In the process of macro photography, in order to improve the efficiency of shooting and the quality of the original picture, it is a very suitable choice to use macro rails. This article will introduce the basic principles involved in macro shooting, the application of NiSi NM-200S macro rail, and share with you some mineral works shot with macro rails.
Picture: Illustration of the shooting scene
The picture is shown in a film
Picture: Illustration of the shooting scene
1. Subject
In order to capture the parts of minerals with a length of about 1~3 cm, a full-frame camera (CMOS usually 36 mm wide) 25 mm 2-5x macro with a NiSi NM-200S macro rail was used to capture some of the minerals. At 5x magnification, the actual length of the object in the full-frame camera (CMOS 36mm) is only 7.2mm, the actual object length corresponding to each pixel is only 1 micron, and the displacement between photo sequences is only a few tens of microns.
Figure Depth of field calculation is illustrated
Second, the way of shooting
In macro conditions, the depth of field of the image is very shallow. Depth of field can often be understood as the depth of the "sharp" part of the frame – for example, in a wide-angle landscape photograph, the depth of field can easily reach the meter level, while in macro shots, the depth of field is usually only millimeter or micron. Therefore, we need to shoot in multiple stacks. Each photo records a clear part of the object, and uses post-production software to automatically identify the "sharp" part of each image (usually the position with the largest average grayscale change/gradient and largest in the same position in the image sequence), and then scale and match it appropriately to form a clear image. The image below shows the whole process of depth compositing in macro shooting.
Figure The whole process of depth of field composition in macro shooting
The sharp part of each original image is marked as a separate color, and in actual shooting, it is recommended that the sharp part between two consecutive images should overlap so that the out-of-focus part is not easy to be left in post-compositing. The depth map in the upper right corner shows how close the subject is to the lens. Finally, they are combined to obtain a work with a clear subject.
三、NiSi NM-200S微距导轨功能
The NiSi NM-200S macro rail has an adjustable range of 180mm, which fully allows the camera to move during shooting, the gimbal part has a 360° rotatable function, which is convenient for the camera to move according to the predetermined route, there is a foldable quick-adjustment shaker on the rail side, and the quick move button on the gimbal side can realize high-precision movement or fast movement of the camera position, and at the same time, the guide rail has four detachable foot pegs, and the bottom 3/8 and 1/ The 4 screw holes allow us to use directly on a flat surface or connect to other equipment facilities.
Figure NiSi NM-200S macro rail main functions
Figure NiSi NM-200S macro rail detail
Fourth, the results of the shooting
In the depths of the universe, minerals shimmer with unique colors and textures like crystallization of the universe. They are witnesses to the long history of the universe, recording the evolution of the stars and the passage of time. When we look at these minerals, it is as if we are looking at a corner of the universe, and each crystal carries endless stories and mysteries.
This is a specimen of solar fluorite symbiotic galena from the famous Rogerley mine in England, where these brightly colored crystals were once discarded as a by-product of lead mining, and today they have become a calling card of British minerals. Galena and fluorite crystals can be seen gathered on the bottom rock, the galena surface is slightly dull and loses its metallic luster due to dissolution, and the translucent fluorite crystals are interspersed and grown, which is very complete. Sunlight fluorite contains rare earth elements, which turn from dark green to blue when exposed to ultraviolet rays in the sun, which is the origin of its name.
Natural copper, as the name suggests, is a higher purity copper ore crystallized in a natural environment, this specimen from Michigan, a famous natural copper producing region, has a low degree of crystal oxidation and bright color. The crystals are dendritic, staggered, vigorous and powerful, fully demonstrating the beauty of crystallography.
Gypsum is a material that has a wide range of uses in life, and it is also widely distributed in nature. This gypsum is produced in the saline-alkali land of Zhangbei, and due to the enrichment of local calcium sulfate, gypsum crystals of high purity are naturally formed. From the side of the specimen, it can be seen that the crystals are very translucent and do not contain any impurities. The front side of the crystal has a frosted texture, and a closer look reveals that the surface is regularly arranged with dissolution pits, which are the macroscopic embodiment of its microstructure.
Molybdenum-lead ore is a major branch of the lead group minerals, which is produced in many parts of the world, the most unique of which is the sandwich molybdenum-lead ore in Mexico. Due to the change of crystalline environment and mineral component concentration, molybdenum lead ore forms stratification, the central part is slightly transparent brown, and the outer layer is bright yellow and opaque, similar to sandwich biscuits. A number of bright yellow crystals are arranged in a staggered manner on the dark bedrock, which has excellent ornamental and specimen properties.
It often takes hundreds of millions of years for a mineral to go from a discrete elemental compound to being artificially mined, and it is a fragment of the universe that retains a unique color. From the mineral field to the studio, it may be decades or hundreds of years. Using the NiSi NM-200S macro rail, we were able to capture these high-precision pieces and share the beauty of these minerals with you.
DawnTideNN
Member of the Seeker Light Chaser team
Member of LPC Dragon City Program
Member of the Youth Branch of Changzhou Photographers Association
NiSi Collaborative Photographer
Panasonic Collaboration Photographer
图文/DawnTideNN
矿物解说词By Power Station of Youth | 刘皓天