COVID. It’s still a thing. Yep, that’s the voice of experience talking. More later after I’m feeling better.
Post Update
COVID really flattened me for the first few days after its onset! I was feeling better by approximately Day 5. I’m slowly regaining my stamina, but I feel exhausted after relatively little exertion. Anyway, I promised “more later” and that’s the latest update.
The camera part featured in the last installment of “What is it?” is called the “Sync terminal” by Fujifilm, as shown in the following annotated image. The same part is also known as the “PC Sync terminal.”
Parts of the Camera | Fujifilm X-T3 Owner’s Manual
There seems to be some uncertainty regarding the origin of the name “PC Sync,” but it’s certainly true PC Sync is one of the older “standards” for external flash. Notice the word “standards” appears in quotes (there it is again!) because there are many different types of cables that are sold as “PC Sync” cables, so I’m confused — doesn’t “standard” mean all of the cables should look the same, or at least similar? You know, like the USB-C standard. But I digress.
Pluto
I bought the following PC Sync cable for use with my Fujifilm X Series mirrorless digital cameras and Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR. [My beloved Panasonic superzoom bridge cameras (DMC-FZ150 and DMC-FZ300) do not feature a PC Sync terminal.]
Pluto PC Sync to 2.5mm Sub-Mini Flash Cable | B&H Photo
One end of the cable has a screw connector for a secure connection with the camera sync terminal. Buyer beware — the other end of the cable can be a potential pitfall.
This type of cable can have either a 3.5 mm male plug or a 2.5 mm sub-mini male plug. Be sure to buy the plug size that fits your external flash unit(s).
All of my “older” Godox TT685 series flashes feature a 3.5 mm female jack. My “newer” Godox TT685C II Flash for Canon Cameras features a 2.5 mm sub-mini female jack.
… the flash includes a 2.5mm sync port for basic wired connectivity. Source Credit: Godox TT685II Overview, B&H Photo.
Name of Parts | Godox TT685C II User Manual
I bought a small adapter that features a 2.5 mm sub-mini female jack on one end and a 3.5 mm male plug on the other end. The adapter enables me to connect my older Godox external flash units with the Pluto PC Sync cable.
Why use PC Sync?
In case you’re wondering why I’ve been experimenting with PC Sync for connecting cameras with external flash units, the answer is simple: focus bracketing.
I love me some wireless remote control of external flashes, but sometimes for reasons only the photography gods understand there can be a problem with “flash dropout.” That’s when one or more flashes don’t fire, and that can ruin a focus stack. If I’m shooting one-off photos and the flash doesn’t fire, hey, no problem — just take another shot. But if reliability is critical, then I think a hard-wired connection is the way to go.
What are the take-aways?
Oddly, neither one of my two older external flash units made by Fujifilm feature a PC Sync jack. My older Canon 580EX and 580EX II flashes feature what appears to be some sort of proprietary PC Sync jack for which I have been unable to find the necessary cable.
I have tested the Pluto PC Sync cable with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II and am pleased to report it works as expected.
My Fujifilm X-T3 digital camera can be used to simultaneously fire flashes connected via the PC Sync cable, a camera-mounted flash, and/or a wireless flash controller such as the Godox XProF II. The flash is Manual mode only. High-speed sync (HSS) works, but you need to enable HSS on the flash itself.
I assume the same functionality is true for my Canon EOS 5D Mark II although I haven’t tested it yet.
Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
I’ve been experimenting with a telecentric lens rig. My rig is cloned from a similar one created by Rik Littlefield, using gear I already own.
I’m guessing you’re thinking “What is a telecentric lens?” The honest answer is “I don’t know.” I’m not sure I’ll ever understand what telecentric lenses are and how they work. I’m hoping practical experience will result in better understanding of the theoretical.
So why have I written a blog post about a topic I don’t really understand? Good question! The simple answer is because I have learned enough, mostly from Rik Littlefield, to know there are practical advantages to using a telecentric lens for macro photography.
The best advantage of a truly telecentric lens is there should be little or no “focus breathing” as the camera moves closer to/farther from the subject. Essentially that means the apparent size of the subject should remain the same. That should enable better focus stacking because the outline of the subject is constant.
My Rube Goldberg telecentric lens rig
Rik Littlefield’s telecentric lens rig features the same gear as mine (described in the next paragraph) minus the Canon-to-Fujifilm lens adapter because he uses a Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR camera body with his rig.
My Rube Goldberg telecentric lens rig is cobbled together using a Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter attached to my Canon EF 100mm macro lens using the plastic clip-on adapter supplied by Raynox. The lens assembly is mounted on my Fujifilm X-T3 APS-C digital camera using a Fringer EF-FX Pro II adapter.
Rik developed another telecentric lens rig that results in lower magnification (0.8x versus 1.69x) but better image quality. I need to order some inexpensive parts before I can build and test that rig.
Testing 1, 2, 3.
The following closely-cropped composite image shows the result of my first test of the telecentric lens rig.
I shot 57 images of a toy plastic lizard using my NiSi NM-200 manual focus rail. I used an aperture of f/8 and a step-size of 100 microns, as recommended by Rik Littlefield.
Helcion Focus Method B was used to focus stack the “as is” JPGs from my camera. The resulting TIF file was cropped using Apple “Preview” — that’s about as quick and dirty as cropping gets!
Post Update
The first time I heard about telecentric lenses is when Allan Walls teased the topic during one of his YouTube live-streams. During a subsequent live-stream, Allan demonstrated how to make a lens telecentric using a rig similar to one that Rik Littlefield created.
Telecentric Lenses – Macro Talk Too – from Allan Walls Photography, June 29, 2023 (1:12:10)
Allan’s YouTube live-streams are one hour in duration, but there’s usually a lot of chit-chat during a typical live-stream that might not interest readers of my blog.
In this case, I recommend that you watch the segment from 11:22 to 30:21. A lot of what I have learned about telecentric lenses from Rik Littlefield and Allan Walls is covered during that part of the video. (If you continue watching the video beyond the 30:21 mark, then you will hear my name mentioned twice.)
Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Did you know that flash power ratios are relative, not absolute? I didn’t, that is until I bought a Godox MF12 macro flash and was testing it in combination with a Godox TT685C Speedlite.
Are flash power ratios absolute or relative? In other words, is 1/16 power the same strength across all devices? When I set my MF12 and TT685C for 1/16 power, the MF12 doesn’t look as bright as the TT685C. Thanks for answering my question! Source Credit: Godox User Group on Facebook.
Sincere thanks to all the members of the group who kindly answered my question! One answer stood out from the others.
Walter Sanford – The TT685 is closer to 65 W, and the MF12 is roughly 12 W. The TT685 at 1/8 + 3 should be close to the MF12 at 1/1. But that can still be off, as the difference in reflector shape can change the output. Source Credit: Samuel Gibson.
The guide number of the TT685C is 197′ (power ratio 1/128 – 1/1); the guide number for the MF12 is 16′ (power ratio 1/128 – 1/1). Clearly the TT685C is the more powerful flash.
Post Update
The Godox MF12 Macro Flash is underpowered, doesn’t support high-speed sync, and doesn’t feature removable batteries. Perhaps now it’s clear why I said “I won’t buy more MF12s.”
Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Do you remember when I announced I bought a Godox MF12 Macro Flash? That’s because I didn’t. I just bought one and started using it.
Maybe you noticed I created a new Category called “Godox MF12.” It’s more likely you didn’t. Please know that I use Categories and Tags in order to make it easier for readers to search for and find specific information.
Testing 1, 2, 3 …
I’m already heavily invested in the Godox flash ecosystem, so when a “usually trusted source” gave high ratings to his new Godox MF12s I decided to buy one for testing. Full disclosure: I hesitated to pull the trigger when I realized the MF12 costs almost as much as full-size flashes such as the TT685 series. That just doesn’t seem fair/right to me!
I think the intended use for Godox MF12s is to mount one or more flash units on a system of rings that fit on lenses with different filter thread sizes. I know a lot of photographers who own MF12s but as far as I know no one actually uses them mounted on a lens, and no one uses them for macro photography in the field.
Instead, the macro photographers I know use their Godox MF12s as small, lightweight flashes perfect for macro photography in the studio. They say several MF12s, set for low power, add up to nice soft light that’s both bright and relatively free of specular highlights. When used that way, the MF12s seem to work well.
Photo courtesy B&H Photo.
I think it’s fair to ask “Do the MF12s work better than larger, more powerful flash units used at lower power ratios with lots of diffusion?” The objective answer is, “No, not really.” During limited testing using flash equipment I own already, my results are comparable to theirs.
No high-speed sync.
But wait, there’s more. Recently I discovered the MF12 doesn’t support high-speed sync (HSS). That’s on me — I just assumed any modern external flash unit would support HSS, especially since most (if not all) Godox flashes do. But the MF12 doesn’t and that’s a deal-breaker for me. Post Update: I think it’s worth noting that macro flashes available from Canon and Nikon do support HSS, although they cost much more than the Godox MF12.
Slower shutter speeds aren’t a problem in the studio when my camera is mounted on a tripod, but when I’m in the field I prefer to use shutter speeds faster than the default sync speed of my cameras. For this reason alone, I won’t buy more MF12s.
There is one “pro.”
Notice the button labeled with an icon that looks like an asterisk. That button toggles a modeling light on/off. Better, some flash triggers such as my new-ish Godox XProF II can remotely power on/off the modeling light plus set the relative power of the modeling light (from 1 to 10).
Photo courtesy B&H Photo.
ALL external flash units should include a modeling light. The MF12 does but in my opinion that’s insufficient for me to recommend the product.
Post Update
In an effort to get right to the point about what I dislike most about the Godox MF12 Macro Flash, I didn’t gripe about its built-in Lithium ion battery. I think it would be better if the MF12 featured a removable battery of some type.
As designed, the internal battery can be recharged by connecting the flash unit (via USB cable) to either an AC power source or portable power brick such as the Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD 45W.
In my opinion, the fact that you can’t simply swap in a fresh battery makes this flash less suitable for use in the field.
How does the flash perform when its battery is fully charged?
The powerful built-in lithium battery supports approximately 500 full-power flashes with a 0.01 to 1.7 second recycling time. Source Credit: B&H Photo.
I would say 500 flashes might be overly optimistic, based upon my experience using the Godox MF12 for focus bracketing. I don’t have lab testing equipment so I can’t confirm the flash recycling time, but I can say it’s fast enough to fire continuously in burst mode when using lower power ratios.
Related Resource: Godox: #MF12 Macro Flash Operational Tutorial, by GODOX Global (3:25).
Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
In my last blog post, I shared a composite image that was created using Helicon Focus to focus stack 99 JPG photos taken automatically using my Fujifilm X-T5 set for AUTO FOCUS BKT.
The following video demonstrates two strengths of Helicon Focus.
The main window features two panels: the panel on the left shows the source images as the focus stack is created; the panel on the right shows the final output.
The right sidebar shows a list of filenames for the source images. When a filename in the list is highlighted, the corresponding image is displayed in the left panel of the main window.
Look closely at the final output, shown in the right panel in the main window. Notice the “ghost” artifact that’s visible near the tip of the toy dinosaur’s tail. Otherwise, the composite image looks perfect.
Click here to see a Screen Recording of the Rendering process.
I have no idea what caused the artifact. For whatever reason, some of the composite images I have created using Helicon Focus have one or more artifacts.
In contrast, every time I have used Fujifilm AUTO FOCUS BKT it has worked perfectly. (He said with fingers crossed.)
Related Resources
Post Update
When I tested the link to the video I noticed a problem with “flash dropout.” Two small LED panels and two external flash units were used to light the scene. Notice the flash on the right side of the subject didn’t fire in photo DSCF1214.JPG. That flash was a Godox MF12. Up until now, the MF12 flash has never failed to fire. For those who might be wondering, the Lithium Ion battery in the MF12 was fully charged before I started the focus bracket. I’ll watch it more closely to see whether reliability is an issue.
Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
So there I was, working on the next epic sundial-related blog post, when I realized two things: 1) The post needs to be too long to finish before Friday; and 2) The topic probably needs to be covered in a series of posts rather than one long post. Regrettable, because WordPress site statistics shows the sundial-related blog posts are popular with readers of my blog. Anyway, please stay tuned — I hope to finish the next post by Tuesday, 23 May 2023.
In the meantime, I decided to give you a quick update on my never-ending quest for good light diffusers.
“Magic Mylar”
A friend and expert in macro photography kindly shared several sheets of diffusion material with which he is getting great results. The material is made of mylar plastic, matte on both sides.
I should have taken some shots of the same subject with- and without diffused light, but I didn’t have time to do a proper test of the new diffusion material. Qualitatively speaking, I like the look and feel of the test shots in diffused light although I concede there are specular highlights that might require either double- or triple layers of diffusion, as recommended by my friend.
Here are a few shots from a quick studio session. The subject is a highly reflective plastic toy dinosaur. I used a small LED light panel (with added diffusion to supplement the built-in diffuser on the LED) and a Godox TT685C plus a small Altura flash modifier to light the scene. The output from the LED light panel is assumed to be constant, while I slightly increased the distance between the subject and the TT685C from the first to last shot. I estimate the front of the Altura was no more than say 5″ to 7″ from the subject. My assumption is the farther the TT685 was from the subject, the more the LED was the dominant light source.
Closest.
Mid-range.
Farthest.
Where can I get some “Magic Mylar?”
I don’t know whether the results of my test are so impressive that you would like to order some of the “Magic Mylar” STAT. The following image shows the label from a big roll of the mylar.
Comstoc Ink Jet Plotter Media | 3 MIL Double Matte
It’s unclear whether this specific product is discontinued. One source says the art supplier Dick Blick sells sheets of similar material. I will do some research and report my findings, if any. Please comment on this post if you find a source before I do.
Tech Tips
Disclaimer: The following photos show no evidence that I’m actually a fairly good photographer.
Here are two quick-and-dirty shots (taken with my Apple iPad mini 6) that show how I used the mylar to diffuse light from a Sunpak LED 160 light panel. I simply taped an ~8.5″ x 11″ sheet of the mylar to the LED. The first photo shows the LED off; the second shows the LED on.
Sunpak LED 160 light panel. (Off.)
Sunpak LED 160 light panel. (On.)
Looks like I didn’t place the subject at the center of the circle of light. In my defense, the circle of light wasn’t as apparent to me as it is in the photo. Hey, I told you it was a quick-and-dirty test!
More later after further testing.
Post Update
I’m a scientist. No really, I am. I know it’s easier to analyze the results of an experiment that has only one variable. My last experiment included another variable that made it impossible to objectively evaluate the quality of light diffused by adding “Magic Mylar” to a small LED panel.
So I ditched the Godox TT685C external flash unit and photographed the subject using only diffused light from the LED panel.
All photos were taken using my Apple iPad mini 2. Same subject, same “stage.” Notice the subject is closer to the center of the circle of light on the background.
Next I moved the iPad closer to the subject for a better look at the specular highlights, if any.
Finally, here’s the same shot cropped for a closer look at the subject. The white balance is way off, but hey, it’s an iPad camera photo! Otherwise the light has what I would describe as a “warm glow” with fewer glaring specular highlights than the shots from the first test. Maybe now you can see why I am excited by the results of my experimentation with the new mylar diffusion material.
Perhaps you’re wondering, “Why was it necessary to use an external flash unit when you took the first test shots?” I used my Fujifilm X-T5 and 80mm macro lens to take those shots. I wanted to use the same settings that I’ve been using for studio macro focus bracketing. Problem is, the photos were underexposed. Since I didn’t want to change the camera/lens settings, my only option was to add more light. And now you know the rest of the story.
Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
In my last blog post, I mentioned that relatively simple sundials such as “equatorial sundials” (including “bowstring equatorial sundials” as well as “globe- or spherical sundials,” distant cousins of equatorial sundials) and “gnomonic horizontal sundials” are better for making the Sun-Earth connection with K-12 students than more complex sundials. In this blog post, we will take a deeper look at “gnomonic horizontal sundials.”
Many, if not most people are familiar with the appearance of a horizontal sundial such as the one shown below. Typically, horizontal sundials have a triangle-shaped shadow caster mounted on a base plate.
Christ Church sundial | Alexandria, Virginia USA
In contrast, most people are unfamiliar with the names for the parts of a horizontal sundial.
The triangle-shaped shadow caster is known as the “gnomon.” The upper edge of the gnomon is the “style“; the “nodus” is a point located anywhere along the style, including the tip of the gnomon. The gnomon is mounted on a base called the “dial face/plate.”
Sunnymead Elementary School
A “gnomonic horizontal sundial” — such as the one located at Sunnymead Elementary School in Hillsborough, New Jersey USA — is a reduced horizontal sundial with a vertical gnomon.
In this case, “reduced” means all of the gnomon is removed except for the nodus — a single point along the style that is supported by a vertical pole. The nodus casts a shadow on the dial plate that indicates both the time of day and the date of the year.
The first two annotated images show the part of the gnomon that is removed, highlighted in translucent red.
Photo Credit: Chi-Lian Chiu.
Photo Credit: Chi-Lian Chiu.
Notice the hour lines radiate outward from the “dial center,” like the ribs on a Japanese fan, and the date curves run east-west. Time of day is read from the numbers above the upper date curve when Standard Time is in effect; read the numbers below the lower date curve when Daylight Saving Time is in effect.
As of 2007, Daylight Saving Time begins in the United States on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. On the second Sunday in March, clocks are set ahead one hour at 2:00 a.m. local standard time (which becomes 3:00 a.m. local Daylight Saving Time). On the first Sunday in November, clocks are set back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local Daylight Saving Time (which becomes 1:00 a.m. local standard time). Source Credit: Daylight Saving Time, Astronomical Information Center, U.S. Naval Observatory.
The next annotated image shows the “analemma,” the odd looking figure eight located along the noon hour line (also known as the meridian line) on the dial face. In a nutshell, the analemma is used to correct Local Solar Time for Local Standard Time.
Photo Credit: Chi-Lian Chiu.
Look for more information about “date curves” and the “analemma” in a follow-up blog post.
Putting it all together, the last annotated image shows the nodus indicates the time of day is approximately 11:30 a.m. EDT on June 21.
NASS Sundial Registry No. 504 | Hillsborough, NJ | Sunnymead ES
The following resources are specifically related to the Sunnymead Elementary School gnomonic horizontal sundial.
EarthDial(s)
EarthDials are also “gnomonic horizontal sundials.” EarthDials? Yep. The EarthDial Project began in 2004.
The EarthDial Project is a partnership between The Planetary Society (the world’s largest space interest group), Bill Nye, the Science Guy® and Nye Labs, and Professor Woody Sullivan at the University of Washington. Source Credit: The EarthDial Project, The Planetary Society (archived by the Wayback Machine Internet Archive).
The FCPS/NOVAC EarthDial (ED-7) was located in Fairfax County (Alexandria), Virginia at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) Planetarium.
ED-7 | 38° 49′ N latitude, 77° 12′ W longitude
The following resources are specifically related to EarthDials in general, and ED-7 in particular.
Related Resources
Daily motion.
Annual motion.
Post Update
GIFfun.app (for MacOS) was used to create the following animation of screen captures from the “Motions of the Sun Simulator.”
Save a time-series of screen captures as PNG files; use Apple Preview to convert the PNGs to GIFs. Suggested GIFfun setting(s): Delay = 200 (or 500).
Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Someone I know is fond of saying “A sample size of one proves nothing.” And that’s true, at least in the case of my recent test of Fujifilm AUTO FOCUS BKT. So I refined my step-by-step instructions slightly and tested the process again. Two times, in fact. And the results are comparable to my first test.
I have learned from experience it’s better to use a rugged toy “model” for testing purposes, rather than one of the fragile odonate exuviae that I like to photograph. It’s a good idea to choose a test subject that’s about the same size as your intended subject. The following toy dinosaur is ~6 cm from head to tail — the same size as the largest specimen in my collection of exuviae.
Two flashes
The following composite image was created using Helicon Focus to focus stack 74 JPG photos taken automatically using my Fujifilm X-T5 set for AUTO FOCUS BKT. The composite image was created using unedited JPGs straight out of the camera.
Toy dinosaur plus NSTA plastic ruler.
As you can see, both the toy dinosaur and NSTA plastic ruler are in focus from front-to-back without any focus banding. Zoom in to look at the full-size composite image — the detail is impressive!
Look closely and you should notice a few places that appear to be artifacts resulting from the focus stacking process. (Look around the borderline between the toy dinosaur and NSTA plastic ruler.)
I used rendering Method B in Helicon Focus. Time permitting, I would like to try Method A and Method C to see whether the artifacts go away. The artifacts are visible in both the “Two flashes” and “One flash” versions of the composite image, and upon further review, also visible in the composite image of the toy lizard featured in my last blog post. I must admit this is cause for concern.
Post Update: I used Helicon Focus rendering Method A and Method C to re-render the composite images: Method A was better than Method B; Method C nailed it! For details, please see my blog post entitled “I love it when a plan comes together!“
One flash
The setup for the “one flash” photo shoot was exactly the same as the “two flashes” version except I used one fewer external flash unit.
The following composite image has higher contrast than the first. Although I like the look, I was curious to see how adding a second flash would affect the final result.
Toy dinosaur plus NSTA plastic ruler.
I’m still undecided about which version I like more, but the order in which they are presented in this post provides a big hint. Which version do you prefer — is less more?
Related Resources
Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Let me say at the outset I love my Fujifilm X-T3 digital camera. That being said, I bought the Fujifilm X-T5 almost as soon as it was released.
There are many reasons I decided to buy the Fujifilm X-T5 but the number one reason is the X-T5 features both Auto- and Manual mode focus bracketing while the X-T3 is Manual only.
At some point I’ll revisit MANUAL mode focus bracketing, but this post will focus on AUTO FOCUS BKT. Using AUTO FOCUS BKT, the photographer sets the beginning and ending focus points and the camera selects the step size and number of frames automatically.
Sample output
The following composite image was created using Helicon Focus to focus stack 96 JPG photos taken automatically using my Fujifilm X-T5 set for AUTO FOCUS BKT. The composite image was created using unedited JPGs straight out of the camera.
Toy lizard plus NSTA plastic ruler.
As you can see, both the toy lizard and NSTA plastic ruler are in focus from front-to-back without any focus banding. The process worked surprisingly well and could be a game-changer for creating focus stacks of relatively larger macro subjects.
Step-by-step instructions
The next two images are screenshots from the online version of the Fujifilm X-T5 Owner’s Manual. From the Table of Contents, click on “Shooting Menus”; from the sub-menu that appears on screen, click on “Shooting Setting (Still Photography).” Click on Drive Setting; navigate to the section entitled “FOCUS BKT SETTING” and look for “AUTO.”
Steps 1-3 …
Image Credit: Fujifilm X-T5 Owner’s Manual.
Steps 4-5 …
Image Credit: Fujifilm X-T5 Owner’s Manual.
Here’s my interpretation of the preceding outtakes from the Fujifilm X-T5 Owner’s Manual. I suggest you follow the set of step-by-step directions that makes more sense to you, although I think they are complementary.
First, a few words of caution about something that can and probably will trip you up the first time you try focus bracketing, using either MANUAL- or AUTO mode. (That’s the voice of experience talking.) You need to make settings in several places including one setting on the camera itself and two MENU settings. All of those settings are highlighted in boldface red text.
When you are setting focus for Point A and Point B, you can use any method that works for you including simply turning the focus ring on the camera lens. I prefer to use back-button focus. When the camera is set for Manual focus mode (M) the “AF ON” button is used for back-button focus by default. Try it — I think you’ll like it and it just works right out of the box.
I set Point A for the tip of the lizard’s nose and Point B for the tip of its tail.
Tech Tips
X-T5 camera/lens settings: f/11; ISO 200; 1/250 s. White balance set for AUTO WHITE PRIORITY WBW. Single point focus. Number of Focus Points set for 425. “Focus mode selector” set for “M” (Manual focus).
Bear in mind I didn’t really worry about lighting the subjects properly. I chose to use one external flash unit that I knew from experience would work reliably at 1/8 power. I’m pleased to report there weren’t any “dropped frames” due to flash failure.
Interval: 5 s ← Note: The built-in camera timer doesn’t work when using focus bracketing (except for the first photo) so I recommend you increase the Interval to 10 s in order to give your camera time to settle between shots and plenty of time for your external flash units to power-cycle.
Subject: Toy lizard plus NSTA ruler = 96 frames (selected by camera automatically).
What are the take-aways?
My goal was to test the Fujifilm in-camera photo bracketing process using “AUTO” mode. Zoom in to look at the full-size image — the detail is impressive! I’d say the test was a complete success. Well, mostly successful. For details, see “More testing…” under Related Resources.
Related Resources
Post Update
Chris Lee, also known as “pal2tech,” released a related YouTube video after I published my blog post: “Why I LOVE This Fujifim Lens! (30mm Macro),” by pal2tech (11:26). Although the main theme of the video is a detailed review of the macro lens, there is an embedded segment related to how to use AUTO FOCUS BKT and Helicon Focus beginning at the 05:05 minute mark and ending at ~07:47: “How To Focus Stack With Fujifilm Macro Lens.” Well done, Chris!
It’s worth noting I disagree with Chris’s recommendation of the Fujifilm XF30mm F2.8 R LM WR Macro lens. Regular readers of my blog know I’m all about macro photography and don’t need much of an excuse to buy more gear. I considered this lens carefully when it was announced and rejected it as a bad fit for my needs.
Chris has valid reasons for liking the lens and I have valid reasons for disliking it — we just disagree, that’s all. For example, Chris raves about how close you can get to the subject with this lens. Sounds good, but the reality is a small working distance makes it much more challenging to light the subject properly. And Chris readily concedes the lens isn’t perfect, optically speaking.
Bottom line: I strongly recommend the tutorial segment of Chris’s video while cautioning my readers to carefully consider whether this lens would be a good fit for your macro photography needs.
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