AF, tracking, 30fps, crop and up-sample = macro!?

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Beatsy
Posts: 2105
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:10 am
Location: Malvern, UK

AF, tracking, 30fps, crop and up-sample = macro!?

Post by Beatsy »

I'd say the title is pretty much a list of the techniques one is generally advised *against* using for handheld macro. A "hold my beer" moment beckons...

These were shot with a 135mm prime at or close to minimum focus (1:4 reproduction ratio - so not macro) on a Sony A1 body. Exposures were 1/1250th, f/3.2, ISO 500 or below, 50 megapixel full-frame. Continuous AF with full object tracking, shooting in 30fps bursts and selecting a keeper or two. Combined with the hi-resolution, no-blackout viewfinder, it's an efficient way to get usable shots of critters going about their business while increasing hit rates for "key moments" like antennae not covering eyes or when an event or pose of interest flits by.

A typical, full-frame burst shot would look like this...
Ladybird135-pmn.jpg
I wouldn't normally frame a ladybird as a dot in the middle of a 135mm FoV, but with "macro in mind", I did. The image can be cropped to a pleasing enough little scene...
Ladybird135-crop-pmn.jpg
But if the shot was suitably "nailed" (which isn't a magical given) it can be cropped hard, up-sampled 3x in Gigapixel AI and *still* be eminently usable! The ladybird above had this done (bottom left panel) and was composited with 3 other images treated the same way. They're less than 2x up-sampled after down-sampling again for forum resolution, but still hold plenty of information to see.
Ladybird135-crop-3x-pmn.jpg
Here's another example, a bee fithering around on a thistle...
Bee135Close- pmn.jpg
Cropped and up-sampled here. Not the sharpest macro in the world and you won't get (good) barn-sized prints from images this size, but they're ideal for talks and presentations or as posting/article illustrations etc. The archived images themselves make a useful body of reference info too, so being able to capture more images, in a wider range of habitats with relative ease should become a significant added bonus over time.
Bee135Close_3x_crop-pmn.jpg
I certainly wouldn't promote this approach as a substitute for using macro lenses, even with a Sony A1 and expensive glass. I definitely wouldn't suggest anyone spend most of £10k buying an A1 and 135GM (+batteries and cards) just to do this. But if you already own suitable gear (lens close-focus and high IQ, body high resolution and fast) it's a quick and efficient way to knock up "macro-like" imagery if you're out on a trip using that kit for something else instead (e.g. on nature or wildlife shoots, as is the commonest case for me). I frequently wish I had a macro lens there but if I don't, it's because I deliberately didn't carry one so as not to take time from the main purpose of the session. Crop and up-sample adds back a limited but credible way to keep macro-like options on tap in more situations where macro isn't the aim (with no macro gear available). Could be a new distraction too though... :D
Last edited by Beatsy on Fri Jul 02, 2021 8:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

photosbytw
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2018 7:43 pm
Location: Northeast Georgia

Re: AF, tracking, 30fps, crop and up-sample = macro!?

Post by photosbytw »

Not sure I agree with all the findings but it does give pause to the entrenched opinions I have held sacred since entering the world of macro photography. A revisit of those opinions seemed to be in order.

Thanks for the post.

tw
Since I have retired and I've rekindled a love for photography. I don't take myself serious but I do take creating interesting and well executed images seriously.

MarkSturtevant
Posts: 1946
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
Contact:

Re: AF, tracking, 30fps, crop and up-sample = macro!?

Post by MarkSturtevant »

That is still impressive, and demonstrates what 50Mpx and a deeper-than-mine knowledge of processing can do. I am sure birders have a great time doing much the same thing these days.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

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