Don't you mind sharing your macro setup?

[haring]

Don't you mind sharing your macro setup when you photograph table top, jewelry?
- Tripod
- camera
- digital back (if applicable)
- lens
- macro rail
- lights
- did I miss anything?

Thanks a lot!

[darr]

camera stand
Arca Swiss M-Line 2 or D700
P45
Schneider 120 macro f/5.6 or 105 Ais macro
Profoto D1 Air
shooting table
surface material

[Dick Roadnight]

camera stand
Arca Swiss M-Line 2 or D700
P45
Schneider 120 macro f/5.6 or 105 Ais macro
Profoto D1 Air
shooting table
surface material

Geared tripod
Sinar monorail optical bench
H4D-60 ¿+ Sinar 86H?
Schneider Apo-Digitar Macro 120, with Sinar eShutter for auto operation.
Stack shot or Velmex on rear standard or subject standard for auto stacking

[elf]

I use a specially built spherical pano head mounted on an 80 pound piece of granite.  It's automated to do focus stacking either by changing bellows draw or moving the subject.  I use various lens from a 10X microscope objective to a reversed 50mm enlarger lens.  Lighting is with 2 Vivitar 283 flashes modified to manually control power settings. Subject usually resides in a white rip-stop nylon tent, but I also use cross-polarization on the flashes.

Here's a few shots of it.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v649/etfrench/Macro%20Pano%20Head/

And here's a sample shown with Photosynth: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=0a00c1a2-7d92-4de5-9488-7bd6ed5f3203

[Voltman]

Here's a few shots of it.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v649/etfrench/Macro%20Pano%20Head/

And here's a sample shown with Photosynth: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=0a00c1a2-7d92-4de5-9488-7bd6ed5f3203

Thanks for sharing. Your setup is quite sophisticated. The detail in that shot is amazing! For the shot above would you mind sharing what software are you using for stacking? Windows or Mac? Memory? etc.

[elf]

Zerene Stacker for focus stacking and Microsoft ICE for stitching the panorama.  Zerene Stacker can run on either Mac or Windows.  ICE runs only on Windows.  Currently I have 8gb of memory.  Harddrive space is the biggest issue. I shoot RAW+Jpeg, then convert RAW to 16bit Tiff.  An image like this consumes over 200gb.  The Photoshop file can be larger than 5gb. 

I have a full size print of this one ready to be mounted this week and I can only say it's even more impressive in print than online.

[Dick Roadnight]

I use a specially built spherical pano head mounted on an 80 pound piece of granite.  It's automated to do focus stacking either by changing bellows draw or moving the subject.  I use various lens from a 10X microscope objective to a reversed 50mm enlarger lens.  Lighting is with 2 Vivitar 283 flashes modified to manually control power settings. Subject usually resides in a white rip-stop nylon tent, but I also use cross-polarization on the flashes.

Here's a few shots of it.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v649/etfrench/Macro%20Pano%20Head/

And here's a sample shown with Photosynth: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=0a00c1a2-7d92-4de5-9488-7bd6ed5f3203

That is the type of kit I am thinking about building for auto-stacking...

Did you build it, or who built it?
What components did you use?
Can you build me one or let me have the kit list, drawings and software?

[Voltman]

Zerene Stacker for focus stacking and Microsoft ICE for stitching the panorama.  Zerene Stacker can run on either Mac or Windows.  ICE runs only on Windows.  Currently I have 8gb of memory.  Harddrive space is the biggest issue. I shoot RAW+Jpeg, then convert RAW to 16bit Tiff.  An image like this consumes over 200gb.  The Photoshop file can be larger than 5gb. 

I have a full size print of this one ready to be mounted this week and I can only say it's even more impressive in print than online.

Thanks again. Didn't know about ICE - looks v. useful!

[haring]

camera stand
Arca Swiss M-Line 2 or D700
P45
Schneider 120 macro f/5.6 or 105 Ais macro
Profoto D1 Air
shooting table
surface material

WOW!

[haring]

Geared tripod
Sinar monorail optical bench
H4D-60 ¿+ Sinar 86H?
Schneider Apo-Digitar Macro 120, with Sinar eShutter for auto operation.
Stack shot or Velmex on rear standard or subject standard for auto stacking

WOW!!! (again)

[elf]

That is the type of kit I am thinking about building for auto-stacking...

Did you build it, or who built it?
What components did you use?
Can you build me one or let me have the kit list, drawings and software?

I designed and built it. The basic building blocks are aluminum extrusions from http://www.8020.net/ (similar extrusions are available in Europe) I haven't thought about selling it, but I'll work up a price and send a pm when it's ready (It will take a week or so as I'm quite busy with my regular job). I think it would be rather expensive to ship from the US as it weighs over 100 pounds.

[Dick Roadnight]

I designed and built it. The basic building blocks are aluminum extrusions from http://www.8020.net/ (similar extrusions are available in Europe) I haven't thought about selling it, but I'll work up a price and send a pm when it's ready (It will take a week or so as I'm quite busy with my regular job). I think it would be rather expensive to ship from the US as it weighs over 100 pounds.

Thanks - I think that similar equipment is available from Velmex, and they have an office within two hours drive of here... and I think it should be possible to use a stackshot on the rear standard of a tech camera for hi-magnification macro.

I am a "hands-on" Agricultural Development Engineer, and an Electronic Engineer, and a real-time computer programmer... and should be able to put together some aluminum extrusions and a stepper motor or two... but if you have already done this I would appreciate any assistance you could give me.

I am thinking of using similar technology to build a remote shift-and-stitch and focus system for using a tech camera on a 10m tripod... so the weight would have to be kept to a minimum.

[Nick-T]

I don't think I'm alone when I say I cannot wait to see the images taken from the 10 metre tripod.

Nick-T

[Dick Roadnight]

I don't think I'm alone when I say I cannot wait to see the images taken from the 10 metre tripod.

Nick-T

Thank you for your interest Nick...

It is possible to take pictures with a 10m tripod without much high-tech equipment...

You can trip the shutter from a laptop or Phocus mobile... I hope long fire wire cables work with the new firmware... I am thinking of getting a Claus VR station remote pan-and-stitch system... but my Manfrotto Agnoscope tripod has a powered tripod head as standard, and came with a CCTV system for viewing the viewfinder of a V-sys Hasselblad!

When using a tech camera you can calculate the tech camera movement settings and set them before you raise the camera... but electronic shutters would help, and shift-and-stitch would not be easy without a powered remote system... and it would be nice to have remote powered focus too, but this is versatile kit that can also be used for macro, which is what the thread is about.

Daylight live view without having to use ND filters would be very useful, so you might not want this discussion on your forum?