Thanks for the kind comment Peter. Glad you liked the video. Hand held stacking is definately possible, providing the shutter speed is not too slow.

Cheers Mike. The technology makes it possible to take pitcures we would of only dreamed of getting years ago.

Thanks David. Much appreciated.

Thanks. Glad you liked it and found it helpful.

Cheers for the very kind comment Trevor, and I am glad you found the video helpful. The EM1mkII will produce excellent photo stacked images. I regularly used my EM1mkII for stacking. I agree they should pay me but they dont ! 😂

Many thanks Tom. Glad you liked it.

Thanks for the very kind comment. Glad you liked it.

Cheers Richard . Thanks for the kind comment.

THanks. Glad you liked it. Whereas my videos are not the most professionally made videos you will find on KZfaq, I do try to make make them as informative as possible.

Cheers Andy. Your kind comments are much appreciated.

Thanks for the kind comment Bernie. Learning a new camera is a bit of a steep leaning curve. Glad you liked the video and found it helpful.

Cheers Barrie. Thanks for commenting.

Many thnaks. Glad you liked it.

Thanks for the kind comment.

Cheers Gary. Your kind comments are always appreciated.

Glad you liked it Ian, and thanks for the kind comment. I had not noticed my refection in the Hoverfly. Well spotted.

Hi WAyne, Greeting from the UK 😀 Glad you liked the video and thanks for the very kind comments.

Thanks Alan. I always appreciate your comments. Deciding which differential /and or number of shots to use in a stack is a bit of trial and error. When I first bought the EM1X, I though great, I can now do 15 shots as opposed to the 8 on my old EM1mkII. Initially, I was quite dissapointed with the results because I was getting `halos` around the subject. This I found out was because I was setting the differential to high, and it was focusing `past` the subject. Just becaus it will do 15 shots in stack, you do not always need 15 shots. Often, 8 or 10 is quite sufficient.

If you contact me via my web site - www.rogerhancefrps.com I can give you a discount code for 10% on a macro lens.

Thanks. The lens is very sharp and well worth the money.

Cheers Peter.

Thanks for the kind comment. Glad you enjoyed the video. The EM1mkIII is a good camera, and it works well with the 60mm macro.

Thanks for the kind comment. I hope you get some great shots.

Thans. Glad you liked it.

Thanks Pete. Glad you liked it. The wimberly plamp can be use to hold bits of card to reduce wind movement. Not a cheap tool, but very useful.

Thanks for the kind comment Mark. 👍 Modern technology has made such a difference to my photography. It almost feels like cheating !

Thanks Dan. It does work well providing you do not fall bellow 1/400th second. Below that, its difficult to keep all the shots in register. For example if I was using 60th second or slower, I would need to put it on a tripod.

Thanks David. Glad you liked it.

Glad you liked it. Thanks for the kind comment. Hope you enjoy the 90mm macro. Still saving up for mine.

Thanks Steve. Your kind comment is appreciated.

I have never used the flash for hand held stacking. As you say, the refresh rate may be a problem. It certainly works on a tripod. The little LM3 flash is a great little flash, and I prefer it to the other Olympus flashes.

As always Joan, many thanks.

Thanks Nick. Stacking and Bracketing are different on the OM1. If I was to use `bracketing` , I would have to download all the images onto the computer and use a stacking software like Helicon focus. (bracketing will allow you to take up to 99 images) The `stacking` facitliy on the OM1 will actually stack the pictures in camera. This will give you a finished stacked Jpeg. When you download onto the computer it will give you the finish stacked Jpeg as well as the original raw files in the stack. Then if you decide you want to stack them yourself, you have that option. (stacking only allows you to take up to 15 images in the stack)

Thanks Dave. Much appreciated. Most of the time I am shooting at IS0 1600, but when its bright, I will go down to ISO 800 or even as low as ISO 400. As I say in the video , I dont like going below 1/400th sec for hand holding, and prefer a much higher shutter speed if I can . The faster the shutter speed, the less chance of any camera movement between frames in the stack.

Thanks for the very kind comments Roger. I do not use flash myself, but I have friends who use the OM1 and use it all the time. (to be honest, I have never really gor on with using flash) If using flash for focus stacking you would probably have to put it on a tripod because there could be a delay btween shots as the flash recharges. If I was using flash normally, I would only use it on a single shot, and then, only really as a fill in to brighten the picture and fill in the shadows.

Thanks for the kind comment. Glad you like the video. I usually focus about 1/4 of the way into the subject.

As you say Dave, `if the bird keeps still` ! Quite unlikely for a bird , and its not a system that I have ever used for bird photography. Its more for close up and macro photography

In the head on shots of the butterfly where exactly do you focus? Excellent tutorial and images as usual.

@@joelleff I took a series of shots at different focusing points. Some focusing on the legs, some on the tips of the antenna. With stacking, it takes the first shot where you have focused, it them moves forwards two shots, and then the rest of the stack is behind where you focused.

I do not have the 90mm macro lens (I cannot afford it at present) . I gather that stacking only works with this lens providing the latest firmware is updated. Chances are, you have a OM1 with one of the older firmware updates. Thats what it sounds like to me, but as I have said, I do not have the 90mm so cannot be sure. Hope this helps.

Thanks Brian. No , not Kent. Hockley Woods in Essex. In June they have good numbers of them.

Hi Andy, Thanks for the kind comment about the video. I dont think there is any settings on the camera where it will just download the focus stacked Jpeg. One way around it would be to delete the raw files in camera, only keeping the stacked Jpegs. Although generally speaking its not recomended, I think it would work for you. So then what you could do is select the Jpegs and just download those. Watch this video. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i554Y6qDyq_eZI0.html If you give the final stacked Jpegs a star rating, and then only download the images that have been stared. Hope this helps.

Thanks for commenting Brian. . Yes you do have to hold the camera in the same position. Otherwise the images in the stack will be out of register.

Thanks for the very kind comment Tim. Its much appreciated. You are correct, I am shooting in Aperature Priority. Generally speaking I am setting the ISO myself (its what I am used to) I just keep an eye on the light and shutter speed and set accordingly.

Thanks for commenting. On the OM1 and other Olympus cameras : `Stacking` is where the camera will take the pictures and stack them for you `in the camera`. For `Bracketing`. the camera will take the pictures but you have to download them onto a computer to stack them, usually using stacking software. I have used bracketing` in the past, but very rarely use it now . I find that with the OM1,the `stacking`is so good. Having the camera do it for you is a lot easier. Hope this answers your question.

The OM1 is very good for photostacking , especially as the Image Stabilization is so good. To be honest, I much prefer to use a tripod for stacking, but sometimes it is virtually impossible, so hand held stacking is the answer. I will be making a video on hand held stacking of orchids at the start of May. Thats when the Green Winged Orchids come up, and I have a very good site near me. Regarding printing up to A2. I have printed quite a few images from the Olympus to A2 size. Providing you are not cropping heavily (which you would not be with Orchids) , its really not an issue. Having said that, I have recently printed a shot to A2 from a heavily cropped image, by simply putting the shot through Topaz Gigapixel AI. That software is amazing.

Hi Ian, To get stacking to work , you have to initially set the camera to autofocus. This enables stacking , otherwise it will not work. Once stacking is activated, I can then change the change to focusing to manual, and focus carefully. When I press the shutter button, the camera reverts to autofocus (I believe this is correct. ) but the stacking will start at the exact point you have focused.

Thanks for the kind comment. Much appreciated.

Glad you liked the video. I dont actually own the 90mm lens . I only have the 60mm, hence the reason for using it.

Thanks for the kind comment Steve. I do not have the 90mm lens, - I only have the 60mm. I do occasionally use flash, but not often. The flash I use is the STF-8 twin flash, and it does have diffusers with it. I dont think hand held stacking would work with flash. (although never tired it so I could be wrong) You have to wait for the flash to recycle, which would mean your more prone to the images in the stack being out of register. It would work prefectly if the camera was on a tripod. Hope this helps.

@rogerhance5883 Many thanks Roger. Yes very helpful. I have done quite a bit of macro with flash and diffusers but no stacking yet. So you have given me food for thought. 👍😀

Thanks Richard. I do a bit of sharpening in Lightroom (clarity slider ) but generallly speaking, I only tweak the slider a small amount. The 60mm macro lens is very sharp, so not much sharpnening in post production needed. Obviously the stacking means the final shot will show amazing sharpness.

Thanks for the kind comment. I use a high ISO setting because I find noise is not a problem with the OM1 until you go above ISO 1600. If I crop in, then the extra magnicication of the crop can show some noise, but I use a small amount of noise reduction in Lightroom ( Luminence slider to 20) and then follow it up with Topaz De Noise in photoshop if its necessary. More often than not, its not necessary. The new noise reduction facility in Lightroom is very good, but a bit `slow` in comparrison to Topaz DeNoise.

Thanx for rapid clear response👍

Hi Jim, It was in Hockley Woods . Its the best location in Essex for Heath Fritillaries.

Thanks for commenting. You can only use the electronic shutter for stacking.

You are mistaken about me using back button focusing. I never used that. I always use the shutter button for focus

It should do with the 60mm at 1:1. I dont understand why it shouldn`t. Maybe contact OM Systems and ask one of their specialist if they can give you a reason.

@rogerhance5883 I was holding the 1:1 trigger and pressing shutter, that was the problem. I should activate 1:1 by toggling the lever once and without pressing back button focus press the shutter, focusing by moving back and forth. The only issue I found in this is when I press the back button focus button camera is trying to focus, which it shouldn't because I'm in full manual focus mode.

@@prasanthgn I dont use back button focus myself. It may sound obvious but you do realise you do not have to hold the 1:1 dial at 1:1 ? When you move the dial to 1:1 it will spring back. This is normal ,and although it springs back, the lens will still be set at 1:1 mgnification. This fooled me at first.

@@rogerhance5883 as soon as you press the shutter when in 1: 1 it automatically changes to manual focus. Really annoying.

Sorry to hear you have been dissapointed with your macro results. You may find that stacking helps to increase the sharpness. Remeber not to drop bellow 1/400th sec, and try for even fast. I also will shoot at F4 and F5.6 if I need extra sharpness.

@@rogerhance5883 I have been practicing every day and I am getting better now. I understand now that the depth of field is a pretty small thin band in 1:1 (which I also learned how to use by toggling AF to MF via button to stay in 1:1). I have shot in everything from F4 to F11, and pretty much landed on 7.1 and 8. Stacking has worked a few times for me and it really does help, and I think once I get a better flash and just keep practicing rocking the camera back and forth in manual mode to achieve focus that I will get better single shots too. In fact, today I ran into a scenario where a very cool bug landed for only a split second and I happened to be in position and JUST missed clear focus on the one and only chance I got at it, but that is part of the game I think, patience and understanding this is a pretty difficult thing that requires time and practice (and watching videos like yours),

Thansk for the kind words. I focus about a 1/4 of the way into the subject. For stacking, the first shot is on the position you have focused on. It then moves the second and third shots in the stack in front of the area of focus. The remaining shots in the stack are focus behind where you initially focused.

@@rogerhance5883 Thanks!

You watched it three times ? Wow. Thats much appreciated. Thanks. Glad you liked it.

Hi Shannon, What shutter speed are you using ? Once it starts stacking the pictures, you will not do any harm moving the camera. Its only as the shutter is firing as you are taking the shots that its important not to move the camera. Although the MkII does not have a fast a processor as the OM1, a possible reason it is taking a long time to process the images is because you have a slow `write speed` on your card ? I have fast cards that I use for ProCap and Stacking, and slowers cards for general photography. The fast write cards are expensive, but they are a lot quicker in stacking the shots. My fast write cards are Sandisk 300MB/s where as the slower cards I use for general photography are 95MB/s. This video is one I made on focus stacking using the MkIII. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/obeUnbR6q8u-hmQ.html I hope this helps.

It’s taking 35-40s to start stacking the photos. Even at ss 400 which is what I don’t understand

@shannon4462 What is the ISO setting. What is your aperature? Is shutter speed 1/400th sec or above ?

Thanks Wayne. Much appreciated.