MikeOxon

[Jack Harrison]

Mike

....additional stimulus for me to try harden this year

Nice typo there Mike. Shoulld it have been an 'O' and not an 'E'?

Jack

[MikeOxon]

You've missed your vocation as a proof-reader, Jack!

[MikeOxon]

Another wild and windy weekend and most definitely not butterfly weather. I took a walk on Otmoor in bright sunshine but bitterly cold and very muddy underfoot. Most wildlife was sensibly keeping well under cover but I took a shot of the reeds against a low sun. The HDR mode on my Olympus camera did a good job of retaining detail in these extreme lighting conditions (in this mode, the camera takes several shots at different exposures and then combines the 'best bits')

Otmoor, Oxon - 30th January 2016
Olympus E-M1 with 40-150mm lens - multiple exposures (HDR mode)

I showed, recently, in Guy Padfields diary how easy it is to modify a photo using Photoshop, by means of techniques I also describe on my website at http://home.btconnect.com/mike.flemming/layers.htm While I sometimes 'clean up' obtrusive background artefacts, I would not alter the main subject of a photo in this way, except for demonstration purposes. Nevertheless, people often submit competition photos, only to discover that such alterations are easily detected by simple forensic methods; see, for example, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35457135

Sometimes, one can strike lucky and my photo of 'Kites on the Moon' is 'genuine' (in spite of being taken on April 1st). although it involved some waiting around while the birds slowly wheeled into a suitable position.

Radley GP, Oxon - 1st April 2012
Nikon D300s with 300/4 lens + 1.4X TC - 1/500s@f/11 ISO400

Mike

[Jack Harrison]

That Otmoor HDR is pretty damn good.

Jack

[MikeOxon]

Thank you, Jack - I especially appreciate that from you

Mike

[Wurzel]

The 'Kites on the Moon' is an absolutely cracking shot Mike, well worth the wait

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

Glad you like it Wurzel - the idea formed as I was watching the Kites circling around and, for once, they did what I wanted

Mike

[Goldie M]

Hi! Mike love the Kites on the Moon shot, Goldie

[MikeOxon]

Glad you like it, Goldie. As I replied to Wurzel, it was just a case of grabbing the opportunity - sometimes you can be lucky

Mike

[MikeOxon]

During the winter, I have been experimenting with some of the features of my Olympus OM-D E-M1 camera. The 'version 4' firmware added the capability to automatically 'stack' images in the camera, by taking a series of photos at a range of focus settings, in front of and behind the initial focus point. The set-up I use for macro photography is shown below:

Macro Set-up, using Olympus E-M1 with 60mm macro lens and Meike LED ring-light

So far, I have only used this set-up for photographing flowers but the potential for other subjects is obvious. For these photos, I used an aperture of f/5.6, where the 60mm macro lens provides excellent sharpness, and set a focus 'step size' of '3', to cover the full depth of the subject, between the tips of the nearest and furthest petals. Apparently, the 'step size' is linked, by the Olympus firmware, to the depth of field, calculated for the chosen lens and aperture setting. My experiments have shown that the '3' setting covers a useful range of distance, without causing noticeable loss of sharpness between the individual steps, when the images are blended in the camera.

Gethyum atropurpureum - 23rd February 2016
Olympus E-M1 with 60mm macro lens - 1/13s@f/5.6 ISO1000 (8 images 'stacked'

The detail can only be seen when examining the photo at full size. A small section of the original is shown below:

G.atropurpureum (detail) - 23rd February 2016
Olympus E-M1 with 60mm macro lens - 1/13s@f/5.6 ISO1000 (8 images 'stacked'

The second feature of the camera that I've been exploring is the 'wifi' connection, which allows remote control from a smartphone. This capability is now being added to several of the latest generation of cameras from the main manufacturers, so will soon be widely available.

So far, I have used the wifi connection to photograph birds in the garden. We have a pair of Blue-tits, which are currently exploring a hole in a Tetrapanax shrub, possibly with a view to nesting. I set the camera on a tripod at a reasonable distance from the hole, with a tele lens to get a good view. Another feature of the E-M1 is the option to use a totally-silent electronic shutter, which means no disturbance to the birds when the shutter fires.

I then retreat indoors and use the Olympus app on my smartphone to display the live-view image, 'seen' by the camera. Various camera controls are also available from the phone's touch screen. so I can adjust the focus point, exposure, etc, to optimise the results. It's then just a case of sitting back in an armchair and touching the shutter release on the phone, whenever interesting action occurs!

Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) - 28th February 2016
Olympus E-M1 with 40-150mm lens - 1/500s@f/7.1 ISO640

I am now thinking ahead to the new season, considering what use I can make of these new picture taking capabilities in my armoury!

Mike

[Goldie M]

Hi! Mike great shots, I've put some photos in my Diary taken with a 70-300mm lens, I'll take a look at your web site shortly, thanks for the info Goldie

[dilettante]

The 'version 4' firmware added the capability to automatically 'stack' images in the camera, by taking a series of photos at a range of focus settings, in front of and behind the initial focus point.

That's a really nice feature. Even if it didn't do the stack merging automatically, I've often thought a 'focus bracketing' feature would be really useful.

Have you tried this feature with handheld shots? I'm wondering if / how well it would cope when the images in the stack are a little misaligned.

[MikeOxon]

That's a really nice feature. Even if it didn't do the stack merging automatically, I've often thought a 'focus bracketing' feature would be really useful.

The Olympus E-M1 (with version 4 firmware) actually has two different modes:

'Focus bracketing' takes a series of photos, starting from your chosen focus point and stepping the focus towards infinity. You can choose the step size and number of steps. The individual photos are saved and can be 'stacked' by using external software. The E-M5 Mk.II and E-M10 Mk.II also have this capability.

'Focus stacking' only works with the E-M1 and specific Olympus lenses and, in this mode, the camera takes 8 photos, focussed both in front of and behind the initial point; the camera then processes the individual shots internally to produce a 'stacked' image (JPEG only). The individual shots are also saved.

I hadn't tried hand-held 'stacking', so have just given it a go in the garden, in rather indifferent light. On this first showing, it seems to work quite well, especially as these shots really were 'hand-held', in conditions where I would normally have used a monopod. Looking at the individual frames, some movement is apparent, but the stacking process seems to have coped with this. The first shot below is 'stacked' (in the camera), while the second is one of the individual images from the eight that were taken. The increased depth of field in the stacked shot is, I think, obvious. (click on each image, to enlarge)

garden - 2nd March 2016
Olympus E-M1 with 60mm macro lens - 1/40s@f/5.6 ISO640 (8 images 'stacked')

garden - 2nd March 2016
Olympus E-M1 with 60mm macro lens - 1/40s@f/5.6 ISO640

Mike

[Wurzel]

I can appreciate the effects Mike, they look great but it all seems a bit complicated to me I'm still trying to work out how my camera works
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

If you hadn't realised before, Wurzel, you now know I'm a camera geek

[dilettante]

The hand-held stacked shot looks quite usable. So I'm wondering if this feature will be useful for butterflies to make it easier to get wingtips and body in focus while retaining some background bokeh.

[MikeOxon]

....... I'm wondering if this feature will be useful for butterflies to make it easier to get wingtips and body in focus while retaining some background bokeh.

Exactly my thoughts, too! I shall be putting in some practice before the season starts. Not too long, hopefully

Mike

[Goldie M]

Hope you got my return message Mike, I'm not sure I sent it properly Goldie

[MikeOxon]

Still no butterflies locally and, with today's cold wind blowing, there seem to be few immediate prospects. While waiting, I have been continuing to practise my flower photography.

On Monday (14th March), I visited the BBOWT reserve known as the Inkpen Crocus Field (SU 370 641). The carpet of flowers was particularly good this year and well-displayed under bright sunshine. NB - if visiting by car, do not turn into Pottery Lane but park in the adjacent recreation-ground car-park.

I took the opportunity to try out the automatic 'stacking' feature of my Olympus E-M1 with its 60mm macro lens. This worked well, without a tripod but with a monopod, to help steady my shots. It was important to ensure that the wind did not move flower petals during the sequence of shots, which could lead to double images. With that caveat, I found that the technique could be used, under field conditions, to keep subjects, at a range of distances from the camera, all in focus together.

Inkpen Crocus Field - 14th March 2016
Olympus E-M1 with 60mm macro lens - 1/500s@f/13 ISO640 (8 images stacked)

Inkpen Crocus Field - 14th March 2016
Olympus E-M1 with 60mm macro lens - 1/800s@f/11 ISO640 (8 images stacked)

Note that I have used quite small apertures, since my aim was to produce an extended focus range, rather then maximise image sharpness. The second image shows the potential to obtain a sharp secondary subject, as well as the foreground image.

I am looking forward to trying this technique with butterflies, where it may assist when more than one individual is present.

Mike

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots Mike, hope you get some Butterflies soon Goldie