"Promote Control" for automatic focus stacking

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 3:34 pm

I recently learned about a new device.

"Promote Control" is a little battery-powered box that cables to your camera to provide a bunch of different multi-exposure options: intervalometer, HDR, focus stacking via AF motor control, and some combinations of those. Reviews at Amazon seem favorable, and the people who showed me their unit in person were very happy with it.

A big limitation right now is that focus stacking only works with Canon cameras. It is written that they're working on that same feature for Nikon, but I haven't seen a schedule for that and articles saying the same thing extend back over a full year now.

Product site: http://www.promotesystems.com/products/ ... ntrol.html
Recent review: http://www.blueplanetphoto.com/wordpress/?p=679

--Rik

johan · Post by **johan** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 3:58 pm

Very interesting, thank you Rik. I always thought the idea of multi focus points should be doable in camera. I note the latest version of magic lantern also does this. Stacking going mainstream?

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 4:54 pm

Yes, I think focus stacking is going mainstream.

I've been playing with Magic Lantern lately and have been impressed with how well it works after I finally learned how to press the buttons in the correct order. See my Funnel web spider and the links therein for an example.

Magic Lantern and the various tethering tools can also be used at pretty high magnifications by using a reversed short lens or microscope objective in front of an AF-capable long lens. I've done this up to 25X on sensor for a short stack using a 50X objective on a 100mm internal focus lens. It works even better at 5X using a 10X NA 0.25 objective. See AF motor focusing with a microscope objective for more information about those. At 4X and NA 0.1 on a 200 mm lens, it even works with a cheap front-focusing telephoto (HERE).

--Rik