On 6/15/2022 8:19 PM, DZDub wrote:
On Wed, Jun 15, 2022 at 3:34 AM Moose<olymoose@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
. . .?
Nah, I would need a Sherpa to carry that one for me. It happens to be the
M.Z 100-400, although the result would be the
same with the PLeica 100-400.,
Have been considering both mZ lenses. Some of my first EM-1 shots were
with the older DZ 50-200 + MMF-1 and I am so pleased with this combination,
even with the 1.4x TC added, that I consider that focal length covered for
my purposes.
Yup, I have a friend here who is very pleased with his old DZ lenses on an E-M1
II.
But of course no FB. The reach of the 100-400 would not be
redundant to me. Most of my favorite "isolation" photos have been made
with the 50-200, with the nice blur, etc.
I pre-ordered the PLeica as soon as that was available. I've been using it
since March, 2016.
Indispensable to capturing my vision of the world around me. That relatively long term love affair was broken by the
lower speed Pro Capture Mode of my E-M1 II. The only mode that works with non-Oly lenses is the high speed mode, sans
AF. It turns out to be hopeless for the birds and insects I encounter.
I broke down and bought the new Oly 100-400 (What else was there to do during lockdown?). I can't say I really like it,
let alone love it. It's bigger and heavier, clunkier, somehow, the huge, clamp-on tripod adapter illustrates how elegant
the Panny one is, there's no slide out lens hood, it's OIS doesn't work in cooperation with the body IBIS - but the Pro
Mode is rather magical.
But I do like what it does. 😁
MikeG claims reviews, MTF, samples show it to be a bit better at the long end than the PLeica. In practical use, no real
difference has popped up. It does allow 1.4x and 2x telextenders. The 1.4x does beat just cropping more, but not by a lot.
The reason for the long FL was simply physical. The collection of
carnivorous plants is in a swampy area, protected by a
fence, so a long lens is the only way to get close. I have done a LOT of
400 mm stacks. The results can be stunning.
<https://photos.app.goo.gl/RxJXDt8PydqiBJfh8>
Agree with your self-evaluation!
How many shots required for the stack?
My default, set on C2, is a stack of 31, interval=1. That is often more
than I need. In this case, you can see the DoF
going soft on the back petal/sepal, so full depth would have required
more. Works well for me here, unreal DoF, with a
fade to soft at the back to make it look more natural.
This shot, same lens and camera, a few minutes apart, required 11 slices.<
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8rTksPeYDbRa4eup9>
I focus on what I think is the closest point, then lean back just a little
to shoot. I started this long ago, when I was
getting too many OoF closest points. Then I flip through them all, finding
the start and end frames I want, and export
them to Helicon Focus. After stacking and processing, I dump the unused
frames.
This is very helpful and much appreciated, Moose. It will help me refine
my processes much more quickly.
Excellent! That's one of the things that has been part of this list forever,
helping each other.
I assume you compare the camera result with what you get via HF? If so, is
the difference quite significant?
Might you be confusing Oranges and Lemons? These cameras have two separate ways of doing stacks. In-camera Focus
Stacking uses a limited number of frames, 8 on your body, I believe, and 15 on the OM-1, for a single, merged output. If
something moves independent from the whole subject, you get double vision, shadows, etc.
The other way is Focus Bracketing, where each frame is saved and merging them is up to the user. I did controlled tests
of the two, back when they first came to the E-M5 II, with a deep, static subject. Focus Stacking didn't give me the DoF
I wanted. Something else about it wasn't to my liking, either, but I forget what. I've never used it since.
So, long answer, no, one can't compare post shooting merging with in-camera processing on the same "shot". The
retouching ability in Helicon Focus saves the day pretty often. Something similar is possible in PS, but it's a big
pain. The ability to choose the range of frames to merge for different subjects, depths, circumstances also adds
artistic control.
The big thing the OM-1 brings to this particular party is speed. The stack is
taken much quicker. than the E-M1 II or GX9.
How much do you use your macro lens in situations where you know you will
want to use focus bracketing?
Trick question, or at least tricky. I haven't taken my M.Z 60/2.8 macro into the field or on trips for ages. I really
dislike lens changing out in the world. I use achromatic C-U lenses for close-focus/moderate macro, including focus
brackets. They live in a little pouch on my belt, and pop on and off instantly with magnetic filter adapters. (These
seem to be no longer available - a terrible loss!)
I do occasionally use the macro lens at home. I did do a series of a couple of dozen around the house recently, most of
which have been posted here.
I'm perfectly happy with the DZ 50/2 + MMF-1
as a 50 macro. I haven't yet experimented on really tiny stuff with the
EM-1 yet. The primary advantage I would see is being able to photograph
without a tripod, and more importantly being able to shoot the exact
composition I've discovered through the viewfinder without having to set up
the tripod and then try again to find the composition I wanted. Resulting
tripod photo usually ends up fine but it's never quite the same as what I
found in the moment.
I have, over the last few years, become "Dr. No Tripod". Not intentionally; I dutifully carried tripods all over the
place, most recently to Bhutan, New England, around NorCal, to Ireland - and just didn't use them.
As you say, getting the composition right takes time, and all too often, subject and/or light have moved. On our recent
trip to Mendocino, whence the recent images I've posted, I didn't even have a tripod with me. Between improved IS,
improved high ISO performance and magical software such as Topaz Sharpen AI, which corrects for camera/subject movement,
eschewing tripods has gotten even easier. The Hand Held High Res function of the OM-1 ups the ante even more.
I have lots of tripods, of various sorts. I do use them on occasion around
home, for set shots, lens testing, etc.
Voluble Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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