Focus Shift Shooting

Focus Shift Photography

1. Focus.

   • During focus shift, the camera takes a series of shots starting from a selected focus position and continuing toward infinity. Given that shooting ends when infinity is reached, the starting focus position should be slightly in front of (i.e., closer to the camera than) the closest point on the subject.
   • Do not move the camera after focusing.

2. Highlight [Focus shift shooting] in the photo shooting menu and press 2.

   

3. Adjust focus shift settings.

   • Choose the number of shots.

     

     Highlight [No. of shots] and press 2.

     

     

     

     Choose the number of shots and press J.

     • The maximum number of shots is 300.
     • We recommend taking more shots than you think you’ll need. You can winnow them down during focus stacking.
     • More than 100 shots may be required for photographs of insects or other small objects. On the other hand, only a few may be needed to photograph a landscape from front to back with a wide-angle lens.

   • Choose the amount the focus distance changes with each shot.

     

     Highlight [Focus step width] and press 2.

     

     

     

     Choose a focus step width and press J.

     • Press 4 to reduce the focus step width, 2 to increase.
     • Note that high settings increase the risk that some areas will be out of focus when the shots are stacked. A value of 5 or less is recommended.
     • Try experimenting with different settings before shooting.

   • Choose the interval until next shot.

     

     Highlight [Interval until next shot] and press 2.

     

     

     

     Choose the interval between shots and press J.

     • Choose the interval between shots, in seconds.
     • Select [00] to take photos at up to about 5 fps.
     • To ensure correct exposure when using a flash, choose an interval long enough for the flash to charge. A setting of [00] is recommended when shooting without a flash.

   • Enable or disable first-frame exposure lock.

     

     Highlight [First-frame exposure lock] and press 2 to select [ON] or [OFF].

     • [OFF] is recommended if lighting and other conditions will not change during shooting, [ON] when photographing landscapes and the like under variable lighting.
     • Selecting [ON] locks exposure at the value for the first shot, ensuring that all photos have the same exposure. Large changes in subject brightness during shooting may however result in apparent variations in exposure. This can be addressed by selecting [OFF].

   • Choose whether the focus position returns to the starting position at the end of each sequence.

     

     Highlight [Focus position auto reset] and press 2 to select [ON] or [OFF]

     • We recommend selecting [ON] when using focus shift to photograph subjects at the same focus distance multiple times in succession.
     • If [OFF] is selected, focus will remain fixed at the position for the final shot in the sequence.

   • Choose starting folder options.

     

     Highlight [Starting storage folder] and press 2.

     

     

     

     After highlighting the desired options and pressing J to turn them on (M) or off (U), press 4.

4. Highlight [Start] and press J.

   • A 9 icon flashes in the control panel and shooting starts after about 3 s.
   • The display turns off during shooting.
   • The camera takes photographs at the selected interval, starting at the focus distance selected at the start of shooting and progressing out toward infinity by the selected focus step distance with each shot.
   • Shooting ends when the selected number of shots has been taken or focus reaches infinity.