Using Small focus point and Magnify in Macro Photo's

[Ardy]

Hi All - I have a OMD-EM5 (use 60mm lens) and looking upgrade my macro photo's. I have been using spot focus and its been OK but I want to be able to focus on the eye for instance.

I want to use magnify in conjunction with small focus box. Has anyone any experience of this. WHat is the best way to set it up, how do you keep the settings (in my settings?).

Is it successful and what ?x do you use for magnification?

regards

 

[fuggler]

Here's a guide on how to set up your EM5. It mentions the magnify/single focus point you're asking about which I think is super helpful. Underwater settings for the Olympus OM-D E-M5 - Digital SLRs/Housings - Wetpixel :: Underwater Photography Forums

 

[Ardy]

Fuggler- shows how much you miss. I used this doc as the basis for my original set up but did not use all of it. Should have read it closer. thanks Ardy

---------- Post added November 17th, 2015 at 09:37 PM ----------

Anybody got theirs set up this way and been using it a while. Any issues, do the obvious advantages have any drawbacks?

 

[Ardy]

I finally got off my arse and worked out exactly how this works. In my set up I have set the Fn2 button to magnify. If I press the info button after the magnify button, then it brings up my centre focus area (square) at this point you can change it from 5x to as small as14x. If you turn off it will keep these settings. Now to use the magnify button you have to press it quickly and release it. This takes it into magnify on the size of the oblong in the view finder. A light tap on the magnify button takes it back again. This gives you fine control of things like the eye of an item. It also ensures spot on focus. Can't wait to try it out. Hope you use it too.

 

[Ardy]

Did a bunch of testing of focus with a long lens on the ducks on my dam. The Olympus image stabilisation is incredible and comes into its own when you think how small the zoomed/magnified area is.

What I did:

1)First I took some hand held photos using my normal method ie find something solid to stabilise the camera and hope the focus DOF would cover the rest of it.

2)Then I took similar photo's using the fn2 magnify [14x] with the subject about 20m away. With some practise I could expose on the eye exactly.

I compared both photo sets on my computer to see if there was much of a difference. The results proved to me that this method, once you get used to it, will dramatically enhance the in camera sharpness and ensure the DOF is where you want it to be.

U/W I am guessing that 7x would be fine as you are never that far away from what you are shooting. This is a process that will take some getting used to. If you have macro shots where the most in-focus is the pebbles on the sea floor [like I have noticed] then the results should be impressive.

So the flow is half press to auto focus. Touch FN2 to magnify image to focus oblong. Half press rls button again to focus on the spot you want. [touch FN2 again - option] Take photo.

The downside is that you cannot see the total area of what you are shooting. To see total area use the touch FN2 again - option.

My guess is that I won't be using this process for fast moving objects.

Anyone done any work on Face Detection and CF for fast moving objects? I read something about it and wondered if it would work underwater?