Which end of an insect etc to start stacking at.

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hotrodder19
Posts: 62
Joined: Thu Sep 26, 2013 6:36 pm
Location: Perth, Western Australia

Which end of an insect etc to start stacking at.

Post by hotrodder19 »

My query concerns for example the taking iof stacked photos of say a beetle which generally has a body much bigger than its head. When beginning my stack for example if the beetle is side on the camera lens sees at one end a big structure and at the other end a small head. I seem to have trouble knowing whether to start the stack at the big or small end. When I test at the start before beginning the stack I generally run the micrometer stage forward and back to gauge my movement direction so as to get the whole body clear. This may be clockwise or anti, just depends. Many times I start say atr the bigger end clear but when I go forward I dont necessarily see the smaller head parts coming clear and sharp. Why is this ? Doesnt seem to matter which direction I start at one end loses focus. Hope my reasoning is somewhat clear for advice. I am using a nikon DSLR on a slider with the insect secured on a stage. Generally I use a 4, 5 or 10 x micro objective on a 200mmF4 lens. Also can stacking work on a 105mm macro lens ?

Looking for help and advice . Been out of action for a couple of yeas with two bouts of Ca but now ok and wanting to move forward. I look forward to some interesting comments.

Regards Russell Hodder

MarkSturtevant
Posts: 1946
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
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Re: Which end of an insect etc to start stacking at.

Post by MarkSturtevant »

I start at the nearest end, and work to the farthest. As far as I know, there is no reason why this should be done this way. But if an attempt at stacking should fail mid-way, at least I will have something to show for it.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

iconoclastica
Posts: 486
Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2016 12:34 pm
Location: Wageningen, Gelderland

Re: Which end of an insect etc to start stacking at.

Post by iconoclastica »

I use either. Sometimes the choice is completely arbitrary, starting where I ended the previous stack. Other times the subject dictates where to start. Lately I worked with essentially spherical subjects, where there is no point stacking deeper than the widest perimeter. There's actually a penalty going further, since it adds if not featureles noise then still undesired (out of normal view) features, or at the very least processing time. Since my concentration is always better at the start of the stack, I first search the furthest point and then work backwards to the front. In other situations I judge the front features most important and start there. This, of course, all applies to manual stacking. I am not aware of any difference when using a mechanical stage.
Processing though may be very directionally sensitive...
--- felix filicis ---

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