Z6 Unintentional Test - LOL LOL

So I took my Z6 out this morning after seeing two pink lily-of-the-valley plants in my garden among the mostly white variety. It was a pleasant surprise, So for the first time I used the Sigma 150mm macro with Optical Stabilizer, as it is the only macro lens >105mm (that I know about) that auto-focuses with a Z camera.

I was wondering why the shutter was silent as the settings indicate mechanical shutter and it had not been changed. Checked the images on computer later, they seemed OK - though I hope sharpness is better distributed (sample attached). Still could not understand the shutter matter. So I looked up references on silent shutter, and eye-balled the LED screen. Then suddenly realized it was on video mode! Yes, I knew one can shoot stills while on video mode, but that was not the plan! I am glad I "tested" this feature! I'll try focus-stacking next time.

Once in a while I do that intentionally, while capturing video. I think you only get a JPEG.

Nice flower image, BTW.

Once in a while I do that intentionally, while capturing video. I think you only get a JPEG.

 

Nice flower image, BTW.

The file size is not bad though. This is going to be such a useful feature!

Nice image.

Pedantically, I believe Sigma make a f/2.8 180mm Macro (which is a lot bigger and heavier than the 150mm), and Tamron make a 180mm f/3.5 macro which might be AF-S. Actually, I say "make". They all seem to be discontinued, which I'd not realised. More pressure on Nikon to update the 200 f/4 (and arguably 70-180mm). I'll treat my 150mm more carefully...

I'll just re-state my issues with rolling shutter and focus stacking: if the subject or photographer are wobbling in the breeze, it doesn't just move the subject, it distorts it. I'd not realised how pronounced this was until I tried to stack: for stills, I've been known to capture bursts with an electronic shutter and hope that the focal plane crosses the subject when I'm wobbling hand-held, but when I tried to stack the result, different parts of the image were distorted to different extents as they moved across the frame. I don't know of stacking software that will fix this (although it's certainly possible). The problem is much less significant with the mechanical shutter because it crosses the frame faster than the image read-out - at least until we get global shutter sensors back. Of course it's irrelevant if you're using a tripod and the subject holds still. :-)

Good luck, and I look forward to the stack!

I want to thank you folks for bringing up focus stacking. I've been using Photoshop for more years than I can count, but I've never tried focus stacking before. So this is my first attempt and I'm pleasantly surprised at how easy it is and how nicely it works. I was a bit concerned because, as I change the focus on my Micro Nikkor 60mm to different parts of the Peace Lily, the effective focal length changes - or, at least, the image size changes slightly. PS didn't complain one bit!

focus stacking.

Good job Greg. Love the composition and the sharpness of the entire flower with the background tastefully faded out. I did them too though rarely (too lazy) both on flowers and landscape - think I also tried it on stationery critters. My Olympus E-M1 II has an in-camera focus-stacking feature but the few times I tried the results were not satisfactory - can be user error of course. ;-) Now Nikon Z6 has a new in-camera focus-staking feature that I would like to test, maybe next week. From the menu options, it appears to do it differently than the Olympus.

Here's a lady slipper that I tried sometime ago - think the camera was D800. Did it because the background was horrid and these wildflowers were not supposed to be disturbed.

Very nice! I don't know why I haven't tried this before. In-camera-focus-stacking? I feel like a Luddite with my trusty old D300.

There is a software program, controlmynikon, that has a focus stacking feature. I have tried it with my D750 and it works quite well but you have to connect your camera to a computer or tablet. I believe it will work with a D300.

A nice feature on the Z cameras is the peaking stack image feature. After completing a focus stack you can view an image on the camera that shows what parts of the image are in focus. After viewing that image you can determine if you need to adjust the number of shots or the width of each shot.

There are a couple other software programs that will combine stacked images, Helicon and Zerene. They operate similar to Photoshop.

FWIW, Helicon have (had?) a component HeliconRemote that will drive an AF lens through stacking operations. You can plug your phone in and drive the camera from that. It can also drive some powered macro rails, which appear to be getting more affordable than when I first looked. I believe Helicon at least can also generate a 3D image map from the focus stack and use it to let you rotate the image model (although obviously you can't reveal obscured detail). Other than a brief experiment a couple of years ago, I've not really tried them, though. With my recent stacks I didn't use the D850's stacking feature - partly because everything was moving in the wind and I figured I could get a stack just from that motion, and partly because I was using my manual Laowa.

I should really experiment, especially while we're still (somewhat) locked down. Although I should go and get some exercise photographic grebes, too...

Being a cheap you-know-what, I used my D200 for 13 years until upgrading to the Z6 last year. I did a lot of stacking, most of it with CombineZP, which is ancient but free. It crashes too much with the larger Z6 images and Windows 10. I started playing with Picolay, also free. Haven't mastered it yet, but it seems to work OK. I'm guessing neither is as good as what you pay for. Almost everything I do is macro and I'm really hoping Nikon comes out with a good Micro-Nikkor for the Z6, one that will do the automatic focus stacking at around 1:1. Also hoping it won't require a 2nd mortgage to get it.

This was stacked with Picolay. It has some minor artifacts and I had to crop more than I wanted on the upper right because I didn't leave margin. It's probably about 2.5" or 3" long-

This was stacked with Picolay

Conrad, what are the camera/lens/exposure details you're using here?

Nikon comes out with a good Micro-Nikkor for the Z6

I'd hoped that Sigma bring out their new 70mm macro in Z-mount, although I can't remember off hand when the Z macro is due on the Time Line?

Using any purpose designed 55>150mm @ f4/5.6 for stacking will be immeasurably better than a single shot at f32 to get suitable DoF.

... and whose nicked the 'ink' out of the N?

I feel like a Luddite with my trusty old D300

I used D300 the most in those years when I went to a lot of photo tours. It's a good camera. :-)

I used D300 the most in those years when I went to a lot of photo tours. It's a good camera.:)

The infrared-converted D90 I picked up in 2018 is the same sensor as the D300 (wrapped in a less professional body). I've occasionally tried to zoom into an image and wondered where the extra pixels were, and it's got quite a strong AA filter, but both those complaints could be levelled against the D700 I happily used for a long time. I'd be a little more wary of exposing for the highlights and being able to lift the shadows than on the D7000 and later, and I'd get a bit scared much above ISO 3200, but with half-decent lighting (still worlds more lenient than Velvia) it's perfectly respectable.

This reminds me, I should take that D90 out while the weather is nice and that IR sensor is doing anything useful...

I'd be a little more wary of exposing for the highlights and being able to lift the shadows than on the D7000 and later, and I'd get a bit scared much above ISO 3200, but with half-decent lighting (still worlds more lenient than Velvia) it's perfectly respectable.

 

This reminds me, I should take that D90 out while the weather is nice and that IR sensor is doing anything useful...

Bracketing for IR HDR solves all problems.

Equally, there's a shedload of IR at the mo...:-)

Conrad, what are the camera/lens/exposure details you're using here?

 

 

I'd hoped that Sigma bring out their new 70mm macro in Z-mount, although I can't remember off hand when the Z macro is due on the Time Line?

 

Using any purpose designed 55>150mm @ f4/5.6 for stacking will be immeasurably better than a single shot at f32 to get suitable DoF.

 

... and whose nicked the 'ink' out of the N?

It was the Z6, FTN adapter and 55 mm f/2.8 AiS Micro-Nikkor. Can't remember the aperture, probably between f/5.6 and f/11 at 1/5 second. I would have locked ISO at 100. The stack was about 8 images. Only when I look at things up close do I notice things like missing paint and a bunch of dirt! OTOH, the planimeter is quite old so I'm lucky it's as good as it is.