A plea for focus stacking....

[Dr. G]

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5 hours ago, SrMi said:

Setting the start and end point is not the essential part of focus bracketing. In fact, it is implemented only by one brand and is a mess. Setting the start, the end, or the middle is a more useful and simpler approach.

The most essential part of focus bracketing is to move the focus point while maintaining the selected CoC (defined by aperture, focal length, and step size).

I've only done it using the SL3 and Panasonic Luimx 100 macro for my friend's caviar company and then processed with HeliconFocus to put it all together.   Was using manual focus and lots of stepped images for each shot.  

[Donald M]

I sent an email requesting focus stacking for the SL3 in March 2024 and got the following answer:

“Thank you very much for your feedback.
The ratings and improvement requests of our customers naturally take a high priority and will be taken into account as far as possible in future concepts.
We therefore always make sure that the responsible developers and designers take note of your feedback. I have already forwarded your email accordingly.”

[Jeff S]

17 minutes ago, Donald M said:

I sent an email requesting focus stacking for the SL3 in March 2024 and got the following answer:

“Thank you very much for your feedback.
The ratings and improvement requests of our customers naturally take a high priority and will be taken into account as far as possible in future concepts.
We therefore always make sure that the responsible developers and designers take note of your feedback. I have already forwarded your email accordingly.”

Your request was inbox stacked, unlikely to receive focus.

Jeff

[40mm f/2]

22 hours ago, SrMi said:

Isn't JPEG the only output format from in-camera focus stacking? I thought you were shooting raw, not JPEG.

I doubt you get fewer artifacts with in-camera stacking than with Zeren or Helicon. In fact, you cannot remove artifacts with in-camera stacking, but you can with Zerene or Helicon. 

I agree with that. When i tested the OM1 the in camera focus stacks were significantly softer than using even these individual JPEGs (which I normally don’t use) and stack them in Zerene.  One issue with that is also that it starts in the middle of the stack and goes alternating back and front so difficult to judge where to start, I had a lot of exposures in the front of the subject. I find it much easier to start with the front by focusing at the nearest detail one wants in sharp and then go backwards.

Especially with Helicon stacking is not terrible time consuming as one can import raw files directly and export them as DNG (or TIFF) so around a minute for a short stack.

Edited November 16, 2024 by 40mm f/2

[40mm f/2]

18 hours ago, Donald M said:

I sent an email requesting focus stacking for the SL3 in March 2024 and got the following answer:

“Thank you very much for your feedback.
The ratings and improvement requests of our customers naturally take a high priority and will be taken into account as far as possible in future concepts.
We therefore always make sure that the responsible developers and designers take note of your feedback. I have already forwarded your email accordingly.”

I discussed that when I was in Munich with the Leica Stores and they said that Leica may implement focus bracketing when they release a macro lens but they had no real hint if one is coming in the near future. Presently Leica has no macro lens, the 90mm M (which I owned) is not a macro lens. It is great close but if one ads to much extensions its IQ is not good at all (I tried it in combination with an old Visoflex, the one with mirror box).  I had long time ago the APO-Macro-Elmarit 100/2.8 and that was a great lens, so Leica was able to produce outstanding macro lenses but presently they ignore that hole field of photography (especially after the S system is discontinued).

[SrMi]

4 minutes ago, 40mm f/2 said:

I discussed that when I was in Munich with the Leica Stores and they said that Leica may implement focus bracketing when they release a macro lens but they had no real hint if one is coming in the near future. Presently Leica has no macro lens, the 90mm M (which I owned) is not a macro lens. It is great close but if one ads to much extensions its IQ is not good at all (I tried it in combination with an old Visoflex, the one with mirror box).  I had long time ago the APO-Macro-Elmarit 100/2.8 and that was a great lens, so Leica was able to produce outstanding macro lenses but presently they ignore that hole field of photography (especially after the S system is discontinued).

Focus bracketing is mainly used for macros but is also suitable for non-macro lenses. The following photograph would have been challenging to make with manual focus bracketing (FL: 112mm):

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/gallery/2019-tapestry-of-life

[V23]

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On 11/16/2024 at 1:08 AM, JeffWright said:

And just for clarity, not all focus bracketing is for macro work. Here's an example with the 100-400, I think at around 200 mm.

 

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This is exactly where my interest in focus stacking is.

[JeffWright]

On 11/15/2024 at 9:19 AM, jaapv said:

Especially if one has gotten used to in another system. I think that it may be incompatible with the new Leica/Panasonic AF system, as Panasonic removed focus stacking from the S5ii. 

Respectfully, this sounds awfully speculative, and doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I wouldn't think there's anything inherent to phase detection AF (or hybrid PD/contrast AF) that prevents this. Again, virtually everyone else has PDAF and has managed to implement focus stacking.

[jaapv]

22 minutes ago, JeffWright said:

Respectfully, this sounds awfully speculative, and doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I wouldn't think there's anything inherent to phase detection AF (or hybrid PD/contrast AF) that prevents this. Again, virtually everyone else has PDAF and has managed to implement focus stacking.

Well, can you think of any other reason for Leica not to have it and for Panasonic using the same new AF to drop it after many years?

[JeffWright]

On 11/15/2024 at 9:19 AM, jaapv said:

Especially if one has gotten used to in another system. I think that it may be incompatible with the new Leica/Panasonic AF system, as Panasonic removed focus stacking from the S5ii. 

I don't own and S5ii, and regrettably sold my S1R, but my understanding is that the S5ii at least still has focus bracketing, which gets you to focus stacking in post.

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

Well, can you think of any other reason for Leica not to have it and for Panasonic using the same new AF to drop it after many years?

It is probably the same reason why they dropped multiple exposures. I would have bought the S5 II if it had kept multiple exposures with raw output.

[jaapv]

In-camera focus stacking works exceedingly well on the S5... The S5ii still has multishot, which even works hand-held. 

[Dsauro]

On 11/15/2024 at 6:08 AM, JeffWright said:

And just for clarity, not all focus bracketing is for macro work. Here's an example with the 100-400, I think at around 200 mm.

 

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By the way Jeff……nice image 

[Paul2660]

Just bringing this back to the top again. Almost a year now and still no ability focus bracket with any Leica 35mm camera. I had hoped with the SL3 it would eventually be added. BTW it’s not just for macro work. I use it in the field all the time when conditions allow.  Panasonic S1R ii did apparently release with focus bracketing. But I can’t get my head around the sensor they picked. It seems they were more interested in video this time. 
 

Paul
 

Paul

[jaapv]

I fully agree. Leica has access to the technology through Panasonic. Although - strangely Panasonic did not implement it in the S5ii 

[SrMi]

28 minutes ago, jaapv said:

I fully agree. Leica has access to the technology through Panasonic. Although - strangely Panasonic did not implement it in the S5ii 

I believe @Paul2660 is missing focus bracketing (automatic focus point movement) and not focus stacking (bracketing with assembly of images to a JPG). S5 II supports focus bracketing.

[jaapv]

Yeah I but I really liked the focus bracketing on the S5. The implementation was quite good. Even if "only" 4K the images were perfectly usable for general photography. 

[SrMi]

4 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Yeah I but I really liked the focus bracketing on the S5. The implementation was quite good. Even if "only" 4K the images were perfectly usable for general photography. 

You mean focus stacking :), where the output is one assembled image.

[jaapv]

Sure. 

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[Paul2660]

Yes I am wishing for focus bracketing. Not have it assembled in camera. But just take the various raws and let me convert to tifs  and let Helicon do the rest. 
 

it should be simple enough to add this in firmware. Standard in most mirrorless camera now and Levi’s makes plenty of good lenses with AF. 
 

Paul