Question about Wemacro shots, interval and step size

[fledder]

hi!

I'm using a D850 + Nikon LAOWA 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X + WeMacro rail. The LAOWA is a manual focus lens, therefore it is moved by the rail.

First, I'm quite happy that all of these parts are coming together in Helicon Remote. Overall, it works nicely. I'm just a little confused about the particular parameters that affect my stack as well as the Macro rail. So I hope you can help me get a correct understanding.

First, there's the "size of focusing steps" setting found in preferences. My understanding is that this simply controls the smallest step to take when using the arrows in the Focus Bracketing panel. So it's just a way to move the WeMacro rail, this setting does not impact the photo stack itself, is that correct?

Next, I would typically use the arrows to find the start of my stack (set as A), the back of my stack (set as B) and then move the rail back to point A.

Now, I notice that "Auto" is disabled. I assume automatic calculation is not supported for this rail? Or perhaps for this lens? Can you confirm?

So I continue to manually enter the amount of shots, let's say 50. This part is clear. However, as I do this "Interval" changes. I don't understand what this parameter means given an automated rail. For example, I may enter 50 shots and get an interval of 3. What does 3 mean? It is labeled as "the amount of focus steps", but does this have any meaning when using a rail? If so, what does it mean?

So my main two questions:
- Does "size of focusing steps" have any effect on my photo stack, or is only used to navigate the rail before shooting?
- Is the setting "interval" relevant for my situation, or can I ignore it? If it is relevant, what does it mean exactly?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give. Love this software but want to better understand it.

[Catherine]

Hi!

So it's just a way to move the WeMacro rail, this setting does not impact the photo stack itself, is that correct?

All the distances are expressed in "steps", and this is the actual physical size of 1 step. So yes, this is the size of the smallest focus movement, but it's also the size of all other focus movements. For instance, if you have an interval between adjacent shots of 10 steps, it's 10 x this value. If the total distance between points A and B is 50, it's 50 x this value.

Now, I notice that "Auto" is disabled. I assume automatic calculation is not supported for this rail?

Yes, it's not supported for Wemacro rail, although it is supported for Stackshot. I don't remember why, it could be for technical reasons or it could be an oversight. We'll look into it.

So I continue to manually enter the amount of shots, let's say 50. This part is clear. However, as I do this "Interval" changes. I don't understand what this parameter means given an automated rail. For example, I may enter 50 shots and get an interval of 3. What does 3 mean? It is labeled as "the amount of focus steps", but does this have any meaning when using a rail? If so, what does it mean?

The "Interval" is the distance between consecutive shots (expressed in focus steps). For example, the distance between points A and B is 10 steps, and you set the number of shots to 3. Then the interval is calculated to be 5: the first shot is at position 0; the 2nd at position 5; and the 3rd at position 10.

If you then change the number of steps to 3, the number of shots will be recalculated and it will be 5 for this scenario. The five shots will be at positions 0; 3; 6; 9; 12 (note that there is a slight overshoot to keep all the distances even. This is OK because the "Interval" value should be set slightly smaller than the depth of field, so positions 10 and 12 are both within DOF).