Daniel Oliver 
Final week, we seemed at what’s in my bag when I was utilizing the Alpa Target Stacking Process on personal loan. Now, I focus on how the technique is used.
Using the Alpa Target Stacking Method for observe images
The Alpa Aim Stacking Method is first assembled as shown under by connecting the several parts to every single other. The flash cause fires off two Profoto strobes which offer the flash lights to the cube which serves as a portable soft box where by the observe is put.
Established up in this configuration, I set the back in Are living Check out manner to see the topic on the rear display screen. The Period Just one IQ3 100 characteristics a CMOS sensor, and has the capacity to zoom in to 100% for critical concentration. I can also tether the back again to my MacBook, but I did not do so. The Novoflex regulate device is established to Bellows Method, and the parameters picked out for the aim stacking.
I start off by going the rear common of the bellows unit the place the FPS and electronic back again is mounted to the in close proximity to posture wherever I want to be in sharp focus. I can use the zoom perform to see this at 100%. This placement is then saved into memory on the Castel-Micro handle device.
The bellows is then moved to the considerably position the place I want sharp focus, and saved. I then chose the number of methods necessary from the situation of in close proximity to emphasis to the position of much concentration. For the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph pictured, I selected 13 frames. The system does not supply a calculation centered on the aperture chosen, the near and considerably factors and an assumption of the circle of confusion to counsel the quantity of frames wanted to protect the image. So this variety is handbook, and dependent on consumer working experience. That much too is saved.
The command device even further will allow a time hold off concerning frames so that it can let for the strobes to recharge as important. For my Profoto method, this is not vital, especially af f/5.6 where the strobe is established at 1/8 electric power, it is prepared to discharge straight away soon after just about every flash. Then the Novoflex controller is established to get started the stack execution, and it routinely executes the variety of frames picked out by relocating the lens in equal measures from in the vicinity of to far concentration. It is also attainable to reverse the stack from far to around as sought after.
Right after the frames are made, the uncooked photos are processed in Seize One particular, and exported as comprehensive sized jpegs. These are then fed into the Helicon Emphasis computer software which generates the focused-stacked picture. The stacked-picture is prepared for more processing in Photoshop to make the preferred impression.
The method is not without its difficulties. I have stated the steep studying curve. The back again has to be set up for zero latency and to use an external shutter. The back is placed in LV manner for set up, and ahead of start out of the stack sequence, it has to be placed into the file critique method. If I hearth the sequence in the LV method of the again, the system fires once, and stops. No matter of the number of frames it has been commandeered to carry out.
The method also have other quirks. For illustration, the electronic back does not capture the aperture details of the lens, as the Rodenstock does not have contacts to inform the back again of the aperture location. On the other hand, on Section One particular backs, there is the ability to manually established aperture on the EXIF by using the back again. If you use a Hasselblad back, this vital information will have to be recorded manually, and not in the exif info. The Alpa FPS process does not reliably notify the back of the shutter velocity. In my use, the FPS is set to 1/125s but the IQ3 thinks the shutter speed is 1/40s and information it as such. This is just an inconvenience, as when used with flash, the FPS is generally set to 1/125s.
At startup, the Novoflex Castel-Micro is very slow, as it requirements to go the rear regular bearing the FPS and electronic again to an arbitrary commence situation just before it becomes ready for use. Subsequently, shifting the bellows to the first level for near focus and then to the much emphasis level is equally sluggish. This is inspite of Novoflex supplying a few speed settings, of which none are specifically quick, and there is no swift established system which releases the lock for tough positioning. Maybe a target of the desire to be precise, as the technique can put the back to inside of a smallest repeatable action distance is .2µm. And at last, the system is cumbersome and hefty. Not a large issue for a long term set up in a studio, but as a traveling program, it is difficult.
Closing feelings
As I have formerly outlined, the emphasis stacking is a person remedy to the difficulty of acquiring enough depth of industry in macro pictures. This difficulty of acquiring adequate depth of subject can be solved various means:
- use a smaller sensor like the micro four thirds. The scaled-down sensor will need to have a lens of shorter focal duration for a provided magnification, and will exhibit greater depth of area for any specified aperture. In my Panasonic GH-2 setup, the macro lens for 1:1 magnification is only 45mm, and as the frame is scaled-down as nicely, depth of subject across the dial can be realized.
- use a tilt and shift technique like the Sinar P or the Hasselblad HTS 1.5. Tilting the lens will transfer the airplane of sharp focus to coincide with the subject matter, in this situation the inclined dial.
- concentration stacking. This can be reached in various techniques. Several newer cameras have target bracketing in their travel manner which is extremely identical to what I have revealed in the Alpa illustration below. Established in the vicinity of emphasis. Set far emphasis. Established variety of techniques. And hearth the camera. Assemble the frames shot in Helicon Target, and get the resulting impression.
- These can be easy to use and automated like in the Phase Just one XF the place just after placing the around and much factors the digicam figures out how a lot of shots and ways required to go over the overall variety following taking into consideration the aperture and using an assumed circle of confusion. The in the vicinity of and significantly points can also be rapid established through the autofocus or handbook concentration for a rough focus, and zeroed in in move method for critical aim.
- Or a little bit additional guide like in the Fujifilm GFX or Sony A7RV (overview before long) procedure. Below, the photographer has to use his personal judgement and experience to decide on an proper variety of ways, and move measurement.
- Or by mounting the digital camera on a macro rail and transferring the full camera assembly. I utilised this process for the photographs in my reserve – A. Lange & Söhne: The Pour le Mérite Assortment (still accessible, and now on sale! Email me!) with the Hasselblad H3D-39 and a handbook Manfrotto focusing rack.
- Novoflex also have a guide concentrate rack or and a handbook bellows procedure.
The Alpa Concentrate Stacking system is more tasteful solution with bellows focusing. This gets rid of concentration some of the challenges faced by the other concentrate stacking devices like target breathing which is a lens property and variants in impression dimension a person moves the digicam mounted on a macro rail. And is makes certain repeatability, which is difficult to realize with a manual bellows method.
The Alpa solution contains the Novoflex automation at a quite high precision, which is also repeatable. In addition, it gets notably eye-catching as it is modular and will allow the use of the fabulous Rodenstock Switar 105mm f/5.6 FL lens as effectively as a adaptable choice of backs, which include the Stage One and Hasselblad backs. Nevertheless, the draw back is that he Alpa Focal Plane Program has a really steep understanding curve, is weighty and is cumbersome set up. It is also a somewhat high priced solution, costing some CHF 24k in advance of introducing the electronic back. A new Stage One IQ4 100 Trichromatic again has a retail of CHF 30k, or the Hasselblad CFV II 50C back again will established one back again an additional CHF 8k.
