Guidelines for successful focus bracketing of insects in the field

Shooting in macro mode, techniques, tips & tricks
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CliffK
Posts: 1
Joined: 01.11.2019 22:57

Guidelines for successful focus bracketing of insects in the field

Post by CliffK »

Does anyone have guidelines they can share for obtaining a successful set of focus bracketed macro shots in the field using a hand-held camera? Previously I would set me Canon 100mm Macro lens to manual focus mode, rotate the focus ring to the closest distance, put my Canon 5D Mark IV in high-speed continuous shooting mode, and then hold the shutter button down while slowly rocking my body forward. I was hoping that my recent purchase of Helicon Remote iPhone app would help me somehow, but not sure how. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
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Catherine
Posts: 1163
Joined: 29.04.2019 22:38

Re: Guidelines for successful focus bracketing of insects in the field

Post by Catherine »

Helicon Remote can automate focus bracketing. With Helicon Remote you may set start and end points from an external device and trigger shooting remotely. The program will make a series of shots with equal focus step. The shooting speed will be lower than in high-speed shooting, but it will be more precise than rotating the ring manually or advancing the object, it will allow avoidIng camera shaking. On the other hand, Helicon Remote may not be a suitable option for your shooting conditions, since a butterfly may not stay there long enough to wait till the end of the shoot, also tethered shooting implies some limitations and complications that may not work for shooting in the field.

An option that you might like to consider is Helicon FB Tube: https://www.heliconsoft.com/heliconsoft ... n-fb-tube/ It's mounted between the cmaera body and the lens as a conventional macro extension tube, it provides a macro effect, just as any other extension tube, and it sends a command for the lens to shift focus by an equal step with each shot. The tube has been initially designed for handheld shooting in the field.
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