Problem with Photoacute on Mac

[spotmeter]

I bought PhotoAcute to increase depth of field using their focus stack feature. Using a Canon 100 macro, tripod, mirror lock up, 3-5 exposures, adjusting only for focus plane, the resulting images have numerous areas where details do not align--making the image useless.

I have noticed that Windows users are happy with PhotoAcute, but there seems to be a problem with Macs.

Has anyone had any success with this program on the Mac?

If so, how do you do it?

[bill t.]

To focus is to zoom, the magnification changes with focus and this especially pronounced with long lenses and macro setups.

Best way to deal with it is not to focus except initially, then truck the whole camera rig forward and backward to pick up the various planes.  Things like machinist's slides can easily support a whole camera while remaining rock solid.  You can also move the subject while keeping the camera steady.

edit...assuming you are shooting macros that is.  It's a little hard to track the camera over a few hundred feet or miles when shooting landscapes!

[spotmeter]

To focus is to zoom, the magnification changes with focus and this especially pronounced with long lenses and macro setups.

Best way to deal with it is not to focus except initially, then truck the whole camera rig forward and backward to pick up the various planes.  Things like machinist's slides can easily support a whole camera while remaining rock solid.  You can also move the subject while keeping the camera steady.

edit...assuming you are shooting macros that is.  It's a little hard to track the camera over a few hundred feet or miles when shooting landscapes!

I'm not sure how this will solve my problem. If I use a focusing rail, I am also 'zooming' as the camera and lens get closer to the subject to focus on deeper planes.

Also, PhotAcute, according to online reports, works OK on a PC.  What does this have to do with how you focus?

[bill t.]

I'm not sure how this will solve my problem. If I use a focusing rail, I am also 'zooming' as the camera and lens get closer to the subject to focus on deeper planes.

Also, PhotAcute, according to online reports, works OK on a PC.  What does this have to do with how you focus?

But you are not changing the magnification of the plane when you truck.  But if you focus in a way that changes the lens-to-sensor distance, that changes the magnification, the new focus plane will be bigger or smaller than the previous one.  Do your images line up in the center but not the edges...that's the effect of different mags on the various planes.  IIRC if you adjust the focus rather than truck, past 1:1 the farther planes will be actually be larger than the closer ones.

Have not used PhotActute, but programs like CombineZ5 will for most types of subjects display subtle ghosting effects as a result of trying to reconcile even the relatively small mag differences from say 6 feet to infinity.  PS if CombineZ5 has a Mac version I would highly recommend it.