Model Railroading > Focus stacking model pix with an Olympus DSLR

I’ve  played around a little bit with focus stacking of model RR images, and it seems like this is definitely the way to go in shooting miniature scenes, especially model RR scenes. 

If if you’re not familiar, focus stacking involves having the camera shoot the same scene several times,with the focus point moved slightly between each one. The different versions are the merged by software to construct a single image with the best, sharpest focus at each point. 

Olympus now advertises that their OM-1 and OM-5 cameras can do this right there in the camera, without the need for fancy software on a separate computer. Set up one scene, the camera returns one image, which it has constructed using the sharpest parts of each one that it shot. 

I am sorely tempted. Anybody have real world experience with this system?

No, I have not but am really interested to learn.
I have used Helicon Focus to combine images and Helicon Remote to operate a Nikon DSLR, but it is an awkward set-up with the laptop near the camera near the layout near the floodlight and cords running every which way.
But great results, maybe three images per hour.
I also have Camera Pixels on my iPhone.  This takes a stack of 20 images very quickly with I then process in Helicon Focus.
However each image on CP is only about 600 kb and the whole image is not a sharp as a DSLR image.
There is one thing that the CP/iPhone can do is get right down into a scene, which I have a lot of fun with.  I put a small chunk of 1/4" wood on the track or scenery and this puts the lens at about prototype eye level, as if the viewer were standing there.  

Camera manufacturers saw how popular Focus Stacking software became, and decided to add this feature to their cameras.  For anyone that has had to do this process manually, it is easy to see the benefit of having the process automated.

Here is a video of the Focus Stacking process on the OM-1 and OM-5:
     youtube.com/watch?v=oNxdqT-n70Y
            (Cut-n-paste into your browser, since TO doesn't allow direct links to YouTube.)
For Focus Stacking, the OM-1 allows 15 shots, while the OM-5 allows only 8.
If the images are NOT to be processed on-board, (but downloaded and Focus Stacked in some software, such as Helicon Focus) then Focus Bracketing can be used to capture 999 shots.

I'm a Canon-guy, and have the Canon R6 Mk2 (mirrorless) camera.  One of my favorite features is the Focus Stacking.  
     youtube.com/watch?v=xGCpnLGhnsM
It can process up to 999 shots on-board the camera, resulting in a sharp JPEG image.  In a matter of seconds, an image can be generated with the entire train in-focus, as well as the scenery in the foreground and background.
Interestingly, Canon did NOT put Focus Stacking on their Pro-level cameras (R1, R3, R5) presumably because Pros would want to pull the shots into LightRoom (or some other post processing software) to tweak the images prior to Focus Stacking them.  What drove my decision to purchase the R6 vs. the R5, was the R6 has Focus Stacking, and the R5 does not. (But the R5 offers Focus Bracketing, instead. Since I wanted in-camera processing of the Focus Stacking feature, that was a deal breaker for me.)

Of course, the diameter of the lens and height of the camera body limit how close to track-level it can get.  Most of the perspectives will look like they are shot from a bridge or hillside.  That said, it might be possible to obtain a track-level perspective by using some mirrors to build an upside-down periscope.  Another possibility is purpose-build dioramas with holes placed strategically to "submerge" the camera to track-level, then crop the lower part of the image.

Dave



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/25 08:29 by tmotor.

Thanks for that perspective. I know the frustration of trying to get eye level pix from an SLR. The smaller Olympus body may help a bit here,  but we really need Apple to add focus stacking to the IPhone tools. That would be a killer. 

march_hare Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for that perspective. I know the
> frustration of trying to get eye level pix from an
> SLR. The smaller Olympus body may help a bit here,
>  but we really need Apple to add focus stacking
> to the IPhone tools. That would be a killer. 

It has been part of iPhone for many years.