Super Telephoto Micro Adjustment Using Reikan FoCal

I had early success using FoCal fully-automatic mode to determine the micro-adjustment for my shorter focal length lenses.  So far, I haven't been able to repeat that success with my super telephoto lenses. I did have success using the semi-automatic mode.  I'm still pleased with the product - I'm writing this so that you can learn from my mistakes.

The root cause of my problems was that my rock solid tripod wasn't rock solid. The super telephotos magnify any motion and the motion destroys sharpness.  While you cannot use IS during the test, this problem did demonstrate how dependent I've been on image stabilization.  

    

I made my tests at less than the 50 times the focal length recommended by Canon.  FoCal noticed this and told me to move to the correct distance.  I didn't because I didn't have a place to do the test that was that long.

The motion made it difficult to center my camera on the target.  FoCal shows a highly magnified shot of the target as provided by live view.  The center of the view finder didn't perfectly match the center of live view.  The image provided by FoCal on the monitor was slightly delayed.  Any adjustment I made would bounce around because of my unstable tripod before finally settling down.

The FoCal semi-automatic mode then allowed me to focus, compare small focus changes, and make micro adjustment changes without actually moving the mirror or shutter.  As a result, I was able to correctly adjust my camera and lens combination.

In real life, my tripod doesn't need to be as stable since I will be using IS and shorter shutter speeds.  Still, my photos are only as sharp as allowed by the weakest link in my system so I'm more aware of the need for a stable tripod.  Instead of shooting at ISO 100, I may move up to 320 for higher.  I'll also use mirror lock-up when it is practical.

I've noticed some online complaints from individuals who haven't used FoCal.  They are worried about FoCal requiring the serial number of their cameras.  They imply that their privacy is somewhat compromised.  Privacy isn't the problem - the real problem is piracy.   When I started to research FoCal I found a number of places where the code could be downloaded for free.  The serial number is used as part of the software encryption. Stolen code will not work without a camera with the correct serial number.  If you can afford the cameras and lenses you are testing, the value added by FoCal is definitely worth the purchase price.

How I photograph Sandhill Cranes

Half a million Sandhill Cranes stop over along the Platte River between Grand Island and Kearney Nebraska each spring.  The "Central Flyway is considered one of nature's greatest migration spectacles.  The cranes have been making this journey for thousands of years.  2012 has already been an unusual year.  For the first time in recorded history, several thousand cranes wintered in Nebraska.

It's hard to explain why I became "hooked" on Crane Photography.  Crane Photography is a challenge.  They all look alike.  Neither they or the surrounding fields are very colorful.  There are hundreds of thousands but they like to remain in the distance.

The cranes spend their nights on sandbars in the river.  Very little of the land along the river is open to the public at night.  There are a couple of blinds in good locations that can be rented if you are willing to pay more than the cost of a good motel room for the privilege.    Even there, you will find that the random nature of the cranes could mean that no cranes will be in sight.  Depending on the day, the cranes will not arrive until it's too dark for photographs and will depart as or before the sun rises the next morning.  I've rented blinds on several occasions with mixed success.

A couple of places provide guided tours that enter blinds near the river before sunset and depart after dark.  I've done this twice and didn't get a useable photo either time.  The blinds are in good locations so you can usually hear and see cranes.

 

When sunset is near, the cranes fly overhead in flocks looking for a safe place to sleep.  There are cranes everywhere and you can get some impressive sunset shots - as long as you aren't in a blind.

If I get up soon enough, I can arrive along the eastern portion of the river before sunrise.  The nearest sleeping cranes will be in huge flocks at least a quarter of a mile away.  It is very impressive to see them wake up and leave as a group.

The next two hours are crucial.  The light is good and the cranes are more active than they will be later.  They fly lower looking for friends and good places to eat.  They break into dances to celebrate the new day.  I drive along the gravel roads until I see cranes near the road.  Using my vehicle as a blind, I get as close as I can without disturbing them.  The cranes aren't fooled.  If they don't fly away immediately, they begin a slow retreat so that I have an increasingly smaller and smaller view of their backsides.  Even so, I get my best photos this way.  

During the remainder of the day, I can take a break from crane photography.  The cranes are not as active.  The sun heats up the ground enough to cause heat waves that distort my photos. 

I plan my afternoon journey to put me into a good position at sunset.  I usually don't position myself at the river at sunset because it is hard to see the setting sun there.  With a long lens, even a wisp of colorful clouds can make a mediocre sunset look spectacular.

You get the best crane photographs when  you are in the right place at the right time.  Longer lenses provide more opportunities but any lens can produce spectacular results.

Prarie Winds Art Center Photo Contest

I waited a long time for an opportunity to photograph Arcadia National Park.  Unfortunately, my visit  coincided with constant and fog.  The weather and forecast cut our visit short and we moved onto find dryer places in Maine. 

We arrived at Arcadia just before sunset and decided to drive around the park a little to look for a promising site to photograph at sunrise.  We stopped at Bubble Pond long enough to take a couple shots of the fall trees reflected in the water. 

I titled my favorite image "Fall Reflections".  I like it for the color and abstract qualities.  I find that it is a relaxing image that contributes to a peaceful mood.

I entered it in a photo competition at the Prairie Winds Art Center in Grand Island Nebraska.  Competition was more intense than I anticipated including at least one image that had already appeared in the National Geographic Magazine.  "Fall Reflections" received an Honorable Mention.

Reikan FoCal - I Recommend It

Micro adjustment is a feature that that was developed a few years ago.  It is supposed to allow the user to fine tune exact focus when their camera is using a specific lens.   It seemed like an exciting feature when the ID Mark III was announced.  However, the 1D Mark III had so many more problems with focus that wasn't consistent that Micro adjustment was a waste of time.

Canon partially addressed the issue with the 1D Mark 1V by crippling the ability to focus on an exact spot.  When you tried to focus on the center, little invisible helper sensors assisted.  This is very frustrating when trying to photograph a bird that is surrounded by nearby branches.

The 5D Mark II also has the feature but once again Canon decided to reserve its finest autofocus for only the top tier cameras.  The future isn't bright, instead of improving the IDX focus, Canon has decided to not even try to focus at f8.

Canon continues to offer micro-focus as a feature.  They have been extremely vague about how it works or the best way to use it.  They have never offered any software to help make the process accurate and repeatable.  For example, you cannot bracket focus using the technique.

No consensus of a best micro adjustment technique has developed over the years.  The recommended distance for testing makes it extremely difficult to tell if you have the best focus or not.  It can take hours to find the correct adjustment for a single lens.  A cottage industry has been spawned to supply micro-adjustment tools - Lens Align has been the most popular.

When I tested the technique, I was not able to produce repeatable results.  I couldn't convince myself that moving from Canon's original settings world be correct.  What if I use +10 and the actual value normally falls at +1?   I could end up making a lens that cost thousands perform like the cheapest lens available.  I decided not to risk it - if focus is critical I may be able to stop down or use live view.

I discovered FoCal this week and paid for a copy.  It is on a PC that is tethered to the camera.  It automates setting the micro adjustment and compares a series of photos to the original setting.  It decides which image is best and adjusts the camera accordingly.

In the last 24 hours, I've tested 13 lenses.  Since zoom lens require more than one test, I've made 21 tests in all.  The reports that FoCal produces have proved to me that while the focus produced isn't totally consistent, overall adjustments can be made that will result in consistently sharper photos.  The results also convinced me that one of my lens needs professional help from Canon.  The reports are stored on my PC so I can compare results with any new tests I make.

I don't have an area long enough to test any lens 400mm and longer.  I cheated and tested the 400mm lenses a little closer.  I'll need to overcome this problem soon because I use the long glass on a regular basis.

The author of the software has a list of future new features that will make this software even more useful.  It isn't on the list but making this an Android App would be wonderful.

The ultimate test will be in the field.  My biggest adjustment is -16.  As of today, the 5D Mark II will use that setting.  I plan to test the setting manually to verify that -16 is actually better than 0 in the real world.

Snow Covers the Fontenelle Forest Wetlands.

One of my personal projects this year is to document the recovery of wetlands of Fontenelle Forest.  I visited for the first time in 2012 and found the situation even worse than I remembered.  The green plants and animals were gone and the trees that were still standing were probably dead and about to fall.  The forest was ugly.

 I returned to the wetlands in February during a snow storm.  What a difference.  The snow made me realize that the ugly was skin deep.  The healing has begun and the wetlands will soon shed the new coat of snow and the green shoots and leaves will return along with the birds and bees.

The forest was spooky during my visit.  The snow clinging to branches stresses the weakened limbs.  Creaks and groans surrounded me and branches crashed to the ground.

I planned to practice HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography this weekend.  I took 7 exposures of each of the photos above and merged them in PhotoShop or Photomatix.  The snow scenes were anything but high contrast but I did find that the technique helped retain some detail in the dark shadows on the trees.

Snow Birds

I photographed some birds on my deck today.

   White-breasted Nuthatch

European Starling

House Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

The groups of birds that visited the feeder scattered as soon as I appeared.  I tried a number of different approaches.  I started with a 600mm lens and moved to a 400mm lens.  I tried natural light and tried a flash fill (on camera  and radio controlled through a window).  I was outside for some and shooting through the window for others.

I discovered that fill flash from inside my home didn't bother them much but fill flash from the outside chased them away every time. Even the sound of my camera bothered them outside.

When I have another opportunity,  I plan to set up a blind on the deck.  I think I can sneak into it out of the birds field of view from my screened in porch.  My ultimate goal is to photograph the birds so that they appear to be somewhere other than by my feeders.

Winter Wonderland

Nebraska isn't known for mild winters.  We have months of subzero weather with intermittent blizzards. This winter has been an exception - at least until yesterday.  Fourteen inches of snow were on the ground by the time the storm was over.  Still the transition was gentle - the snow fell so softly that it stuck to the branches and transformed the neighborhood into a winter wonderland.