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Focus  stacking  and  bracketing

9/25/2016

48 Comments

 
Every autumn, in the forests near my home, a massive reproductive event takes place that I just can't ignore. It starts during the warm days of summer when long tendrils of mycelium digest their way through the rotting corpses of fallen forest detritus. When autumn arrives, an asexual explosion erupts from the earth, as the fruiting bodies strive to spread their genetically identical spores throughout the forest floor. We're talking mushrooms here, people! And I love to photograph them.

Mushrooms grow remarkably quickly and decay even quicker. But if you time it right they can be quite photogenic. Many species are so small that a macro lens is an absolute necessity. Anyone who has worked with a macro lens recognizes that it can be a real challenge to achieve a sharp subject from front to back and still maintain a nice, soft, defocused background. In fact, with most subjects it's an impossible task. Enter focus stacking or focus bracketing. 
Picture
Olympus OMD E-M1 Mark II, 60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO640, 1/200s, f/3.5, +0.3EV, focus differential 4
The concept is quite simple. Take a series of photos with each one being focused at a slightly different point on your subject. Then use software to stack and process them in order to capture a greater depth of field than is capable with just a single shot using a macro lens, all while maintaining nice bokeh in your final image.  Olympus developed built-in focus stacking in their OMD E-M1 with the release of the 4.0 firmware update. That feature has been included and improved in the E-M1 Mark II. Although focus bracketing will be addressed, the main focus of this post is the focus stacking feature. All of the images have been photographed using the new Mark II model.  
Equipment
The following Olympus cameras have built-in focus bracketing and focus stacking. 
   OMD E-M1 Mark II
   OMD E-M1 (firmware version 4.0 and newer)
   OMD E-M5 Mark II (firmware version 4.0)

Not every lens is compatible with the focus bracketing/stacking feature. Here is the most recent list of stacking compatible lenses (as of April 2018). 
   M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO
   M.Zuiko ED 12-40 f/2.8 PRO
   M.Zuiko ED 12-100 f/4 PRO
   M.Zuiko ED 40-150 f/2.8 PRO
   M.Zuiko ED 300mm f/4 IS PRO
   M.Zuiko ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO
   M.Zuiko ED 30mm f/3.5 Macro
   M.Zuiko ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro


A tripod is definitely recommended. However, a few of the shots in this post were hand-held and for others I placed the camera on the ground. 

The Process
​The following steps will set up the camera for focus stacking.
  1. From within the Menu, select the Camera2 options.
  2. Select Bracketing. You can bracket a variety of settings (Auto Exposure, White Balance, Flash, ISO, Art Filters, and Focus Bracketing). Select Focus BKT.
  3. Turn Focus Stacking On.
  4. Select Set Focus Differential. Choose a focus differential from 1 to 10. This determines the difference in focus position between shots. 
  5. Press OK repeatedly to engage the settings. You should see the letters BKT at the top of the LCD indicating that Focus Bracketing is set. 
 The focus stacking feature will shoot 8 photos at the focus positions you set and then merge them into one jpeg file at full resolution. Achieving good results will take some experimenting since so many variables are at play - subject size, distance from subject, lens choice, aperture setting, and focus differential.  All eight photos are recorded plus the final stacked image.  
Picture
The focus stacking feature is accessed through the Bracketing menu.
Picture
Picture
With stacking turned on, the "Set number of shots" is greyed out.
Picture
The focus differential will set a wide or narrow focus difference between shots.
Generally I have found that a wider aperture and a narrow focus differential yields excellent results with the fungal subjects in this post. In all of the photos below I have included the lens, basic camera settings and focus differential. 

Although I have found the focus stacking feature to yield excellent results, it is not infallible. There are times where the camera cannot process the stacked image and a message pops up stating, "Focus stacking error. Image composite failed." This is usually due to camera or subject movement, however I have also had it occur when the lighting changes rapidly during the sequence. 

Picture
60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO640, 1/125s, f/3.5, focus differential 4
Picture
60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 400, 1/250s, f/3.2, -1.3 EV, focus differential 3
Picture
40-150mm f/2.8 PRO, ISO 1000, 1/80s, f/3.2
Picture
Lens: 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO, ISO 400, 1/125s, f/5.0, -0.3EV, focus differential 3
Picture
60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 400, 0.5s, f/5.0, -0.7EV, focus differential 3
Picture
60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 400, 1/20s, f/4.5, focus differential 3
Picture
60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO400, 1/13s, f/5.0, focus differential 3
Picture
12-40mm f/2.8 PRO, ISO400, 1/20s, f/5.0, -0.3EV, focus differential 5
Picture
60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 640, 1/60s, f/3.5, -1.0 EV, focus differential 2
Picture
60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO400, 1/25s, f/5.0, focus differential 3
Picture
Using a wide angle lens can provide a bit more context to the shot. 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO, ISO200, 1/640s, f/2.8, -0.3EV, focus differential 2
Picture
This animated gif illustrates the focus bracketing process. 8 images are taken based on the pre-set focus differential. In this case the differential was set at 3.
Bracketing vs. Stacking
I have found the built-in focus stacking to be remarkably accurate. So why would you opt for bracketing vs. stacking? Here are a couple of reasons;
  1. The stacked image is trimmed. Regardless of subject, which lens you use, or whether you use a tripod or not, the final stacked image is trimmed along all four edges. The final image remains the same size (5184 x 3888px for the E-M1 Mark II), which means some interpolation must be going on. This must be taken into account when composing the shot.
  2. Details vs distance. The fungus below had countless stalactite-like fingers and was about 15 cm from front to back, a fair distance for a macro shot. I attempted to use the stacking feature, which only brackets and stacks 8 photos. After some experimenting with the focus differential settings I had to compromise. I could capture the details of the front fingers but loose the details in the back, or I could capture the entire distance, but have too much interpolation that would blur out some of the fingers. Not willing to compromise I opted to use bracketing instead.
Picture
This image was stacked in Photoshop using 12 photographs out of 20 that were bracketed. (60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 640, 1/100s, f/3.5, +0.3 EV, focus differential 2)
Picture
Twelve separate photographs were used in this sequence for the image above. Click to view a larger version.
To access the bracketing options turn off focus stacking. This allows you to choose from 3 to 999 shots with a focus differential between 1 and 10. For the image above, I selected 20 shots with a focus differential of 2. After the sequence I had a look at each one using the LCD and determined that I had captured sufficient detail throughout the range. 

Upon uploading the images I determined that I only needed 12 of those images to clearly capture the fungus from front to back. I then used Photoshop to stack them. This gave me greater control over the process (which I like), and there was no trimming of the final image. That being said, I really do like the convenience of the built-in focus stacking and how easy it is to use.  
Picture
Focus bracketing was used for this image. Thirty photos were taken, 10 were used and stacked in Photoshop. 60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 400, 1/100s, f/2.8, focus differential 3
A Final Photo
It was my interest in the sheer number of mushrooms sprouting up in a local bush lot that inspired me to experiment a bit more with focus bracketing and to write this post. However, there are plenty of subjects out there where focus bracketing can be used. The photograph below is one example, but with full disclosure, it was a complete accident. Shortly after photographing a mushroom, I came across two toads on the trail. I bent down quickly, framed the shot, and pressed the shutter release only to realize I still had focus stacking enabled. Here's that shot.
Picture
12-40mm f/2.8 PRO, ISO 400, 1/160s, f/5.0, focus differential 5
For more information on the features of the new E-M1 Mark II, read my blog post. 
48 Comments
Willlem Steenis link
11/5/2016 03:27:06 am

Thanks! Clear explanation and wonderful photos of my favorite models ;-)

Reply
Marianne Kehr
11/6/2016 08:44:32 am


I really Appreciate the time you take to write this awesome Post .
I can't wait to Attempt project !!
Thank you

Reply
Dave Unwin
11/7/2016 06:18:32 pm

Lovely set of images and very informative, I was under the impression that stacking was only available in the EM1 [I expected it to be available in the Mk2] I know that it isn't available in my EM5 mk2 with firmware 2 installed.

Reply
Rich Watson
7/26/2017 06:30:44 am

I just found out today that the focus bracketing is only available on CERTAIN lenses.

Reply
Chipbutty
8/3/2017 03:54:15 am

Bracketing can be used on any m4/3 lens. Stacking is only available on a selection.

Isaac link
11/7/2016 07:15:31 pm

Hi Peter awesome information as always. The mk2 look amazing its a little out of my price range and I'm still very happy with my EM5 mk2 for now.

Have you had a chance to use the new 12-100mm F4 lens yet? Trying to decide if I get it or the 12-40mm F2.8.

Reply
Don link
11/9/2016 02:10:19 pm

Thank you for this! Very helpful. Focus stacking has been a mystery to me until your helpful explanation and examples. Appreciate it!

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Dave Landry link
12/1/2016 03:29:17 pm

Saddly,a firmware upgrade to support focus stacking and bracketing was never released for my Olympus OM-D EM-5 Mark I. A year ago I acquired an Olympus Tough TG-4 for underwater photography, and I only recently learned that it too can do focus stacking and bracketing. Please consider adding that to your list in the opening of your blog. While this camera is clearly not in the OM-D class with interchangeable lenses and the ability to generate great bokeh, it does have a fast, wide lens and it shoots RAW, but I believe a focus stack is output only in JPG. Nonetheless it can produce some nice results. Some of my early half-baked attempts are on the link I posted above.

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Mark Burgess
1/23/2017 12:51:55 am

Many thanks for this blog which is magnificent!....but can I ask one question which I don't think you have covered? With everything set up, do you focus at the nearest point you want in focus? Many thanks Mark

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Rob Skillin
3/3/2017 11:14:51 am

I use focus stacking with the 60mm macro on an E-M1. The single largest pitfall is having to select the "focus differential" - a number between 1 and 10. Olympus provides no hints on how to select the optimal number, so it has to be done through experimentation in each situation for that particular focal distance and aperture. But to make the selection, you must go deep within the very complex menu - very inconvenient and frustrating in a field situation. Pick a number too small, and the depth of field is reduced in the composite image. Pick a number too large, and the composite image has out of focus bands within it. Olympus could solve this issue by programming the camera to calculate the proper differential and set it automatically. Lets hope that they do, which would greatly enhance the usability of this feature.

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Walter Meissner link
4/17/2019 05:07:54 pm

I found an iPhone app called DoF Table that might be of help.
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simple-dof-calculator/id301222730> (free)
Within the app, select the camera make/body and fill a list of lenses in use. Just select a lens from this list and it will pair it with the camera body and show the DoF Table for focusing distance vs. f/stop. The Depth of Field Table value is start and stop distance in mm (or m). Just subtract the two numbers to get the DoF distance in mm (or m).

Assuming the camera is on a tripod, just use a tape measure to find the distance from the camera's focus plane to the subject
and subtract the two numbers in the DoF Table and set the focus differential number to that, assuming that for the 60 mm lens the focus differential (1-10) is in mm.

On thinking about this as I write it, it may only be approximate
and for other lens, i.e. 300mm, some conversion table may be needed to map the DoF number to a focus differential number.

Also looking at other websites using Olympus with their macro lens, it appears that 3 is a good starting point with 1 or 2 being other choices that yield good results.

Reply
Gilles Arbour
3/6/2017 03:54:06 pm

Can you use a Flash when doing either Focus stacking or Focus bracketing with the Mechanical Shutter instead of the Electronic Shutter?

Reply
Jonathan Zvonko link
3/9/2017 06:53:11 pm

I called Olympus support and they assured me that om-d e-m5 mark ii has both features, focus bracketing and stacking. em10 mk II has only focus bracketing and Pen F has focus bracketing and stacking. Stacking is much simpler on my TG4 since the camera decides focus shift increments.

Reply
Mike Downey
3/23/2017 08:06:57 am

Then Olympus support is wrong. The E-M5-II only has Focus Bracketing, not Focus Stacking.

Reply
konsta
12/5/2018 04:06:14 pm

Yea... call and correct them.
If they were correct then tell them to take it off as a feature :)

Jams O'Donnell
7/1/2019 09:32:16 am

Read the list of compatible bodies/lenses at the beginning of the article - it is accurate.

Elaine Carbone
5/2/2017 01:37:07 pm

I have to correct you, have the Pen F , it does not have focus stacking,only focus bracketing. There was no firmware update for the Pen F for focus stacking. I use both the 60 mm f2.8 macro and 12-40mm f2.8 with focus bracketing, works great , I like the complete control in photoshop. But , would like a firmware update for focus stacking for the Pen F. Also the newest fl900r supports focus bracketing and stacking

Reply
Bill Vriesema
7/26/2017 09:09:46 pm

Thanks for the insightful article. What I do not understand is the differential piece. How does one know what actual space the differential is? Is it 1/16"? An 1/8 inch?? If you only tell the camera where to start, and not where to stop the focus at the rear of the subject, how can the spacing be divided into a certain spatial range? What I guess I am looking for is to understand how the math in the background works... Any help is appreciated.

Reply
Peter
7/27/2017 09:12:32 am

Bill, that does seem to be a mystery. I haven't been able to determine, either through experimentation or via communication with Olympus what the exact mathematics is for each differential setting. Given the number of variables at play (the specific lens in use, the distance to the subject, the aperture setting for the shot) I suspect that if you change any of those variables the incremental focusing distance would also change. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Reply
Bill Vriesema
8/7/2017 12:50:58 pm

Peter, I have the Mark ii and the micro 4/3 60mm lens. Yesterday I went to try "stacking" for the first time. No matter how many times I tried, or restarted the camera, it would only take one photo. I do not recall seeing the word "BKT" on the LCD, so somehow I think the focus stacking selection was not "sticking." After a photo, I would go back in the menu and see that focus stacking selection was still active.
I was shooting in manual, and tried aperture priority also.
Any ideas on what is wrong?

Thanks
BIll

Reply
Carl
8/17/2017 04:41:24 pm

Are you pressing "ok", not menu, as you exit the menu? If you press 'menu' on the way out, the selections don't stick. Just a thought.

Reply
Bill Vriesema
8/22/2017 02:51:22 pm

Carl, as basic as that sounds, that was the issue I believe. I clicked "OK" all the way out to the main menu and I was able to focus bracket my photos. Thanks for your help. Silly me...

Bill
8/14/2017 12:05:23 am

RE: focus bracketing. What changed with the EM1 Mark II vs the EM1 firmware V4? I was hoping for the Panasonic implementation for bracketing whereby the images are focused both in front of as well as behind the focus point.
Thanks,
Bill

Reply
John
9/8/2017 06:14:16 am

Hi,

very nice photos.
I am always excited from focus stacking images, saddly my camera dosn't support this, so i use helicon focus for stacking.
I folowed the recommendations from https://www.alternativen.pro/blog/focus-stacking

Reply
Guillermo Ricart link
9/22/2017 02:38:51 pm

Excellent work!
I am a lover of macro photography, both terrestrial and underwater, and for that I have used my OMD, since Em5, Em1 and recently my Em1 Mark II
I have not been able to use my olympus flash stf-8 in focus stacking with my Em1 Mark II. It does not work in automatic mode or in manual mode. I have an Em1 that works perfectly with the stf-8. The firmware of my Em1 Mark II is 1.3 and the one of my Em1 is 4.0. Any advice? What should I do? Whom should I contact?

Reply
Guillermo Ricart link
9/25/2017 11:24:03 am

Thanks,
I've already figured it out. It had not changed the default setting of the "silent mode settings" that prevented the use of the flash. When the focus stack is used, the Em1 Mark II is automatically set to this mode.

Reply
Glen Fox link
9/30/2017 12:59:15 pm

Peter,
You are a gifted educator. Nice clear explanations and instructions. Your images of fungi are superb. I particularly like the etherial effect you created in your first image. I don't think I've ever seen a fungal image I have liked more! Thanks for all that you do!

Reply
Peter
10/1/2017 05:56:42 am

Glen,
Thank you for the kind words. I'm pleased that you found the images appealing. I find fungi to be more interesting to photograph than flowers when I'm in a macro kind of mood.
Cheers!

Reply
Rick Sorensen
10/17/2017 10:25:34 pm

Peter, I've been exploring the focus stacking and bracketing features of the Olympus EM-1 for a year or so. Your explanation and examples are excellent. They fill a void that has been sorely needed.
I had never planned to use focus stacking in the field.Your photos inspire me to give it a try.

Thank you so much for the photos and the details.

Reply
Peter Baumgarten
10/18/2017 10:30:35 am

Hi Rick,
I'm glad that you found the information useful. I have now started using focus bracketing and stacking for some of my landscape shots. I hope to have a new post for that.
Cheers!

Reply
Yves Crausaz link
4/29/2018 04:57:16 am

I am waiting with eyes wide open for the continuation of this photographic adventure.
Same with long focal lengths for shooting distant static animals.

John Rilely
10/2/2018 07:26:53 pm

Hi Peter,

Do you set your initial focus at the near side of the object or in the middle of the range of focus? I ask this because it seems a little unclear whether the camera does the range of focal points by first decreasing focus and then increasing it, or does it simply start at the initial focal point and move outwards? In my experience, it sees to do the former.

Reply
Louis
10/4/2018 08:57:23 am

It is my understanding that when using stack option you start at the closest point of focus, but when using the brackets option you start at the point of focus in the center of the subject. I never see this addressed in any reviews. Is that because my understanding is wrong and it's best to start at the closest point in both cases?

Reply
Bob Panick
10/8/2018 09:03:41 pm

My understanding, which hopefully Peter will validate, is that in focus stacking, you focus on the closest part of the subject, the camera then takes 1 or 2 shots closer and then moves focus away from you.

With bracketing, I believe you focus on the nearest part of your subject and it then simply advances away from you until it has completed the operation.

Peter, here's one for the Olympus suggestion bin. Why not have a two step process similar to Live Composite. First step set the starting point, second step the end point. The camera should be able to read distance, or something similar and calculate the optimum number of steps and the adjustment per step.

Reply
Louis
10/9/2018 07:11:04 am

Thanks you Bob. And i completely agree with your suggestion to Olympus. It was a great step forward when Oly implemented the stack/bracket options, but it's still a bit of a guessing game regarding step size.

Louis
12/5/2018 04:27:15 pm

Thank you Bob

TansySue link
11/13/2018 02:22:38 pm

Thank you so much Peter, very clear and with your help today I had great fun in the woods with my EM1 MII & 60mm Macro.

I usually just take RAW and for in-camera stacking I was expecting 8 RAW files and the finished stack as one JPG - however I find I have 8 RAW + 9 JPGs for each capture.
In Lightrom the stack appears partway through the 8 images when files are viewed in 'Capture Time'. I imagined the final would appear as the last picture made.

Is there any easier way to work out which one if the finished stack please?

Reply
Trond
10/17/2021 11:57:16 am

Same question do I have. Why is not only 1 single Jpeg produced after stacking? (I have em1 mark iii)

Reply
Walter Meissner link
10/17/2021 11:40:40 pm

If the camera mode has been set to RAW+JPG for all photos, then for focus stacking, a RAW+JPG is generated for each focus-point photo, following by a single JPG that is the focus-stacked processed output. So the last JPG will focus stacked one.

Trond
10/18/2021 12:11:08 am

Hi Walter, to your last answer; is it possible to avoid many JPG when stacking in camera, and only have one stacked JPG with many RAW files? I’m not able to put my camera in just RAW mode when BTK.

super smash flash 2 link
12/22/2018 06:56:12 am

An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers

Reply
Loren Lewis
12/22/2018 07:07:12 am

Following this thread.

Reply
Robyn Aldridge link
2/17/2019 03:58:31 am

I have had a couple of attempts - hand held due to the locations so I still have my Olympus "L's" when it comes to macro work. I've only posted one pic on Flickr so far and I was surprised as to how much information has been stored with the shot. The next stop is to try using my 60mm macro. However, I really love the little 30mm as it's so easy to carry around and I've used it for other photos, too.

Reply
Louis Dallara link
7/13/2019 12:25:32 pm

Thank you for the more detail explanations of the focus bracketing options

Reply
Bane
10/10/2019 01:45:39 am

"....The focus stacking feature will shoot 8 photos at the focus positions you set ".....

Can you tell us , how to set focus position ? Where to set first focus point ?
Best regards !

Reply
Melissa Walsh
9/25/2020 09:08:16 am

as a complete newbie to professional photography (previously just used my S10 mobile phone,) I had been struggling to get that full fine detail I was after, especially with fungi 🤗 I have the OM-D M5 111 with the 60mm F2.8 macro lens, you have just answered every question i had as to where I was falling short, so much info in a quick read, thank you, thank you, thank you

Reply
Western Australia link
3/24/2021 06:39:42 am

Hi, great reading your post

Reply
Loren Lewis
10/17/2021 12:34:47 pm

Eleecent blog and discussion

Reply



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    Peter Baumgarten is a professional photographer and educator. He is also an Olympus Visionary and NiSi Official Photographer. 

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