How can I get an entire small insect in focus when photographing through a 5× microscope?
Asked 10/7/2011
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I photographed a very small beetle (about 0.5 inch long) through a 5× microscope because my camera’s macro mode didn’t give enough detail. At that magnification, the depth of field was so shallow that I could focus on the feet or the head/top, but not the whole beetle at once. What techniques can increase depth of field when shooting through a microscope?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
15
You can use focus stacking. It is a way to combine similar pictures at lower DOF to create a picture of larger DOF. This video details the procedure.
Originally by user55. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user55
14y ago
0
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At 5× magnification, depth of field is extremely shallow, so this is normal. Your main options are:
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Focus stacking: Take several photos focused at slightly different depths, then combine the sharp parts of each image in software. This is the most practical way to get the whole beetle sharp, as long as the subject and setup stay completely still.
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Use a smaller aperture: Depth of field increases as aperture gets smaller. On a microscope, that depends on the optics and may not be directly adjustable, but a stop or field stop can sometimes reduce the effective aperture. The tradeoff is less light and possible loss of image quality if stopped down too far.
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Reduce magnification: Lower magnification increases depth of field. If 5× is more than you need, backing off may help.
In practice, for microscope photography of a small subject like this, focus stacking is usually the best solution.
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