Automatic Focus-Bracketing?

March 11, 2009 9:01 PM

Are there or will there soon be any cameras that will automatically shoot a focus-bracketed series of photos that could then be combined to create a single image with increased depth of field?

More discussion of focus bracketing here, here, here, and here.

There are two steps in creating a focus-bracketed image: taking the series of photos, and combining them using image manipulation tools. It would be nice to have the first step automated.

posted by alms to media & arts (9 comments total)

I stay pretty abreast of the DSLR market and I haven't heard anything about this. I suspect it doesn't exist.

If it were me I'd rig up a motor mechanically linked to my focus ring and to my remote shutter release. That shouldn't be too expensive.

But I'm pretty handy. If you were around here I'd suggest this would be a fun project to do together. Are you an electronics nerd or do you know any around you?
posted by aubilenon at 9:06 PM on March 11

If you're willing to replace your firmware, CHDK will do focus bracketing. It supports some Canon models.
posted by grouse at 9:16 PM on March 11

I'd never heard of this or even considered it as a possibility, but went over to Flickr and found the answer. Yup, its possible, and people are doing it. In a nutshell, it sounds like you'd want to take a series of focus bracketed photos, without moving the camera or subject at all. Then you'd want to stack all of the images on top of each other in PhotoShop, perfectly align them, and then select and merge just the bits that you want that are in focus.

Example and breif description of the process:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapify/2580109303/

An excellent 3 part video walkthrough of the process in Adobe Photoshop CS2:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iseethroughglass/tags/focusstacking/

Photos tagged with "Focusstacking" on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/focusstacking/

...once again amazed by Flickr
posted by pkingdesign at 10:42 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

I'm going to read those links, but couldn't you just use aperture bracketing to change the depth of field?
posted by michswiss at 10:49 PM on March 11

Would you believe with a single exposure? Here you go.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:11 PM on March 11

grouse: Just want to mention that CHDK does not replace the firmware, it's an addition that is loaded from the SD card at startup, is not permanent, and can be removed anytime. I love all the functions it opens up on my Canon SD1000 (including a battery monitor--yay), but have not tried focal bracketing yet.

alms: Look around the web for pics taken with this method, it may be a low cost answer for you.
posted by artdrectr at 2:33 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]

Thanks! CHDK seems to be just what I'm looking for.
posted by alms at 6:17 AM on March 12

In vaguely related new, I just heard on the This Week in Photography podcast that cameras are starting to include automated HDR. They can take multiple exposures (at the same time, or close) and increase the dynamic range in-camera by combining the exposures.
posted by diogenes at 7:38 AM on March 12

This dude, a wedding photographer, claims to have invented a technique that seems to get what you're looking for.

More here.
posted by nomad73 at 2:54 PM on March 12