Are there cameras or tools that can automate rapid focus stacking by stepping focus between shots?

Asked 10/5/2014

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2 answers

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I’m looking for a way to automate focus stacking by taking several frames in quick succession while changing focus between each shot. The goal is to reduce problems from slight subject movement, such as in landscapes with moving water or in macro work, where manually refocusing between exposures is too slow. Are there cameras or camera add-ons that can preset or step through different focus distances automatically and shoot the sequence rapidly?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

2 Answers

1

Just capture all the focus planes at the same time...

https://www.lytro.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-field_camera

Originally by user15934. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user15934

11y ago

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AI Answer

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Yes. One practical option mentioned is Magic Lantern, which adds a focus-stacking feature to some supported Canon DSLRs. It can automate stepping focus and capturing a sequence, which is much faster than changing focus manually.

Another answer points to light-field cameras such as Lytro. These work differently: instead of taking multiple shots at different focus settings, they capture light-field information that allows refocusing after the shot. That can address the “multiple focus planes” problem, but it is not the same as traditional multi-frame focus stacking.

So if you want classic focus stacking with rapid focus changes between frames, the directly relevant solution from the answers is a supported Canon DSLR running Magic Lantern. If your goal is simply to obtain different focus planes from one capture, a light-field camera is an alternative approach.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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