>>4187067To elaborate on my 2:1 macro system, I have these:
1. Sturdy desk with no fans or PC running nearby to minimize vibrations
2. Soldering/alligator clip arm thing to hold the subject and some small reflector papers around it (looks like an octopus)
3. Tripod with focus rail
4. Speedlight and simple diffuser on the end of the lens
5. Smartphone app to control camera
What I do is set focus distance enough to fill frame with the subject, then use the focus rail to focus just ahead. Stop down aperture to lens sweet spot. Set exposure and WB manually and test. Take a shot, wait 5s, move the focus rail a miniscule amount, and repeat another 10-100 times. Then import into LR, do any bulk corrections for DR, then import to PS and stack + use Topaz.
Sometimes instead of a speedlight I use continuois lighting woth a variable twmp LED abd use longer exposures, can get good results but even more sensitive to vibration.
Pic related is around 1.25:1 focus stack done with continuois lighting
