comments from Fuji users who use this feature all the time.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Well, I am just concerned his settings might be off for landscape captures.
Thanks Lou. Jim Kasson recommends to use the Electronic Shutter (ES) on a tripod. Then there is no delay necessary between shots. So the last parameter is 0. The second parameter set to 1 gives the smallest increments to focus distance. The first parameter set very large like to 99 or 100 tries to make sure that the focus bracketing series is not cut off prematurely.

In in my experience with my 50S there is no foolproof way with the current firmware. Depending on the scene, it either works, or one gets too many shots, or just one shot.

Too many shots is not a problem, simply increase the second parameter until one gets close to the total number of shots desired. I typically would not decrease the total number of shots allowed so that the series doesn’t get cut off before focus can reach infinity. As Lloyd observed it’s probably a good idea to add an infinity focus shot just to make sure one has one.

As Jim Kasson has explained, the focus distance increase is chosen by the camera such that the Circle of Confusion (CoC) is constant across all the images of a series.

I find most frustrating if I only get one image although the camera is set to focus bracketing. That typically happens when the first shot is focused pretty far away, for example I am standing at a cliff edge and there is no foreground to focus on. My assumption is that in that case I am not getting a second shot due to the CoC algorithm cutting off the sequence as it determines one is already close to or at infinity. In that case trying to find some foreground subject, however contrived, to focus the first shot on might help. [FONT=&quot]Or add an infinity focus shot manually.[/FONT]

Practice makes perfect. Good look to you.

Once you have a focus bracketing series, then the real fun begins namely to stack the images without artifacts or blemishes. :grin:
 
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algrove

Well-known member
Thanks.
Exactly right. I was thinking for Digilloyd the second number should be like 10 or closer to 10 than the 2 number he was using based on a photo of the parameters set in his camera.

I do not imagine there is a difference in using a GFX100 or a GFX 50 in this instance.
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
Lou..... don't know how Chambers is using Stacking but his examples show a lot of forward subject detail with a fair amount of mid distance lacking any definition and the background way off into the distance. That conceivably could aconfuse the GFX. My focus stacking images were much more confined being taken in Japanese Gardens or situations that were different than Chambers. I have never had an issue with the GFX not reaching the end of my intended image. Everything is always sharp.

One tip I would give anyone who wants to use FB is to set the close distance a little closer than necessary. Its much better to waste a shot or two in the beginning because the starting point was too close vs. not having the first shot in focus due to the first shot being too far into the image.

I have always used 75 as the number of shots and the Fuji has never used that many images. I usually use a default step of 4 or 5 and that always has worked for me. Of course I always use the ES for this so interval is set to 0.

I've mostly shot with the 45mm for my images which works really well. The fuji keeps taking images until it gets to the far limit of my intended image and stops.

I use both Helicon and Zerene but from my experience Zerene is the better choice as Helicon at times will not stack properly showing ghosting which Zerene eliminates.

Hope this helps......

Victor
 

Rand47

Active member
Because his “step size” is so small, he’s running out of “shots” before the camera gets anywhere close to infinity. Rookie mistake. What Victor says is right on.

GFX Focus Stacking “good places to start:”

Landscape - 20 / 10 / 0
Macro - 100 / 5 / 5

Rand
 

bab

Active member
Ther is no reason I can think of not to manually take an infinity shot that is critically focused, and end your nightmare
I’ve shot thousands of stacked images for printing not for testing as one great man once said there’s a time to focus bracket and there’s time it will neve work...for a large print that is.
 

biglouis

Well-known member
I do all my focus stacking 'by hand'. I tried the in-built feature on the GFX50S and found it was (a) difficult to understand and (b) ok but not great. For the few time I have done focus stacking with the GFX50S, 50R or X-T3 I just work methodically from the front to the back of my subject taking multiple frames and then I use a technique of exporting my LR raws to PS as layers, align the layers and then blend the layers as a stack.

Most of my focus stacking has been of macro subjects where front to back focus is very desirable.

Incidentally, for interior architecture with the 50R I've found little difference between focus stacking and stopping down but that might just be my subjects. Never tried it with landscape as it has never occurred to me that it would help more than just stopping down. My feeling is that choosing a plane of focus for landscapes is more important than front to back sharpness but that is just my opinion.

LouisB
 
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