![]() ![]() Using a micro 43 camera I was able to shoot the images at f/8.0 (with limited diffraction) but achieve a good depth of field. The smaller sensor of the camera allows it to achieve a greater depth of field at the same aperture when compared to a camera with a cropped or full frame sensor. In this example the images were captured using a Micro 43 camera. You now know the number of shots and the points of focus for the image sequence and can reshoot the image set. Repeat the process until even the most distant object appears in focus. This is the point where you need to focus for the next shot. As you do this, you are looking for the point at which the image starts to lose focus. Take a shot and then review this on the camera at 100% magnification. Compose your shot and focus on the nearest point in the frame. To determine how many images you need in a set it’s best to shoot a test series. How many images you will need is really down to the depth of field you can achieve with your camera. In the example used for this tutorial we will use a set of two image one where the focus is on the foreground and in the other the point of focus is in the distance. In order to create an image using focus stacking you are going to need to shoot at least two identical images where only the point of focus changes. These images are then combined into a single image by taking the in focus area from each image and merging these together to give a much greater depth of field. The change in focus point is used to move the depth of field over the entire distance that needs to be in focus. This involves taking multiple identical images where only the point of focus changes. The solution to the depth of field problem is the technique of focus stacking. It can be very difficult to render objects sharp in their entirety. Here you can find that even using a very small aperture only gives a few millimetres of depth of field or even less. If you are interested in macro photography, the problem is even more acute as the subject is often so close to the camera. It then becomes necessary to use a much smaller aperture which is probably outside the optimal working range of the lens. Unfortunately, this may limit your depth of field and mean that more distant objects are out of focus. So if you are shooting a landscape with an object looming large in the foreground, it’s likely that you will focus on the object to ensure it is sharp. ![]() One of the problems we face with these types of photography is that as the point of focus gets nearer to the camera, the depth of field lessens. ![]() But in other forms of photography such as Landscapes and Macro you might want to maximise the depth of field. For some images you might need very little, for example in portrait photography where you throw the background to the subject out of focus. How much depth of field you need for an image is a bit of a moving target. Unfortunately, most people don’t have one of these cameras, or the patience to use one. This can be used to increase depth of field beyond what could be achieved with the aperture alone, allowing the aperture to remain within the optimal working range. This is one of the reasons many Landscape Photographers favour large format technical cameras which allow special movements such as tilt. Ideally you want to keep your aperture in the range where the lens performs at its best. The drawback with this approach is that as the aperture becomes smaller, something called diffraction sets in and the image sharpness suffers. You then carefully select the point of focus for maximum depth of field. The traditional approach (adopted by most) is to use a very small aperture. Trying to achieve a significant depth of field in your images can be quite frustrating. There are times when the depth of field you can achieve in a single shot just isn’t enough. A focus stacking video to accompany this tutorial is also available. ![]()
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