Quarry off Nevada Hwy 6 — Focus Stacking with Zerene Stacker

2023-11-10 • SEND FEEDBACK |
Related: focus stacking, Fujifilm, Fujifilm GF 55mm f/1.7 WR, Fujifilm GFX100 II, Fujifilm Lenses, Fujifilm medium format, Fujifilm mirrorless, medium format, State of Nevada, Zerene Stacker

I just love how automated focus stacking can make impossible-depth-of-field images, even if I must shoot an infinity focus frame* due to broken Fujifilm firmware for Focus BKT (broken for 5+ years and counting, Fujifilm are you lazy or incompetent or clueless or cognitively blind, which is it as there are no other options).

With this stack using Zerene Stacker, I was reminded that one cannot assume any particular contrast threshold value. Too low, and ringing effects occur on edges. Too high, and large blurs around near/far boundaries. Ultimately I found that a contrast threshold of about 20 did the best. I then retouched things both for motion (grasses) and along edges using a PMAX stack for the later.

BTW, Zerene Stacker IMO is by far the best focus stacking software out there. And the support is superb. Once you learn it, the results you can get are outstanding.

Dunno what readers think of the color here, but I think it’s darn nice. The Fujifilm GFX100 II image quality really does seem to be a step up. It reminds me of the Hasselblad X2D color now, and the Fujifilm GFX100S never did that, always clearly inferior. And the Fujifilm GF 55/1.7 is surely the best lens of the entire lineup.

* In this case, the INF frame I shot was obviously sharper than the last from shot by the camera. I now just make it a tedious but essential habit when doing focus stacked images.

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Quarry off Nevada Hwy 6

f9 @ 1/110 sec EFC shutter focus stack 16 frames, ISO 80; 2023-10-20 08:49:49
Fujifilm GFX100 II + Fujifilm GF 55mm f/1.7 WR @ 45.3mm equiv (55mm)
ENV: central Nevada Hwy 6, altitude 6500 ft / 1981 m, 60°F / 15°C
RAW: Camera ASTIA, LACA corrected, vignetting corrected, WB 4900°K tint 28, push 0.66 stops, +20 Whites, +10 Clarity, USM {8,50,0}, SmartSharpen{30,0.7,0}

[low-res image for bot]

Quarry Pit off Nevada Hwy 6

f7.1 @ 1/100 sec electronic shutter, ISO 80; 2023-10-20 09:13:28
Fujifilm GFX100 II + Fujifilm GF 55mm f/1.7 WR @ 45.3mm equiv (55mm)
ENV: Nevada Hwy 6, altitude 6500 ft / 1981 m, 60°F / 15°C
RAW: Camera ASTIA, LACA corrected, vignetting corrected, WB 5000°K tint 18, push 0.3 stops, +20 Whites, +10 Clarity, USM {6,50,0}, diffraction mitigating sharpening

[low-res image for bot]