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stacker:docs:tutorials:usingcontrolmynikon [2011/07/24 06:31] rjlittlefield [Just The Recipe] |
stacker:docs:tutorials:usingcontrolmynikon [2023/04/09 00:29] rjlittlefield fix url |
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| - | ====== Using ControlMyNikon ====== | + | ====== Using ControlMyNikon To Step Focus ====== |
| - | [[http://www.controlmynikon.com/|ControlMyNikon]] is a inexpensive piece of 3rd party software that can automatically control your Nikon camera from a Windows computer to shoot a focus stack. ControlMyNikon comes with a comprehensive set of video tutorials, but it can take quite a while to watch those and pick out the few bits you really need to get started. This tutorial is intended to be a quick-start guide for new users of ControlMyNikon v2.9. | + | [[https://tetherscript.com/controlmynikon-home/|ControlMyNikon]] is a inexpensive piece of 3rd party software that can automatically control your Nikon camera from a Windows computer to shoot a focus stack. ControlMyNikon comes with a comprehensive set of video tutorials, but it can take quite a while to watch those and pick out the few bits you really need to get started. This tutorial is intended to be a quick-start guide for new users of ControlMyNikon v2.9. |
| ===== Just The Recipe ===== | ===== Just The Recipe ===== | ||
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| * Download and install ControlMyNikon. | * Download and install ControlMyNikon. | ||
| * Set the camera lens to Automatic focus mode. | * Set the camera lens to Automatic focus mode. | ||
| + | * Set the camera body to Automatic focus mode also. | ||
| * Connect camera to computer with a USB cable and turn it on. | * Connect camera to computer with a USB cable and turn it on. | ||
| * If Windows offers to run other programs, hit Cancel. | * If Windows offers to run other programs, hit Cancel. | ||
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| * Download and install ControlMyNikon. | * Download and install ControlMyNikon. | ||
| - | * Set your camera lens to Automatic focus mode. | + | * Set the camera lens to Automatic focus mode. |
| * Connect camera to computer with a USB cable and turn it on. | * Connect camera to computer with a USB cable and turn it on. | ||
| * If Windows offers to run other programs, hit Cancel. | * If Windows offers to run other programs, hit Cancel. | ||
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| {{:stacker:docs:tutorials:controlmynikon:liveview.jpg|}} | {{:stacker:docs:tutorials:controlmynikon:liveview.jpg|}} | ||
| - | When the Live View panel opens, it will show what the camera is currently seeing. Within the Live View panel, you can repeatedly press the + button to zoom in on center of the indicated rectangle, or press the - button to zoom out. When the panel is zoomed fully out so that the rectangle is showing, you can double-click within the image to set a new center for the rectangle. | + | When the Live View panel opens, it will show what the camera is currently seeing. Within the Live View panel, you can repeatedly press the + button to zoom in on center of the indicated rectangle, press the - button to zoom out, or press the Reset button to zoom all the way out in one click. When the panel is zoomed all the way out so that the rectangle is showing, you can double-click within the image to set a new center for the rectangle. |
| {{:stacker:docs:tutorials:controlmynikon:flowersunzoomed.jpg|}} {{:stacker:docs:tutorials:controlmynikon:flowerszoomed.jpg|}} | {{:stacker:docs:tutorials:controlmynikon:flowersunzoomed.jpg|}} {{:stacker:docs:tutorials:controlmynikon:flowerszoomed.jpg|}} | ||
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| * In the Focus Stacking Panel, press the Capture button. Then sit back and watch while ControlMyNikon and your camera shoot the stack. | * In the Focus Stacking Panel, press the Capture button. Then sit back and watch while ControlMyNikon and your camera shoot the stack. | ||
| - | * After shooting is complete, your stack of images will be found in a sub-folder of My Documents\ControlMyNikon v2.9. | + | * After shooting is complete, your stack of images will be found in a folder named something like STACK_//timestamp// within \\ My Documents\ControlMyNikon v2.9\Images . |
| ===== Choosing Good Step Size and Number of Slices ===== | ===== Choosing Good Step Size and Number of Slices ===== | ||
| - | The step size per slice depends on your lens and settings. At f/16, 100 steps per slice is a good value for initial testing. | + | The step size per slice depends on your lens and settings. At f/16, a step size of 100 per slice is a good value for initial testing. |
| Here is a good procedure for getting a better value: | Here is a good procedure for getting a better value: | ||
| Line 105: | Line 106: | ||
| - | * Once you know a good step size for one aperture, then you can calculate step sizes for other apertures because they're proportional to the f-number. For example if you can use 80 steps at f/8, then use 160 steps for f/16 but only 56 steps at f/5.6. In this case the number of steps is just 10 times the f-number. The multiplier will be different for other lenses and for different focal lengths with a zoom lens. | + | * Once you know a good step size for one aperture, then you can calculate step sizes for other apertures because they're proportional to the f-number. For example if you can use a step size of 80 at f/8, then use step size 160 for f/16 but only step size 56 at f/5.6. In this case the step size is just 10 times the f-number. The multiplier will be different for other lenses and for different focal lengths with a zoom lens. |
| Now, to determine the number of slices: | Now, to determine the number of slices: | ||