Title: Summer Macro Project
This summer, I decided to improve my macro photography.
I will be using an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens, the Godox V350 flash and the Cygustech Diffuser https://www.cygnustechdiffuser.com/. Another option is the the AK Diffuser https://akdiffuser.com/ which I own. Both are excellent. The Cygustech Diffuser packs flat which makes tranport in a pack easier. The Godox V350 uses a rechargeable lithium battery which last longer than AA batteries and allows for faster recycling times when shooting in the Olympus bracketing modes.
The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens is an amazing lens and excellent value for money. The limiter switch works well once understood. At the 1:1 setting set the camera's focusing mode to M (manual). I use the FN lever to switch from A focus to M focus and I rock the camera back and forth under I achieve focus. For bracketing, I am setting the limiter switch to 0.19 - 0.4 m. With in-camera focus stacking I find 10 shots and the range set to 2 seems to work. I shoot RAW only and when not using the in-camera focus stacking function, I stack the images using Helicon Focus.
Here is an excellent article, Mastering the 60mm Macro by Chris McGinnis an OM SYSTEM Ambassador https://learnandsupport.getolympus.com/learn-center/photography-tips/macro/mastering-the-60mm-macro. And more Macro Tips by Olympus https://learnandsupport.getolympus.com/learn-center/photography-tips/macro.
Here is an example - 10 images with flash 1/32 power - ISO 200 f/11 1/50 - step set to 2 and stacked in Helicon Focus
As I am going to explore other software, I will shooting in RAW and JPG. The software needs images in either TIF or JPG. Here is a example using Zerene Stacker.
