For your use, Jack, quick stacks in the field make great sense. You can capture what otherwise you could not and have it all in focus. I have done decades of field work, so I understand. And the motion of the wind, not to mention, critters is a real handicap that the new D850 can help to overcome.
Agreed, Michael.
Partially because of age, but also because of inclination (they may be related! LOL.), I no longer chase after or travel to remote areas to capture photos. I have morphed into a “found” photographer, photographing whatever is around in summer and in winter, dragging whatever flowers, plants, etc. into my little studio and photographing them.
Lol, understood.
My own studio use is limited to 3:1 macro, and above, which cannot really be done in the field ... esp. without a flash.
For me, neither the Nikon in-body stacking, nor pixel-shift, are answers to ultra-macro (my only studio work).
The in-body stacking (based on what I read) is too crude, and not fine enough, for high-mag macros ... so I have bought a WeMacro rail for this ultra-precise purpose ... as it is adjustable in 1 μm units in either direction.
Pixel-shift seems like it's just a superfluous consideration to add to a high-mag stack.
For me, the built-in Nikon focusing does not look very interesting, although should Nikon come out with a fast, sharp, highly corrected macro lens with autofocus (or someone else does), I could be perhaps persuaded.
Understood. That said (and back to an earlier Olympus reference), I've seen some superb in-body-stacked field macro images from Olympus cameras ... that, while not using 'highly-corrected' lenses ... still used pretty darned good lenses that rendered fantastic field-derived stacks, that would likely not have been possible with a highly-corrected lens. (Or even with a StackShot/WeMacro devise fitted for the field.) The subjects captured weren't really 1:1, more like 1:2, but the quick in-body stacks really improved the presentation.
Right now, I am satisfied with my D810 and CV 125, as the subtle focus ring adjustments allow me to achieve a 25 to 50-stack image, fairly quickly, and with acceptable precision, just due to the enormous and precise focus throw.
Pixel-shift to me looks very usable, jast as the Nikon stacking feature does to you.
I can see why: for you and your specialty, delving into pixel-shift would make far more sense. Am interested to see what you think, when all is said and done.
The problem with the new internal focus-stacking from Nikon is the same thing we stub our toe on all the time, the fact that Nikon autofocus lenses tend to be not as well corrected, etc. as some manual lenses, Nikon or other.
I think Nikon will come out with a 200mm FL-Micro one of these days ... and that may be pretty nice. Pure speculation, though.
Also, on long-Nikkor super-teles (which are about as well-corrected as any Zeiss Otus), there may be stacking options with the D850 to where (as you like to do) a wildlife photographer can set a 200, 300, 400, or 500 mm at f/2.8 (to f/4), and multi-stack a fairly-stationary telephoto shot, quickly and effectively, in-body... and thereby achieve tremendous DOF detail
on the subject ... while yet still enjoying totally creamy background bokeh due to the comparatively-fast aperture at that focal length. Obviously, this couldn't be done with a bird in flight, but perhaps a perfectly-stationary one (or a bobcat 'freezing' on the hunt, a lion, buffalo, etc.). Lots of room, and applications, to apply this feature to ... again, including landscape.
You can capture what otherwise you could not and have it all in focus. I have done decades of field work, so I understand. And the motion of the wind, not to mention, critters is a real handicap that the new D850 can help to overcome.
Precisely
Partially because of age, but also because of inclination (they may be related! LOL.), I no longer chase after or travel to remote areas to capture photos. I have morphed into a “found” photographer, photographing whatever is around in summer and in winter, dragging whatever flowers, plants, etc. into my little studio and photographing them.
For me, the built-in Nikon focusing does not look very interesting, although should Nikon come out with a fast, sharp, highly corrected macro lens with autofocus (or someone else does), I could be perhaps persuaded.
Pixel-shift to me looks very usable, jast as the Nikon stacking feature does to you.
Hey, we all have our interests, as well it should be.
And different features will make more, or less, sense accordingly.
Cheers.
