landscapes Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Good Evening Does anyone know of or could recommend a good photo stacking software package I can purchase that can be downloaded and used on a Apple Mac computer? Most seem to be Windows compatible only. Regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 4630 Posted January 7, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 7, 2017 I've not used it myself but I understand that their products are fairly well regarded; http://www.heliconsoft.com/heliconsoft-products/helicon-focus/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Hi David, Stacking can be carried out in Photoshop CS3 extended and later versions which you may be able to pick up at reasonable cost. If you have anyone in education in the family it may be worth looking at student versions. Apart from that I can't offer much Mac related advice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 I have checked and you can get Helicon Focus for the Mac which does a good job. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
landscapes Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 Hi Many thanks for all the replies, this gives me a couple of very good options. Regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Phil Parker Posted January 7, 2017 Administrators Share Posted January 7, 2017 Another vote for Helicon from me, admittedly on the PC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
landscapes Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 I have checked and you can get Helicon Focus for the Mac which does a good job. Hi Andy Many thanks for the information, I wonder if you would mind if i asked you for some advice on compact camera's specifically for model railway photography. I have just sold my Canon 5DMK 11 and lens as I have not used it for some time now and find it a big and cumbersome. A few years ago I purchased a Canon G1X which is great for family snap shots and I have started to used for model railway photography as well but the minimum focus is down to 20cm. I know you have in the past spoken highly of the Canon G12 which Gilbert also uses when photographing his Peterborough North layout. I am seriously thinking of getting a second camera for railway modelling photos, in your opinion is there anything better to look at other than the G12 as I believe you can focus down to just a few centimetres. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kylestrome Posted January 7, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 7, 2017 Although my preference is for HeliconFocus, it is a bit expensive to buy these days ($92 for an unlimited license for the "Lite" version!). Much better value is Affinity Photo, which is a relative newcomer and intended to be an alternative to Photoshop, and very good it is too! The latest version is 1.5.1 and now includes a very capable stacking module called 'Focus Merge'. It is a lot simpler to use than Photoshop's equivalent function. The best thing about Affinity Photo is the price. You won't find a better Photoshop killer for 50 Euros and it's British! https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/ (No connection, just a satisfied user) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 A few years ago I purchased a Canon G1X which is great for family snap shots and I have started to used for model railway photography as well but the minimum focus is down to 20cm. I know you have in the past spoken highly of the Canon G12 which Gilbert also uses when photographing his Peterborough North layout. Although the G1X is a good camera it is a dog in the manger for macro work due to the larger sensor size and consequent re-arrangement of optics. However the G15 and G16 do have the close-up capabilities of the G12 so it's finding the best value you can out of those. I'm still rattling through G12s and I reckon the end of my third one won't be too far away as the previous two managed a third of a million frames before starting to have issues. As you're not too far away I don't know if this day would be of interest? https://www.pendonmuseum.com/shop/view.php?id=178&category=19 I'm hoping to line up some special opportunities. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redkiterail Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 I have used a inbuilt photo stacking in my Panasonic gx80 csc camera it works by the virtual of a 4k capable sensor. As sensor that can produce still and moving images at this range photo stacking can be hopefully be done in built systems in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
landscapes Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 Although the G1X is a good camera it is a dog in the manger for macro work due to the larger sensor size and consequent re-arrangement of optics. However the G15 and G16 do have the close-up capabilities of the G12 so it's finding the best value you can out of those. I'm still rattling through G12s and I reckon the end of my third one won't be too far away as the previous two managed a third of a million frames before starting to have issues. As you're not too far away I don't know if this day would be of interest? https://www.pendonmuseum.com/shop/view.php?id=178&category=19 I'm hoping to line up some special opportunities. Hi Andy Yes very interested, but not sure at this time if I can make it. If I want to book a place how do I go about doing it. Also what photo equipment if any do I need to bring with me, Regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 If I want to book a place how do I go about doing it. Also what photo equipment if any do I need to bring with me, Booking can be made via the museum's page, it's all to support the museum and they kindly invited me back after a session a couple of years ago. Camera (and instruction manuals if you're not completely conversant with all the functions of the camera), a tripod is a big help (not normally permitted in the museum but we have dispensation) and a shutter release cable (unless you're happy to use the timer). I'll also be doing a short session on getting the best out of phone cameras as part of the day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
landscapes Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Booking can be made via the museum's page, it's all to support the museum and they kindly invited me back after a session a couple of years ago. Camera (and instruction manuals if you're not completely conversant with all the functions of the camera), a tripod is a big help (not normally permitted in the museum but we have dispensation) and a shutter release cable (unless you're happy to use the timer). I'll also be doing a short session on getting the best out of phone cameras as part of the day. Many thanks Andy I will hopefully be able to book a place early next week. I have all you mentioned and happy to use the cameras timer. Regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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