Camera Labs

I bought Helicon Focus a few days back as I want to try some microphotography. I have a nice trinocular microscope on order which should fit the bill nicely. However I also have a cheap stereo (low power) microscope that I thought I'd dig out just to see what it could do. I am a bit stunned at the result to be honest. Just 5 frames at different focus using a Canon 40D and hand-held flash. The subject is the eye area of a dragonfly larval case. The 5 frames were assembled using Helicon Focus. This is far better than I was expecting for a first attempt lash-up!!!



Greg

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Nexstar 11 GPS, 2 x Sky 90, M25C, MaximDL, Photshop CS3, Noel Carboni's Photoshop actions, 7 foot Pulsar fibreglass dome, Canon 40D, 100mm macro lens, 28-200mm zoom lens, 17-55mm f#2.8 zoom lens, 100-400mm zoom lens, 1.4x converter, 2x converter.
http://www.newforestobservatory.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12801949@N02/

Great result!

Before I knew what Helicon Focus was, I wanted to comment that your pic has an amazing DOF. Now I know that this software is all about putting everything in focus by merging several pics.

It's a good investment, I'd say. Wouldn't mind to see more.

From someone who doesn't have all the equipment for microphotography,
HTG

Thank you HTG - I was totally amazed by the result, given this was a kluge job with no care taken at all. I will be doing a great deal more work in this area soon, at the moment there aren't many bugs/insects about as we've not hit Spring yet
Greg

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Nexstar 11 GPS, 2 x Sky 90, M25C, MaximDL, Photshop CS3, Noel Carboni's Photoshop actions, 7 foot Pulsar fibreglass dome, Canon 40D, 100mm macro lens, 28-200mm zoom lens, 17-55mm f#2.8 zoom lens, 100-400mm zoom lens, 1.4x converter, 2x converter.
http://www.newforestobservatory.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12801949@N02/

I agree, tried the demo and it gives fantastic results, shame its so expensive for a lifetime license.

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My Stuff: Canon 550d, 18-55mm kit lens, 50mm f1.8, Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro, Tamron 70-300mm (never buy one of these EVER), and a whole bag of other gadgets, filters, flashguns etc.
My Flickr Photostream

Yep - it is expensive, but it also turns your microscope into a many-thousand-dollar scanning electron microscope, so on that basis it's rather cheap
Greg

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Nexstar 11 GPS, 2 x Sky 90, M25C, MaximDL, Photshop CS3, Noel Carboni's Photoshop actions, 7 foot Pulsar fibreglass dome, Canon 40D, 100mm macro lens, 28-200mm zoom lens, 17-55mm f#2.8 zoom lens, 100-400mm zoom lens, 1.4x converter, 2x converter.
http://www.newforestobservatory.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12801949@N02/

Nice example Greg - looking forward to seeing more!

Thank you Gordon. It really was a blisteringly quick look with a complete lash up. So no doubt when I get it all set up "properly" with the new microscope - the result won't be anywhere near as good as this
Greg

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Nexstar 11 GPS, 2 x Sky 90, M25C, MaximDL, Photshop CS3, Noel Carboni's Photoshop actions, 7 foot Pulsar fibreglass dome, Canon 40D, 100mm macro lens, 28-200mm zoom lens, 17-55mm f#2.8 zoom lens, 100-400mm zoom lens, 1.4x converter, 2x converter.
http://www.newforestobservatory.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12801949@N02/

Wow, this is phenomenal. Would you share how your set up works, micro-photography has always interested me but Ive never known where to start.

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Lee Diggle
My Astronomy Blog | My Photography Gallery

The setup for this was extremely simple. A low power Meiji labax inspection (stereo) microscope. I bought this a long while back for my wife's Birthday (she likes looking at creepy crawlies from the garden) and this scope was ideal. I also bought camera attachment MA150/10S that went with the microscope. This is just an extension tube that takes a camera adapter one end, and the other end goes over the eyepiece socket, without the eyepiece in there - so the magnification is due to the objective only. To get the image I lit up the dragonfly case with an LED pocket torch and looked through the Canon 40D eyepiece to focus, lens set to manual focus. I hand held the flash about a foot away from the object and just rattled off the frames. Helicon Focus put it all seamlessly together and did a great job IMO. Simple as that.

Still waiting for delivery of the expensive microscope - I'm worried that the result won't be as good as the lash up.
Greg

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Nexstar 11 GPS, 2 x Sky 90, M25C, MaximDL, Photshop CS3, Noel Carboni's Photoshop actions, 7 foot Pulsar fibreglass dome, Canon 40D, 100mm macro lens, 28-200mm zoom lens, 17-55mm f#2.8 zoom lens, 100-400mm zoom lens, 1.4x converter, 2x converter.
http://www.newforestobservatory.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12801949@N02/

Thanks Greg

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Lee Diggle
My Astronomy Blog | My Photography Gallery

You're welcome Lee

I now have the "Professional" microscope installed and am now treading the minefield of trying to get all the necessary connectors/adapters together to fit the DLSR to the trinocular camera port. Why do they have to make things so difficult???

Greg

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Nexstar 11 GPS, 2 x Sky 90, M25C, MaximDL, Photshop CS3, Noel Carboni's Photoshop actions, 7 foot Pulsar fibreglass dome, Canon 40D, 100mm macro lens, 28-200mm zoom lens, 17-55mm f#2.8 zoom lens, 100-400mm zoom lens, 1.4x converter, 2x converter.
http://www.newforestobservatory.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12801949@N02/

Greg, do you need some dead bugs? I think I could ship you some if need be.

(What an inquiry ...)

regards,
HTG

Thank you for the offer HTG. Dead bugs always welcome - but we're not really meant to ship that sort of thing around. Customs would get very upset
Greg

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Nexstar 11 GPS, 2 x Sky 90, M25C, MaximDL, Photshop CS3, Noel Carboni's Photoshop actions, 7 foot Pulsar fibreglass dome, Canon 40D, 100mm macro lens, 28-200mm zoom lens, 17-55mm f#2.8 zoom lens, 100-400mm zoom lens, 1.4x converter, 2x converter.
http://www.newforestobservatory.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12801949@N02/

Greg, I have also thought about customs but was willing to take the risk - for good photos. But you are right. I remember when I got a letter once from England where there was one teabag inside ... and customs opened it. They are quite nosy.

Think I will just eat the bugs myself.

regards,
HTG