Rik's Links

Recommended focus stacking software & discussion group:

• Zerene Stacker --- better images, less work
• photomacrography.net -- dedicated to the photography of small things
  

Frequently referenced publications not at photomacrography.net

• Theory of the "No-Parallax" Point in Panorama Photography
• An Introduction to Focus Stacking — Extended Depth of Field Digital Photography
  (updated from News of the Lepidopterists' Society, Summer 2005; scans of original publication available HERE)

Rik's postings at photomacrography.net that he'd like to locate easily

(indexed through Nov 3, 2024)

• Locust seed beetle face
  
• Running Man fungiglyph
  
• explanation of focus breathing versus changes in focal length (in another person's thread)
  
• Jumping spider and prey on compost pile (including ChatGPT's analysis of the image)
  
• Re: Glorioptychus callidus - a most undulant diatom (beginning discussion of ambiguous structure)
  
• Re: Water droplets evaporating from the wing scales of a peacock butterfly (Aglais io)
  
• Fruit fly pupae (probably Drosophila)
  
• "classic glass" LED bulb: light output and power supply
  
• discussion of laser focus vs normal incoherent focus (continues in subsequent posts)
  
• blue LED chip on lamp "filament"
  
• Re: Objectives directly mounted to phone -- pixel 8 pro internal 113mm f2.8 telephoto
  
• Gladiolus cormlets
  
• Article about Anand Varma at National Geographic
  
• Re: 1951 USAF resolution test chart question - Group 11 Element 6
  
• A common lawn weed: Euphorbia maculata (Spotted Spurge)
  
• Re: Infeasibly black seed of Nigella damascena... (comments about Beatsy's stereo)
  
• Re: Macro 3D effect (comments about YouTube rocking 3D)
  
• Single Plane Illumination Microscope presentation (links to this)
• Re: "Pseudo-axial" lighting using vignetting aperture
  
• parasitic wasp from bug eggs
  
• Re: Pushing down objectives... how low can you go?
  
• How ticks get under your skin
  
• self-contained ingestible robot does real-time video inside human stomach (link to Adam Savage video)
  
• Re: Wave (lambda) plate above vs. below the subject? (on Jones matrices)
  
• How do I find documentation for this LED controller chip?
  
• Cicada singing: the mechanism at 110,000 frames/second
  
• crane fly mating has an interesting twist
  
• on laser speckle and moving diffusers
  
• Re: 0.1mm metal scale -- any other suppliers?
  
• Re: Macro frame rates high enough to trap photons in flight
  
• "digital photography is surprisingly analog" (another fellow's comment)
  
• What is the effect of an achromatic retarder with cross-polarized crystals?  (links to page #2 with images)
  
• imaging fruit flies on a high-tech "treadmill"
  
• Feet of a locust seed beetle, Amblycerus robiniae
  
• "Lady Beetle Eggs Hatching -- 10 Hours in 2 Minutes"
  
• Yellow eggs on locust tree bark (ladybird beetle eggs and hatchlings)
  
• Zerene --> Blender --> Sketchfab: essentials for newbies
  
• "Yellow screen" mask generation using 589 nm sodium light
  
• closeup photo of solar eclipse in Richland, WA
  
• cross-sections of MLCCs (multi-layer ceramic capacitors)
  
• asking how an apparently live lacewing was shot
  
• Software LoCA analysis
  
• pointer to YouTube "naturefold" -- field photography with Laowa 2.5-5X and focus stacking
  
• added diagram to Bill Wheeler's thread, "Hamuli"
  
• "moth fly silhouette"
  
• method for "...using same alignment for several stacks in Zerene command line"
  
• "kitchen ant", developing into study of the external muscle that elevates the petiole in Tapinoma sessile
  
• Methods to evaluate performance of a focus rail
  
• comments in "Mitutoyo TAGLENS Liquid Tube Lens for Ultra Deep DOF"
  
• comments in "A classic revised: LEFKOWITZ, L: The Manual of Close-Up and Macro Photography"
  
• illustration of MJKZZ motor drive currents, in "Help!  Macro rail minimum 1µm step size is too big."
  
• question about alignment, in "Idler Rails and Assemblies"
  
• a thread to remember: "Debunking the high NA / coverslip correction myth"
  
• explanation & illustration in "Pupil factor and linear perspective" (and explaining an error in the literature)
  
• explanation of utilized aperture effects, with video, as comments in "Fake rotation" of the object, with my Mitutoyo10x
  
• Two of these strands are not like the others... (tinsel wire and regular solid strands mixed in a single conductor)
• comments in "How a Lens Creates an Image, low NA vs high NA, Huygens OpticsVideo"
  
• portraits of ants (link to ant-photo.eu)
  
• "What to do when a 10 billion Pixel scan is too small?" (Canon "elevated printing")
  
• comments in "Clarinet reed"
  
• Interactive macro CT scans of USB-C cables
  
• discussion: Batch processing multiple stacks located in the same folder using Zerene Stacker
  
• Mantis eye-cleaning brush
  
• taking a picture of taking a picture (setup for shooting the write coil of a hard disk drive)
  
• write coil on the head of a hard disk drive
  
• comments in "Pixel shift: 4 x megapixels but how much more resolution?"
  
• comments in "Laowa Aurogon Super-Micro lens test and comparison (versus Mitutoyo etc.)"
  
• BSFL mouthparts move alternately, left/right/left/right
  
• Pixel 6a cell phone JPEG gives paint-by-number effect
• Jumping spider nabs Black Soldier Fly
  
• Flea beetle sitting with feet in "claws up" position
  
• BSF eggs are stuck together with oil
  
• BSF 1st instar larvae have prominent eyes
  
• small dark beetle with red spots on lichens (Heather Lady Beetle)
  
• rolling shutter effect ruins a handheld stack, in "Advice sought on weird stacking artifact from mirrorless rental"
  
• in "Calliphora Vicina.  Proboscis and labella.", comments about prestomal teeth
• video review of stereo macro competition
  
• tiger beetle taking flight, 120 fps is not nearly fast enough
  
• Re: how to retouch stereo images (beginning of a long discussion)
  
• more discussion of good versus bad stereo
  
• tibial spurs (Re: Grape Leafminer moth -- a new species of Phyllocnistis)
  
• What are current recommendations for 3D from depth map? (request for info)
• "Cutting Metal inside an Electron Microscope" (link to video)
  
• Re: MEMS chip (link to video, "The ingenious micro-mechanisms inside your phone")
  
• Grape Leafminer moth -- a new species of Phyllocnistis
  
• Re: Powers of 10- doxxed! (misidentified chip containing designer's name, turns out to be a temperature sensor)
  
• on stacking in Affinity Photo
  
• Re: Bread mould (question about enhanced colors from side lighting of old stained slide)
  
• Re: Reversing the Zeiss 50mm f/1.6 Photolithography Lens - Optics Math Questions (on focus breathing and calculators)
  
• Re: Powers of 10 (Cambridge Silicon Radio BC4-EXT) (discussion about stacking and stereo at high mag)
  
• on bent green butterfly scales
  
• fluorescence microscopy discriminates 53 proteins (article about "iterative indirect immunofluorescence imaging")
  
• Carpet beetles have oddly shaped scales
  
• Re: Tube lens and microscope objective questions (on Nikon vs Amscope et.al.)
  
• regarding incompatibility of Stack New Images and stereo generation at the same time
  
• Re: changing the subject (discussion of how the forum software sometimes shows truncated titles)
  
• Re: Cross-eyed Auliscus sculptus and Navicula (discussion & recommendations of good versus bad stereo)
  
• RFID chip from "Alien 9662" label (actually an NXP chip)
  
• "It's the Matrix, but for locusts" (link to video on research about how locusts form swarms)
  
• diffraction grating spectra are linear in wavelength
  
• Why does my rainbow look different from yours? (discussion of metamerism due to sensor curves)
• link to discussion of clear PVA glues for slide mounting
  
• Re: MTF Mapper target help needed
  
• NTAG213 chip from NFC RFID label
  
• RFID chip from UPS shipping label
  
• Re: Amateur Question: Full Frame vs Crop Sensor (why full frame is better in low light)
  
• Re: Max resolution in extreme macro. Is lighting a factor? (partial coherence)
  
• Re: The PhotonsToPhotos Optical Bench
  
• Re: How to calculate step size (a thread culminating in the Zerene Stacker online DOF calculator)
  
• Re: Pearls  (on the topic of AI-modified images -- "computational hallucinations")
  
• FAQ: What BBCode tags are available in this forum?
  
• I added a YouTube embedding BBCode
  
• Re: blue bottle (fly incorrectly ID'd)
  
• Re: entering Unicode emoji characters into forum posts
  
• Re: RFID Prox Card Failure Analysis
  
• Re: Relationship Between Magnification vs Depth of Field
  
• Re: Pigmy-pipes
  
• Re: Align optical axes to rail axes
  
• remains of an absorbable suture knot
• Spider vs spider, little one wins
• Quirks of Canon R7 full electronic shutter
  
• Tracheae and spiracles of grape leaffolder caterpillar
  
• Re: Circular Polarized Light and mirrors
  
• Re: Stereo (3D) Images Going Large
  
• Re: 50,000,000x Magnification Video
  
• Small ambush bg captures skipper
  
• Magnetically captured debris from a diamond wheel knife sharpener
  
• Re: Fly haltere and calypter (now in stereo)
  
• Small moth versus paper wasp -- moth WINS, says literature
  
• Tiny hamuli of whitefly parasitic wasp
  
• FAQ: How to find focal length and principal planes for arbitrary lens?
  
• Sigma 400mm tele macro magnification/focal length help
  
• Geranium petal: unexpected structure of cell boundaries
  
• Paper wasp defeats dragonfly, feast follows
  
• Male mosquito sensors
  
• Violets and Dill Weeds
• Positioning a camera in 6D with Noga arm on tripod
  
• Recommendations for printer & display color profiling?
  
• handling trouble with coin edges
  
• clarification of "mid-curtain sync" for flash control
  
• rare male of Encarsia formosa (parasitic wasp of whiteflies)
  
• Andy Murray talks about photographing springtails in the field (links regarding livestream recording)
  
• ptychographic X-ray laminograpy (links to articles)
  
• on stray light paths in reflective objectives
  
• perspective on O-ring (failed in service)
  
• lighting cage with CAMVATE clamps and arms
  
• knot of striped hair  (and cross-section)
• RAW-TIFF what happens to the ISO value when brightness is increased in conversion?  (answer to question)
  
• jumping spider portraits
  
• What about that fresnel lens on your camera flash?  (photo demo: it's not a good diffuser)
  
• summary of the SIL process (Solid Immersion Lens)
  
• Bugs on Basil (whiteflies and parasitic wasps)
  
• "So, delayed fluorescence in photosynthetic systems seems to be a concept that Wikipedia has essentially missed!"
  
• on stereo rendering of diatom processes (long discussion in thread)
  
• "diascopic" versus "episcopic" illumination (answer to question)
  
• Zerene stereo: 4% and 4 degrees are the same when stack depth = 57.2% of stack width
  
• How to create 3D with Zerene? (answer to question)
  
• Stereo high speed video of 0.4 mm beetles in flight (links to articles)
  
• Black spiky extruded capsule (parasitized pupa of whitefly)
  
• link to article: James Webb Space Telescope Mirror Actuators are AMAZING!"
  
• diffraction vs sensor resolution (answer to question)
  
• Watchfolder script to move photos into new folder via detecting 30 second gap between batches
  
• Ray-tracing reflections through a double-pane window (using tweak to Ray Optics Simulation at https://github.com/ricktu288/ray-optics)
  
• "Responses vary by questioner!" (on results from searching for "effective aperture")
  
• on changing the voltage used to drive stepper motors
  
• question about specimen prep, Urania ripheus scales separated from wing membranes
  
• response to links posted by other people, regarding geologic structures that look organic or
  
• New video: The Snowflake Mystery (YouTube interview with Ken Libbrecht)
  
• FAQ: How can I calculate effective aperture? (prompted by discussion preceding HERE)
  
• IEEE Spectrum now printed on "gray" paper
  
• summary of ploum's method for calculating LP/FOV and LP/mm given sensor & lens specs
  
• Acquiring stereo vision as an adult (the case of Susan Barry)
• response to "How to photograph a profile?"
  
• on calculating DOF for a finite objective on different-from-nominal extension
  
• ray traces of paired lenses with an infinity section
  
• Hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) -- a drying aid
  
• BSFL mouthparts -- a miniature "tunnel boring machine"
  
• Re: The Mysterious El-Zoom Nikkor (specifically regarding telecentricity)
  
• Re: Fast Stacker v2.0 (assembly of freeware for focus stacking)
  
• "How Mushroom Time-Lapses Are Filmed" | WIRED
  
• Black soldier fly in Richland WA
  
• What is this fly with legs like a flea?
  
• Re: Ant Lab on YouTube - slomo insects
  
• Funnelweb spider male comes courting
  
• Poison Hemlock Moth (Agonopterix alstroemeriana)
  
• Re: Lasius niger - Black Garden Ant pupa and cocoons (some links about haplodiploidy inheritance)
  
• June Beetle eyes have a smoothly curved surface
  
• Bondic® is NOT A GLUE, says the manufacturer (on the properties and uses of Bondic)
  
• Virginia Creeper Leafhoppers -- Erythroneura ziczac
  
• Re: Highest Serial Number 105PN? (on the strange statistics of estimating the maximum)
  
• Small green stink bugs
  
• YouTube channel "Journey to the Microcosmos"
  
• eyes of Western Cherry Fruit Fly
  
• Re: Minerals in 3D (stereopairs)
  
• Forum now provides searching by word sequences
  
• Mayfly molting from subimago to adult
  
• On the odd aspects of how light Really works... (Feynman's QED book)
  
• Special slide + reconstruction algorithm = super resolution microscopy
  
• "Exploding Weed Seeds (28,546 fps Slow Motion)- Smarter Every Day 257"
  
• discussion in Testing a Sony A7sii for macro, which thread morphs to lots of different sampling & sharpening issues
  
• Re: S21 ultra: 108mp in RAW
  
• on matching pixel count to optical resolution
  
• article on "blackwater" macro
  
• Re: Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) seeds (which were not actually oleracea, thus explaining the fancy colors)
  
• Re: Super resolution (in Adobe Camera Raw, the AI version)
  
• Re: Stereo Ostracods
  
• "From genes to butterfly scale & color diversity"
  
• Re: Newbie question - Depth of Field considerations...
  
• "Another darkling beetle, Eusattus muricatus"
  
• help for new user of microscope objectives
  
• "The Curious Observer's Guide to Quantum Mechanics"
  
• "Bump-and-spine structures on elytra of a different darkling beetle, Eleodes novoverruculus"
  
• suggestions to user experiencing fogging with reversed Componon 28mm f/4
  
• "Color illusions"
  
• discussions of inverted depth, in "Embossed escutcheons on revenue stamps from the 18th and 19th Century"
  
• replies in "Focus stacking algorithms: Zerene vs Photoshop"
  
• questions and suggestions to use Leica LAS for a high-throughput stacking application
  
• extensive help to new user, "First few days of micro"
  
• discussion regarding very inexpensive new focus block on eBay
  
• providing help regarding "fuzziness around the hairy portion of the [Cornflower] seed"
  
• assorted comments, in "Windows of Papilio ulysses wing scale" (by Chris S.)
  
• "Cobweb on glass, with spider foot for scale"
  
• question about 1:1-to-infinity stacking, in "A Review of the Inexpensive Opteka 15mm f/4 1:1 Wide Angle Macro Lens"
  
• "Pedipalp and body of Steatoda grossa"
  
• "3-clawed foot of a cobweb spider"
  
• "True, but on the bright side we teach magic in addition to performing it."
  
• explanation of deleting an unusual spammer
  
• "Images formed by ommatidia lenses of BMSB shed cuticle"
  
• "Bump-and-spine structures on elytra of a darkling beetle, Philolithus densicollis"
  
• comments in "Micro fisheye" (imaging through a dissfly's eye)
  
• through-the-lens aiming using an ordinary flashlight through camera eyepiece
  
• speculation about the optics of a closeup wideangle setup
  
• question to Beatsy, regarding Shockwave in aluminum foil
  
• on focus stepping by rear bellows movement, at high magnification
  
• "Anatomical details of a blister beetle (Lytta vulnerata)"
  
• Acronis Protection made ACR GUI agonizingly slow (solved)
  
• comments on optical field curvature effects on 3D modeling
  
• comments regarding how to document effects of post-processing
  
• admin forum notes about restoring images lost on external servers
  
• discussion of contrast loss in background caused by OOF foreground
  
• comments on apparently different size of RGB pixels of camera sensor
  
• Robberfly with ladybug ("Yellow and orange lichen and other things")
  
• analysis in "Large format macro tests"
  
• Rik's vertical setup using Newport board and post
  
• thoughts on color-matching in photographing fluorescent subjects
  
• "Tiny winged ant showing interference colors"
  
• "Trippy colored landscape (electrical contact of a failed thermostat)"
  
• reply in "Why aren't flies blinded by the sun?"
  
• "Bumblebee mandible with golden hairs"
  
• "Dysdera crocata, the Woodlouse Spider"
  
• what I believe is intimately tied to who I believe
  
• test wafer destroyed in shipping
  
• "very Very long baseline stereo imaging"
  
• "Diffuse illumination with soft edges is what's critical for doing this sort of work" (re. stereo diatoms by Beatsy)
  
• discussion of intermittent failure traced to overclocking RAM
  
• "Water drops on hydrophobic mold surface"
  
• ray diagrams for tube lens not focused at infinity (in thread titled "Exact distance between tube lens and sensor plane?")
  
• algebraic analysis for distance from sensor to focused subject, versus step number for rear bellows focusing (in thread titled "step size of the focusing motor in the lens")
  
• reply to question about 8-bit vs 16-bit output (perhaps surprising, no visual difference even with extreme levels adjustment)
  
• summary and link for "Build A Sophisticated Microscope Using Lego, 3D Printing, Arduinos, and a Raspberry Pi"
  
• reply to "Rofcusing on a refraction in water drop"
  
• reaction to post about color blindness and movie (amusing disconnect)
  
• "How many photons are available to make a white pixel?" (including explanation why 8-bit color with gamma 2 works so well)
  
• "Zerene Stacker now has slabbing built in"
  
• "Zerene Stacker now has dust & hot-pixel removal"
  
• first reply in the thread on COVID-19 lockdown
  
• "Recommendations for a digital eyepiece camera?" for online instruction
  
• "What is this odd letter "E" ?" (printed in a recipe book)
  
• disintegration rate of a small quantity of nominally radioactive platinum-190
• philosophy of what it means to say "the forum now has a good understanding of DOF"
  
• "Sample density needed to resolve Rayleigh features"
  
• suggestion on how to fake perspective by adjust ZS scaling values
  
• note on flash-induced blurring (radiometer effect or compression wave?)
  
• note on having to use Sofortbild to tether a D800E, instead of qDslrDashboard or whatever is build into iMac
  
• request for info on Kurt Wirz (Guppy)'s post-processing methods (thread has link to "before" image)
  
• suggestion for how to find mapped-out dead pixels
  
• explanation in "Synthetic stereo"
  
• "40X NA 0.80 at WD 0.62 mm, shooting the BMSB cuticle"
  
• start of debate about stepper motor operations
  
• "new 3D visualization of cell structure"
  
• comments in "Confirmation of interpretation of NA"
  
• "another look at BMSB highly sculptured cuticle"
  
• link to "Micro-angelo? This 3D-printed ‘David’ is just one mm tall"
  
• "Dirty snow"
  
• "Hourglass of black widow spider"
  
• "Highly sculptured cuticle around stink gland of BMSB"
  
• trying to help mjkzz understand EV
• Rik's optical breadboard and post setup in horizontal and vertical configurations
  
• "my positioning stack: X, Y, yaw, pitch"
  
• link to "Insects of Duke University, Gallery of SEM Images"
  
• solution to problem using ControlMyNikon with StackShot and Zerene Stacker
  
• raytrace of pairing two objectives to give 1:1 optics
  
• "Focus stacking a live and active BMSB"
  
• "Balloons in pits on a live and active BMSB"
  
• "Snail on black plastic sheet"
  
• "Snail radula in stereo, reflected light"
  
• comments regarding "in what situations do we need steps as small as 0.3 micron"
  
• "Layers in broken metal" (electric power plug)
  
• "Balloons in pits, brown marmorated stink bug"
  
• comments about pano stitching in the old days
  
• question about slanted edge analysis for measuring MTF
  
• "Fly worked over by jumping spider"
  
• example of sharpening with a beginner's high mag image
  
• "Jumping spider with fly" (shot near kitchen window)
  
• analysis of relay optics (1.75X stage behind a small fisheye)
  
• question about "common die size" on iPhone cameras
  
• on image scaling, in thread about Blackberry display pixels
  
• summary of what I care about in setup aligment
  
• quick summary of how to estimate stack frame offsets from Zerene Stacker output
  
• blunt instructions on how to shoot with an infinity objective
  
• reaction to article on analytic method of computing aspheric surface with no spherical aberration or coma
  
• prompting BugEZ to talk about the eyes of dolichopodidae flies
  
• showing what you see through a DSLR's viewfinder, when using a microscope objective
  
• comments in comparative image quality, in Ray Parkhurst's "16MP FHD Camera vs Canon HRT2i"
  
• comments on the effect of diode saturation while measuring flash duration
  
• "Canon DPP4 gives extra pixels on raw conversion?"
  
• "Telecentric optics on the edge", regarding loss of telecentricity away from center with many lenses
  
• comments on apposition versus superposition eyes, regarding pseudopupil of a mantis
  
• Microsoft ICE, structure of a project file
  
• "On the sensitivity of Zerene Stacker scale measurements" (for determining telecentricity) 
  
• summary of issues in determining telecentricity of an objective
  
• question about velocity ramps in stacking rail controllers
  
• recommendation for "Eyes to See: The Astonishing Variety of Vision in Nature"
  
• how to determine stereo pair ordering based on stacking order.
  
• on calculating lens extension needed to get specific magnification (microscope objective tube length)
  
• discussion of different mechanisms that spherical aberration can change with wavelength
  
• JavaScript calculations used by the Nikon pixel size calculator
  
• explanation for different numbers of "pixels" calculated in a microscope image by Nikon versus Kurt's Microscopy Blog
• explanation of negative sRGB color space values reported by Image Science Associates for a color target
  
• what monitors I use, and why I don't color balance them
  
• explanation for radical change of color in a deep stack
  
• issues when fitting Scale values as reported by Zerene Stacker, regarding telecentricity
• 6-color printing, halftone & vector, on product packages
  
• ref to new animal speed record: jaws of the Dracula ant
  
• reference to video interview on Janice Sullivan's macro vlog
  
• explanation of trails of dust spots and hot pixels, when stacking
  
• discussion in private Admin forum, regarding what "negative 200 atm" means, in a video about fern sporangia flinging out spores
  
• discussion about how Edit > Commit in Zerene Stacker loses information about the edit mask for the current source image
  
• cautionary note about generalizing from experiments with tube lenses that are not focused at infinity
  
• reply to question, "Confusion About f Number Relation With Sensor Size" (regarding equivalent images analysis)
  
• clarification of comments about microstepping, in a long thread about rails
• explanation of why the telecentric field of an MD5400 lens must be small, and why it varies with size of the added aperture
  
• "2 diopters beyond infinity", answer to question what does it mean?
• answer to question, "How to decide outresolving?"
  
• comparison of images from 36 MP fullframe versus 15 MP APS-C over same FOV.  This is in Ray Parkhurst's thread "Lenses We Use", which digressed into a long and complicated discussion (22 pages!) regarding diffraction and DOF on various sensor sizes.
• "Unusual articulated tip on wasp antenna"
  
• "Moth developing inside pupal shell"
• "A visual demo on the equivalence of small and large sensors"
• comments about metamerism in "Tip: Making colours look just like you saw them by eye"
• formal analysis of noise accumulation by the PMax stacking algorithm
  
• problem solving about "Weird blue and red artifacts in Zerene but not Helicon" (It was a matter of brightness compensation in a deep stack.)
• on the relationship between telecentricity and occlusion, in a topic started by a user having trouble with stack-and-stitch
• "Raspberry, bug eggs, egg parasite wasp"
• explanation of telecentric, endocentric, hypercentric, depending on aperture placement
• explanation of why Zerene Stacker now includes a "nearest neighbor" interpolator
  
• congratulations on diatom stereos
• explanation of what "184 mm f/0.9" might mean in a copy lens
• "Wasps from a mud dauber nest"
• comments on the internal design of MP-E 65
  
• suggestions for measurements based on optical scattering (and a link to seeing a single atom)
• measurements on ceramic capacitor size in DC-to-DC converter
• request for image of ploum's illumination setup
• "Beneficial nematodes -- Heterorhabditis bacteriophora", with explanation of how these nematodes work
  
• debugging a problem with 32-bit floating point images in Zerene Stacker (since fixed)
• comments on the structure of partially silvered prisms for axial illumination
• explanation of mjkzz's "Sub micron stepping test"
• explanation and illustrations of what a camera sees through a microscope eyepiece with various misalignments
• comments about Macroscopic Solutions' "turtledove diffusers"
• suggestion for stereo pair of a diatom (which follows)
  
• reaction to stereo in "Section of skin injected and corroded"
  
• question about symbiosis between dragonfly nymph and stalked algae cells
  
• explanation of doing a DIY stereo microscope with binoculars and a closeup lens
  
• discussion about Nikon D850, apparently has fully electronic shutter mode
  
• question about tail spines (urogomphi) on wood-eating larva
  
• comments on stereo butterfly foot with unmatched signature causing problems
  
• continued discussion of MTF Mapper
• start of discussion about MTF Mapper
  
• comments about stereo for Squash Stem Prickers
  
• questions about lighting for brushed & shiny cufflinks
  
• Scallops’ eyes use millions of tiny square crystals to see
  
• response to Flag Footed Fly in stereo
  
• on the meaning of "ISO invariance"
  
• suggestions regarding why voltage boost modules keep burning out
  
• FAQ: What is '100% crop' or 'actual pixels crop' ?
  
• comments in Rocking Diatoms
  
• Unusual 'marching' pixel layout in cell phone display
  
• response in "DIY Jansjo LED fiber  optic light guide"
  
• response in "How to increase the performance of the Zerene".
  
• response to stereo macro of crumpled aluminum foil
  
• comments about fake pupils in spider eyes, caused by wrap-around diffusers
  
• explanation in Zerene: sort by scale
  
• comments about Fly Animation
  
• detailed analysis of stacked orchids by newbie (hot pixel trails, dust trails, high noise, dark halos around bright petals)
• comments in Feedback and advice on Coral Image
  
• comments on coinimaging.com DOF calculations for MP-E 65
  
• on the appearance of butterfly scales seen through the membrane
  
• explanation of very slow Zerene Stacker processing, caused by thermal throttling, with misleading WRM display
  
• explanation of contrast reversal on brightfield versus darkfield of dragonfly eggs
  
• on using a through-the-lens laser to align focus stepping
  
• reaction to stereo diatom
  
• my Canon and Nikon adapters for Olympus bellows
  
• on the passing of Andreas Hallgass
  
• on how the Grand Seiko "Spring Drive" watch synchronization mechanism works
  
• Raynox DCR-150 tube assembly with flocking
  
• on the ease of forging emails (in Admin forum, not publicly readable)
  
• on the difference between Nikon in-camera TIFF versus PS and LR raw conversion
  
• Orb weaver: partial eclipse of a brick
  
• evaluation of the iShoot macro rail
  
• Fly carcass with dermestid larva, all stereo
  
• on the (lack of) fine scale structure captured in a depth map of butterfly scales
  
• on the flicker fusion frequency of human eyes
  
• link to Paul Bertner's "Ethical Exif" discussion
  
• regarding the definition of "apochromatic"
  
• server migration thread (in Admin forum, not publicly readable)
  
• comments on using TC to improve optical quality of Printing Nikkor at non-nominal magnification
  
• DOF of microscope objective (included in thread is better approximation at high NA, linked by JH)
  
• Cross-polarized crystal of 'Floralife Crystal Clear', with extended discussion of polarization & crystals
  
• strange artifact with DMap, traced to images out of order
  
• introducing a new user to DMap with a rubylith slider color
  
• on misleading title, "In Flight"
  
• why is the wavefront limit for SA around 1/16 lambda?
  
• replies to "Introduction and Request for Assistance" (here and here)
  
• when a nef file is not a nef file!
  
• question about "spiral hairs" on fly's head
  
• new telecentric lenses at Edmund Optics
  
• explanation for Zerene - use all color channels in decisions
  
• on distinguishing bees from wasps (barbed hairs on thorax)
  
• on strange "streamlining" around subjects (caused by bits of liquid)
  
• on vignetting caused by teleconverters
  
• "Scientists Sneak A Peek At How Ladybugs Fold Their Wings"
  
• explanation of artifacts in Stereo Diatoms
  
• linking to "Openstage: A Low-Cost Motorized Microscope Stage..."
• an earlier use of "photo-macrograph" by Walmsley (1899)
  
• TTL Auto Focus AF Macro Extension Tube Ring is junk
• comments about "Gelsight" material for visualizing surface texture
  
• comments in "Voice Coil Rail"
  
• on the "equivalence" of objectives based on NA and effective aperture
  
• recipe for Hugin stitching with separate scale for each image
  
• comments in "How to make a 3D model using Zerene Stacker and Adobe PS"
  
• Comparison of synthetic stereo versus true stereo
  
• What is a good amount of stereo separation?
  
• Cross-polarization and multi-bounce specular reflections
• comments in "Can deconvolution counter diffraction softening?"
  
• on the (limited) potential use of GPU for focus stacking
  
• explanation for "Bizarre: Image size stays constant as lens is extended"
• on the choice of extension tube lengths for maximum flexibility
  
• using ffmpeg to extract frames from video
  
• Adjustable aperture in macro setup: links to posts by morfa
  
• Video, ciliate predation: theft, ingestion, digestion. IDs?
  
• Why are my nematodes always straight and rigid?
  
• Amoeba on the move, meets vorticellid
  
• report on resolution test target made of etched silicon
  
• using D800E with Camera Control Pro 2 on Mac OS X
  
• on how color fringes are affected by alignment in stacking
  
• on the correspondence between deconvolution and ordinary sharpening
  
• on how Helicon Focus does DNG-in-DNG-out
  
• on NA versus tolerance for variations in cover glass thickness
  
• on options for Helicon Focus (with followup regarding Zerene Stacker tutorials)
  
• on synthetic stereo of stacks with slabbing (regarding Beatsy's knotted hair)
  
• on "equivalent magnification" (regarding Olympus macro lens)
  
• quick summary of Raynox versus other tube lenses
  
• on the issues of lighting small subjects (Beatsy's butterfly scales)
  
• on PMax versus DMap for challenging macro of sundew sticky hairs
  
• on the anatomy of tiger beetle larvae
  
• on the question "Do Tilt shift lenses correct perspective or distort"
  
• the "approximate" relationship F# = 1/(2*NA) is actually exact
  
• Cutworm proleg in stereo
  
• experiences with Radical Research objectives
  
• on the effective focal length of objective plus tube lens
  
• on locating the entrance pupil of Mitutoyo objectives (discussion continues on 2nd page)
  
• answers to many questions about synthetic stereo (in David Sykes' thread)
  
• on warm pixel trails
  
• on focus stacking by "follow focus" to turn the focus ring, especially with the MP-E 65
  
• on image artifacts in an 80 megapixel hi res Olympus image
  
• on the various meanings of "magnification", how to calculate DOF from NA, and a quick summary of Rik's background
  
• discussion about the resolution of elf's large panoramas
  
• on the calculation and effects of variable step size for rear bellows focusing
  
• on the selection of focus step size ("Just identify where you want to start and end, on whatever control you have for focusing, then divide that interval into N equal increments.)
• comments about "Flat lens promises possible revolution in optics"
  
• on calculating the equivalent NA & diffraction-limited resolution of a lens from f-number
  
• on the coatings of vacuum cathodes and filaments
  
• on the purchase of "refurbished" lenses
  
• Why spider webs don't sag (drops reel in loose threads), links to article and paper
• on the absence of Bayer filter pattern in sRAW file format
• on issues about resizing in Photoshop
  
• on calculating effective aperture for macro plus teleconverter versus more extension
• on twitching about extension tubes described as "no extra glass ... better quality"
  
• on calculating exit pupil size for darkfield funnel stop
  
• why cell phone cameras work so well with eyepieces for afocal photography
  
• more about the use of StackShot at high magnification
  
• synthetic stereo of feather and trees, shot with Magic Lantern
  
• link to kit for 6-degree-of-freedom positioning device
  
• Epoxy laminated lap joint, failed in service
• question leading to a kit for miner bee nesting block
  
• conceptual outline of slabbing workflow
  
• praise for marcgriffith's video of a Redback spider
  
• comments in "macro-rail, micro-processor, nano-steps"
  
• comments regarding enfuse versus Zerene Stacker
• question about beetle using oiled hairs on feet for adhesion
• comments about the effect of a teleconverter
• comments about horizontal streaks on Canon sensor with AF pixels
• on the internal structure of a DCR-150 lens, that allows it to be turned down without coming apart
• thanks for clarifying the history of van Leeuwenhoek's observation of Spirogyra -- or maybe Dolichospermum!
• explanation of how malformed [url] tags make a post disappear
• mirror test of a circular polarizing filter
• on the statistics of image noise (combination of Poisson distribution and gamma=2) (in "Combining images to get better noise or resolution")
• critique of the GIMP wavelet decomposition method for assessment of empty magnification
• Avoid prism glasses for stereo viewing
  
• link to AutoStackkert super-resolution function
• on the relationship between ommatidia size and visual resolution
  
• discussion in Editing, changing, and adding EXIF data
• discussion in epi cross polarization purple highlights
• summary description of DOF vs diffraction vs sensor size
• discussion in Depth of Field Calculator
• on Photoshop's display of intensely colored layer-adjusted images at less than 100%
• on EFSC around 1/250 second, image progressively more blurred from bottom to top
• on performance of the Infiniprobe TS-160
  
• Weathered plastic table
  
• Tabletop setup for stacking at oblique angles
• Procedure to calibrate backlash using the StackShot controller
• Discussion of rear focusing with a microscope objective (increased separation implies less change of magnification)
  
• Advice sought: articulating arms for flashes
• Supernumerary rainbows: light wave interference in the sky
• Does StackShot noise imply vibration in the image?
• Discussion about 5DsR/MPE65 useful magnification experiments
• Discussion in Optimal sensor pixel density for Mitu 10x
• Discussion in Bridge cameras as tube lenses with Mitu 10x
• Discussion in How to convert to JPEG correctly?
• Discussion in Setup of ploum
• Discussion in Beetle ID please (regarding the need for crosschecking between multiple sources)
• Discussion regarding accuracy/precision of mjkzz's screw rail
• Discussion in Fast flat-field reversed lens versus microscope lens?
• Discussion in puzzle piece, regarding what look like cut ends of tubes
• Triceratops Beetle, comments about ID.
• On when and why I recommend Raynox as a tube lens (answer to another person's question)
• On halo artifacts with a flower stack (answer to another person's question)
• Wasp feet (comments about ID, in another person's thread)
• Magnification calculations (explaining and correcting another person's calculations)
  
• Inspection microscope based on Olympus BHMJ
• Resolution target: a basic question (answers to another person's questions)
• Illumination setup for small mineral specimens (request for info about another person's images)
  
• "How do you shoot a deep stack of a live subject?" (answers proposed as a FAQ)
• Stability in a macro rig (comments in another person's thread)
• On focusing by changing the length of a nearly infinite section (in "Setup of Ploum")
• What happens when e > f1 + f2
• On hexapod positioners (comments in another person's thread)
• Lichen on wooden fence, 4 years later
• Comparing Canon DLO versus strong small USM filter
• On the wilting of small flowers (comments in another person's thread)
  
• Diffuse lighting for photographing with a microscope objective (answer to another person's question)
• J-B Weld epoxy filler (macro photographs of washed and dried filler)
• On the function of hairstreak tails (comments in another person's thread)
• J-B Weld "Steel Reinforced Epoxy" resin
• Metamorphosis: pupation of the wasp Polistes diminula
• How To Break the Famous Labophot-2 Plastic Focus Gear
• Hook of avens burr (Geum macrophyllum)
• On relaxing beetle bits (surfactants & chemicals) (answers in another person's thread)
• On what "magnification" means with a crop factor camera (answer in another person's thread)
• An assortment of insects (from a short trip to the mountains, using compact point-and-shoot)
• Aphid lion (lacewing larva)
• Cherry and friend (fruit fly -- Rhagoletis indifferens)
• Photographing through water (cherry fruit fly larvae)
• Strawberry and friend (snailcase bagworm -- Apterona helix)
• Field check on "Achieving Black Backgrounds in Macro Photos")
• How NOT to repair a microscope power supply...
• Automating and characterizing an Olympus CHT focus block
• Image stacking issue -- "hairs" caused by repetitive pixel-level noise in Canon 7D
  
• Numerical aperture of a naked light bulb?  (reply to another person's question)
• On the effect of separation between objective and tube lens (reply to another person's question)
• Image quality of Nikon CFI 10X, at 7.3X using Canon 100 mm lens + Kenko 1.4X teleconverter (reply...)
  
• Illustration of stack framing issue caused by focus breathing (reply to another person's question)
• Focus breathing versus quality of stack output (reply to another person's question)
• Shrinking the effective size of an Ikea Jansjo lamp
• Harvesting and adapting an Olympus CHT focus block
• On the stacking of raw images "directly" in Helicon Focus (reply to another person's question)
• Manufacturing debris flushed from a new faucet
• Canon 500D/550D can intermittently take two pictures when Live View is combined with explicit "mirror up"
• Layers of rust (in a corroded faucet support)
• Anatomy of an Olympus CHT focus/condenser block
• Butt joint strength: epoxy versus screw
• Anatomy of a liquid CPU cooler
  
• Comments on telecentric optics and illumination quality in determining stack quality (reply...)
  
• Clarification about Wim van Egmond's fungus fly-over movies.
  
• Circulating debris in a liquid CPU cooler, biofilm?
• How to tell if a lens is telecentric (reply to another person's questions)
• Adding stopped down frames to the end of a stack (reply to another person's questions)
• Out-resolving a Nikon D800 with an EL Nikkor at 1:1 and nominal f/5.6 (reply to another person's questions)
• Reference to Ant Spinner protoype, in the Lego Insect Manipulator thread.
• Chinese Lantern Diffuser (posted for Roy)
• Fly stacked by AFM w/ reversed 18-55 using MK-C-UP adapter (Cluster fly, Pollenia rudis)
  
• How can I harvest and adapt a focus block?
• Zerene Stacker documentation in French and other languages?
• Analysis of 40/2.8 Apo Componon versus 4X NA 0.10 objective (reply to another person's questions)
• Video projection to mimic bioluminescence (comments on a published video)
• On the inane terminology of "back focal length"  (reply to another person's questions)
• Regarding Wim van Egmond's video showing Penicillium mold as a forest fly-over
  
• Expressing surprise about "bristly millipedes" (response to another person's images)
• Stereo: iron filings over a magnet
• "Opaque Calculation Contest" (regarding how to calculate the magnification of a combo)
• On how DOF varies with magnification (answer to another person's questions)
• Explanation of how "prerun" solves backlash with StackShot (answer to another person's questions)
• On chromatic aberration (answer to another person's questions)
• On the "invisibility cloak" (donut-shaped, using lenses)
• Explanation of various "magnifications" (answer to another person's questions)
  
• New video: "Why are Stars Star-Shaped?" (link to a MinutePhysics presentation on diffraction)
• can 'enough' stacking save a non flat field objective? (replies to another person's questions)
• Amscope M150 focus block is NOT good for stacking
• Amscope B490/T490 focus block is good for stacking
• red and green donuts (comments in another person's thread about colors in a doli fly's eye)
• Zerene DMap - Obtaining "Messy" Results (replies to another person's questions)
• Sunset moth scales
• Hairy eye of Painted Lady, stereo with CamRanger and 4X obj
• Automatic generation of 3D models from sets of photos (links to some GigaMacro / Autodesk work)
• Sony Creates Curved CMOS Sensors That Mimic the Eye (links to an IEEE Spectrum article)
  
• Tube lens tests on D800E full frame
• Northern checkerspot on lily blossom
• Draft document analyzing defocus & diffraction
• Rainbow rings (Fresnel diffraction vs "uniformly illuminated blur circles" near the focus point)
• Colorful cutworm moth (Hecatera dysodea)
• Macro/micro plays big role in video at FITC conference
• Spider on balsamroot
• 3D scan of fly head (comments in another person's thread)
• Initial report on CamRanger / StackShot combination
• Raynox DCR-150 and DCR-250 as tube lenses (answers to another person's questions)
  
• TED: "A 50-cent microscope made of paper"
• Reduced NA gives more detail (comments in another person's thread)
• How computer configuration affects Zerene Stacker performance (comments in another person's thread)
• Brief explanation of episcopic illumination, brightfield versus darkfield
• Comments about the slanted-edge test
  
• Illustration of 10X infinite objective used with tube lens focused far from infinity
• Why background detail gets lost when seen through a narrow gap in foreground
  
• On the effect of an isolation transformer in reducing power supply leakage
• What process made this wall art?
• 20X, Nikon CF Plan EPI ELWD versus Mitutoyo M Plan Apo
• Exploring a Cree LED light bulb power supply
• Inner workings of a Cree LED light bulb
• reply to "Question about microscope objective", regarding FF coverage and alternatives
• on increased DOF when shooting through water
  
• on "Correcting for Refraction (or not!) in alcohol"
• Oops! (cracks in the shell of a Cree LED light bulb)
• Honeybee legs (showing tarsal combs and tibial pollen basket)
• BioQuip rotating microscope stage as specimen holder
• on computing "magnification" (answer to another person's question)
  
• What does a teleconverter do and why might you use one?
• on spherical aberration (in "Diffraction-limited acrylic!")
• Explaining Zerene Stacker alignment parameters
  
• Crescent butterfly via cell phone
• Change in FOV with focus (about "focus breathing")
  
• Illustration of why some tube lens combos vignette and others do not
  
• Alternate source for Nikon objective CFI Plan Achromat 10X NA 0.25 WD 10.5mm (MRL00102)
• Selectively sharpening out-of-focus areas of a subject
• A clean computer is a happy computer
• My new Mitutoyo 10X is very good! (includes comparison to an older damaged unit)
• Comments on use of crop in photomacrography.net postings
• Comments about "Novel application of compound lenses for DOF", regarding lenses focused at infinity
• Comments on "Reduced NA gives more detail"
• "Unexpected colors" (a puzzle piece, regarding color in sliced ham)
  
• FAQ: What's a "tube lens", anyway?
• Adapter stack for Raynox as tube lens
  
• A quick summary of testing assorted tube lenses (Thorlabs, Nikon, Mitutoyo, Raynox), with followup
  
• How to process a time lapse sequence of focus stacks
  
• Comments on StackShot above 10X
  
• Goniometers -- accidentally buying a mated but unmatched pair
  
• Taming CA in a high-mag shot of shiny metal (reply to a question)
  
• MTF diffraction limit formulas
  
• side effects of pre-rotation in Zerene Stacker (reply to a question)
  
• A new way of thinking and calculating about DOF (using wave optics based on effective f-number)
• On the difficulty of calculating DOF (what all you need to know)
  
• Advanced interpolators in Zerene Stacker (reply to a question)
  
• False color and detail/DOF from shiny metal
  
• Reducing moiré effects in downsizing for web posting
• Nikon's discussion of D800 vs D800E
• electrical characteristics of StackShot shutter control interface
• Snowflake
• diffractive optics as used in new Nikon objectives
  
• Longitudinal CA in 10X Mitutoyo and Nikon objectives
• how to find principal planes of an arbitrary lens (quick summary)
• White LED in operation
• FAQ: What is a JML 21mm f/3.5 lens?
• flocking and baffles in extension tubes (discussion in another member's thread)
• illustration of longitudinal CA in several microscope objectives
  
• on the flickering of various light sources (especially fluorescents)
  
• Underwater cups -- a puzzle piece (milk just starting to stick on a stainless steel pan)
  
• Why do our eyes see differently than an optical lens?  (answer to a question about shooting through water)
  
• Microscope headpiece dovetail dimensions (discussion about a custom adapter)
  
• Sun flashes from glacier-polished granite
  
• Telecentric combo at 0.8X to 1.69X (using Raynox DCR-250 in front of a Canon 100mm f2.8L)
  
• Rosemary
  
• Crab on rock
  
• More magnification... (for shooting butterfly scales, discussion regarding another person's question)
  
• "Promote Control" for automatic focus stacking
• Effectiveness of tilt/swing at camera versus lens (discussion about another person's experiment)
  
• Lava rock with filled voids
  
• CFI BE 4X, remove black hood for more even coverage
  
• Funnel web spider
  
• "best" magnification for lens determination?  (discussion around another person's question)
  
• Calculating aperture diameter?  (answer to another person's question)
  
• Raynox DCR-250 and DCR-150 as tube lens (comments on another person's experiment)
  
• Changing tube lens/objective distance changes magnification (discussion of an issue raised by another person)
  
• "Fruit Fly" by pwnell (a personal link, related to assistance given)
  
• Green fly with suspicious holes
  
• links to adapters for mounting RMS adapters
  
• Some comments on size and working distance of objectives
  
• Stainless steel etched by Lime Away
  
• Edge streaks and alignment in a high mag stack (analysis of another person's problem)
  
• Live View delay through computer = 0.25 seconds
  
• Doodlebug cardstock is blacker than Protostar
  
• Green growth in forest litter (Luetkea pectinata, common name "partridgefoot")
• Stopping down at the end of a high mag stack (discussion with link)
  
• Flies on fungus on log
  
• Plastic "ribbon" (shavings from lathe turning a lens adapter)
  
• Airborne debris strata (dust pile under a table saw)
  
• MP-E 65 vs Raynox DCR-250 (several replies to another member's questions)
• Shield bug mouthparts
• JML 20X vs Nikon CFI E Plan Objective 100X (replies to another member's questions)
• Fern spore capsule and spore (working with another member's stack)
  
• Nabbing the speedy ground spider (Gnaphosidae)
• Ground spider -- Gnaphosidae
  
• M42 adapter for Olympus bellows
  
• DOF of Micro 4/3 cameras and lenses (replies to another member's questions)
  
• Hoverfly eye with a coating of dust (showing hairs not otherwise visible)
• Viewing stereo pairs on a 3D monitor
• Honeybees in the hive
• On the tightness of bayonet mounts (in a thread about Kenko tubes seeming loose)
  
• Shield bug probing cherry bark
• Effective Aperture (answers to another member's questions)
• Computer power for stacking (comments in a general discussion)
• Extreme laser speckle
• MTF versus defocus wave error
• On relay lenses behind a short fisheye
• Ruminations about confusing stacks (regarding surface "warping" that accompanies focus changes at high magnification)
• Tiny brown mite attached to small black beetle
• Stereoscope (comments in another member's thread)
• Testing a Mitutoyo MT-1 tube lens by itself
• Anthers and stigma of Erodium cicutarium: stereo
• 8 axis stage (question in another member's thread)
  
• Stacking step size (especially the role of alignment)
  
• Quick evaluation of the JML 20X objective
  
• Recommendations on flash for stacking?  (with discussion of color balance variation from frame to frame)
• Image quality when 50X NA 0.55 infinity objective is used as finite
• Investigating the DOF of a 40X NA 0.50 objective
  
• Rose aphids after a mild winter
• What does StackShot "High Precision" mean?
• Blowfly at 5X using Nikon CFI BE 10X
• Blowfly proboscis, take #2
• Detailed structure of a blowfly proboscis
• Stepping through a DOF calculation (compared to dofmaster)
• On choosing infinity objectives (in response to a member's question)
  
• Image comparison of bellows vs combo for Mamiya 55mm f/1.8 at 2.45X
  
• Shooting through water (effects of spherical aberration) (and later posts in the same thread)
• What causes halo?
• Stacking the wily fishing fly (on technical issues in stacking)
• On collimating optics (in "DIY fluorescent microscopy-slide scanner")
• Mouth of the dragon's lair (remants of an arc in a failed electric stove burner)
• Pixels for use at 4-5X on an APS-sized sensor (including analysis of f/11 vs diffraction)
• Scored sandpaper for lens testing target
  
• Lenses for use at 4-5X on an APS-sized sensor
• Comparison of Nikon CFI60 10X NA 0.25 vs Mitutoyo 10X NA 0.28
• Axial illumination for the inside of a dark tube
• Exploring a failed CFL bulb
• Moiré effects in a fly's eye
• Slicing open an (empty) can of whipped cream
• Snow crystals (not flakes!)
• Shooting through eyepiece with an MP-E 65
• Comparing DSLR and P&S cameras (in "The best camera for both macro of plants/lichens & scope")
• On pupil ratio
  
• Diamonds and nickel
  
• Illustration of DSLR vs point-and-shoot setups and photos (in reply to "The best camera...?")
  
• What focus stacking s/w do you use? (reply to new MP-E owner)
  
• Determining Pupil Ratio? (with illustration of unexpected behavior from a combo)
  
• "SkyLight" cell phone to microscope adapter (announcement of new product)
• Twinkling colored lights of? (magnetic viewing film)
  
• Circuit breaker (showing the inner workings)
  
• Shooting with a reversed 18-55 mm Canon kit lens (how to get 1.5-5X magnification "the easy way")
  
• Anthers and stigma of a Christmas Cactus flower
  
• Study in brown and shiny (silk thread with thawing frost)
  
• Geranium petal veins in frontlight & backlight
  
• Workflow for "slabbing" in Zerene Stacker
  
• Image comparison of ZS and PS CS5 on deep high mag stacks
  
• Resolving alignment & contrast issues with Zerene Stacker (response to a new user)
  
• Tales from the crypt
  
• Minnesota sampler (hoverfly, caterpillar, crab spider)
  
• AF motor focusing with a microscope objective
• Flicker feather
  
• Waves in bronze (wing of Western Conifer Seed Bug)
  
• Calculating step size for the MP-E 65 (reply to question by Marcio21)
  
• Pixels, droplets, and stone
  
• Small brown moth with metallic yellow spots
  
• Camera vs. The Human Eye (multiple replies in this thread about mirrors)
  
• Fuzzy seed pods, ID requested
  
• Lichen stacked with cell phone
  
• Broken bugs and the clean-up crew
• " American Pelecinid" wasp
• Yellow grasshopper on maroon car
  
• Clock repair parts -- but what, exactly?
  
• Is there a definition of "MACRO"?  (reply to a user's question)
  
• Reflections of hard and soft light in a spider's eye
  
• Small brown moth on Corian sink
  
• Canon T1i: EFSC has large variation in shutter delay
• Reflections of reality (in the eyes of a jumping spider)
  
• Cell phone displays
  
• A boatload of ? (surface texture on spiracle of cutworm)
• Zerene Stacker and retouch color control (several posts with detailed discussion, in this thread about retouching)
  
• Fly on a Rock
• Why raw images have to be converted to RGB for stacking (comments in another thread)
  
• An image comparison of Zerene Stacker and Helicon Focus
  
• Tiny mites on maple seed wing
  
• "Cracking" in the eye of a tiger beetle
  
• Smooth, non-shiny mounting surface for small stuff? (discussion)
  
• Magnification and infinity-correct objectives (on change of magnification with added extention)
  
• "Masquerade" (how an array of naked LEDs messes up stacking)
  
• Forcing a stack order in Zerene (how to DMap a radiolarian)
  
• Some design issues regarding Zerene Stacker (in "Another Miner bee")
  
• Zerene settings question (replies regarding Options > Alignment settings)
  
• Beginners help with Zerene. Examples posted. (replies to new stacker)
  
• Zerene Stacker - input appreciated with handheld stacking
  
• Nikon and Mitutoyo objectives have different M26 threads
  
• Lichen on wooden fence
  
• FAQ: How can I hook a microscope objective to my camera?
  
• Imaging at 5X: a tale of two objectives
  
• I hate to think that somebody's tracking me, but really! 
  
• Odd icicles
  
• Tiny focus steps: how to make them, how to measure them (stage movements via StackShot & Zerene Stacker)
  
• 40X with a StackShot rail
  
• Easily transportable self-contained stacking setup  (introducing the Zerene Stacker / StackShot interface)  
• Proboscis of Noctua pronuba, very close up
  
• Small black spider (short field stack with MP-E 65)
• Surface of dragonfly eye
• On the anatomy of fly eyes (in discussion about "Some Interesting Things About Flies")
• "sundog stereo pair" (analysis of what's being shown)
• On the topic of vibrations (in discussion about "New Horizontal Setup")
• Wool of aphid
• Deep stack of live fuzzy aphid (shot as video using StackShot rail)
• On the interaction between "metallic" insect cuticle and polarizing filters
• Fine focusing a microscope using StackShot
• Tiny wasp on desktop
  
• Infinity objective on low-end zoom telephoto works fine
  
• Short summary of options for bench stacking
  
• Large wood boring beetle with very short wing covers
• On the effect of adding a closeup lens (with ray traces)
• On the Frazier Lens (technical discussion of the patent)
• Small black caterpillar mimics bird dropping?
• On the internal design of a 4X NA 0.47 microscope objective (technical discussion of "infinity" optics)
• Eye of fruit fly (through 20X objective)
• On the effects of sensor size (especially image noise versus pixel noise)
  
• Spectral fly (bold false colors on a fly bristle due to harsh lighting)
• FAQ: What is "stack-and-stitch", and how can I do it?
  
• Telephoto as tube lens for infinity objective (ray traces)
• Evaluation of "JML" surplus lens (versus Olympus 20 mm f/2)
• Bellows on scope base (a microscope setup)
• Dandelion seeds
  
• new mfg Nikon 10X NA 0.25 finite objective looks very good
• "Stacking mush" -- an example
• Illustration of 40X NA 0.65 with and without cover glass
  
• Moss leaf (through 40X objective, on microscope)
• Maculinea arion (responding to posting about UK "Large Blue" collection)
• 3D displays of fly anatomy
• Photomicroscopy equipment selection
• DMap settings (answer to Zerene Stacker question)
• Performance of Olympus bellows macro lens 20 mm at f/2.0 versus f/2.8
• Synthetic stereo 3D rendering of diatom, compared with Helicon Focus
  
• Discussion of foreground/background overlap when stacking
• FAQ: What is pupil ratio and why would I care?
• DOF versus lens length and sensor size
  
• Resolution/aberration effects (if any) of shooting through a UV/Haze filter
• Stopping down a lens combo
  
• Glassy spot on the wing of a skipper
• Diffraction effects and magnification (discussion with LordV)
  
• First macro with extension tubes (helping a new user get past startup problems with stacking)
• An update on some stacking software (regarding 3 years' progress on "stacking mush")
• Perspective and 2X flowers
• MP-E 65 lens DOF, diffraction and sensor size (discussion with LordV)
• FAQ: What's the best way to focus when stacking?
• Hand Held Stacking (helping a new user get past startup problems)
• Bellows and Rails (helping a new user get past startup problems)
• Lens Resolutions (comparing Nikon microscope objective with Luminar and Olympus bellows macro lenses)
• Zerene vs Helicon (answering the question posed by an experienced photographer new to stacking)
• Stopping down a lens combo (resolution, color aberrations, and inverted perspective)
• Egg of little brown skipper
• Problem getting Zerene Stacker 3-D Rocking to work (helping a new user get past startup problems)
  
• Thyme leaf oil glands
• Nikon scope objectives (regarding NA and resolution versus pixel requirements, and be sure to read the continuation page)
• Matte black thermoplastic ("Plexiglas") (discussion with Charlie Krebs about etching and 3D representations)
• Getting 3.6x - 7.6x magnification (discussion regarding behavior of a microscope objective -- principal planes and entrance pupil)
• Tube length, magnification and working distance (an easy way to determine the focal length of a lens)
• Where the name "Rik" comes from
• FAQ: Why aren't my images tack sharp?
• Sharper subject, blurrier background
• Upper Conrad Basin, end of August 2009 
  
• Stonecrop among the rocks 
  
• Monkey-flower, moss, and small fly 
  
• Synthetic stereo in Zerene Stacker
  
• Some insects of the dry country
• Chrysidid wasp warming up
• Spectacular spider-killer-killing wasp
• Shiny! The insides of a wasp mouth
• Mandibles and tongue of a paper wasp, Polistes dominulus
  
• Male mosquito antennae and palps
• Honeysuckle buds and guests (aphids)
  
• Anthers of red Azalea
  
• Stingers of paper wasp and honeybee
• Thirsty fly
  
• Eye of fruit fly
  
• Eye of fly, scale of what?
• Flowers of chives
• Aphids
  
• Portrait of a male mayfly
  
• Bathroom spider, up very close
  
• Mayfly (hand-held stack)
  
• Stacking comparison for midge antennae
• Plumose antennae of a midge
  
• Just a gnat (midge)
  
• References about MTF and resolution
  
• Maple flower: anther with pollen
  
• High style of a maple flower
  
• Ice Drops
  
• Remains of a brown lacewing (isolated wing)
  
• Shiny metal (tungsten filament of a halogen headlight)
  
• Frost Spikes 5: view from the side
  
• Fresh green moss, much closer view
  
• Fresh green moss
  
• Ice in a stream
• Discussion: elf's macro to infinity spherical panorama head
  
• Discussion: illumination pattern of a fiber optic illumination bulb
• Discussion: optimal length of bellows
• Discussion: relevance to macro of manufacturers' MTF charts
• Discussion: how stacking algorithms work
  
• Discussion: what really causes "diffraction blur" ?
  
• Yellow rose with aphids
  
• Cremaster of Monarch butterfly pupa
• Even good moths can make bad choices
  
• Stonefly exuvia on rocks in the Lochsa River
  
• Caddisfly larvae in Idaho
  
• Rouste ice, lousewort flowers, and heather in Conrad Basin
• Conrad Basin at the end of August, 2008
• "Horror of Greenvale" house centipede
• Ambush bug
• Digger wasp collecting sweat
  
• Pine Ridge area, Nebraska USA
  
• Spider with ant lion
  
• Aphid lion walking on a kitchen table
  
• Spider on nettle
  
• Geyser spider
  
• Still-life on a tree stump
  
• Business end of a Western Cherry Fruit Fly
  
• Tick mouthparts
  
• Western Tailed Blue butterfly
  
• Fly on buckwheat flower
  
• Crane fly face
  
• Fruit fly portrait
  
• Macro landscape stack using compact digital camera
• Using layers to overcome transparent rendering by TuFuse (ant face)
  
• Pieris japonica flower
  
• Revisiting the yucca moth: stacked macro vs SEM
  
• Comparison of TuFuse focus stack with other methods
  
• Johnny-Jump-Up, next generation coming up...
  
• Shooting the "Carpet beetle again"
  
• A single comparison of different stacking methods
  
• Carpet beetle again
  
• Wood grain
  
• Johnny Jump-up, a *very* early spring viola
  
• Icicles on a small bush
  
• Sensor size: how does it matter?  (using "equivalent images" analysis)
  
• Stereo Pairs: the effect of lighting shifts
  
• Making scale bars with no calculations (OT-->diffraction)
  
• Spider pedipalp (high res and in stereo)
  
• Fritillary butterfly, larva head capsule, 1st instar
  
• Looks like a theatrical mask...(head capsule of Speyeria butterfly larva)
  
• Spiral cocoons -- need help with ID
  
• I sacrificed a thumb for this LED?
  
• Effect of polarizing filters on the cricket mandibles photo
  
• The face behind the mask (cricket mandibles)
• Noctua pronuba scales, broken by turbulence of a CO2 duster
  
• An early Christmas present for Rik (marquetry Gift Box)
  
• Small dark seeds in a spiral head
  
• Wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina)
• Visualizing the effect of a microscope's condenser aperture
  
• >Small red rock, weathered gray roots, fuzzy green plants
• Shooting "Face of a hobo, for sure!"
  
• Face of a hobo, for sure!
  
• Orb weaving spider, up close and personal
  
• Shooting the "Orb weaving spider, up close and personal"
  
• Hobo spider
• "Dry box" for photographing the hobo spider
  
• Jumping spider on intense orange flower
  
• Egg of a Fritillary butterfly
  
• Eye of a Fritillary butterfly
  
• Face of a hobo? (spider with prey)
  
• Dramatic change in mantis eyes when dark-adapted
• Depth illusion of the moving spot in mantis eyes
  
• Moving black spots on the eyes of a mantis
  
• The sharpest end of a paper wasp
  
• Last ditch defense of a Polistes dominulus paper wasp
  
• Setup for shooting pectinate grooming spurs
• Pectinate grooming spur of a paper wasp (Polistes dominulus)
  
• Big fly, small wasp
• Bee flies
  
• "Thicket Hairstreak" on yellow flower
• Wood tick
  
• Flexible teeth on grooming spur of Pogonomyrmex ant
  
• Pectinate grooming apparatus on flying ant
  
• vAttack of the...flying ants?!
  
• Flying ant -- Pogonomyrmex
• Becker's White on "Diffuse Knapweed"
• Spider with beetle prey
• Shieldbacked katydids
• Grasshopper (one each, basic gray)
  
• Cicada shell in sagebrush steppe country
  
• Paper wasp guarding the nest
• Chrysalis of Pontia beckerii (Becker's White)
  
• Mandibles and tongue of yellow jacket wasp
  
• Worm With Spider (Caution: not for the squeamish!)
• Lacewing egg
  
• Black grass seeds
• Predatory fly with flying ant
  
• Hopper on grass seed head
  
• Salsify seeds and parachutes
  
• Aphid predator: fly larva
  
• Nylon and wood bellows parts
• Red flower, green bug
• Maple leaf, 100X, in color and B&W
  
• Microsteris gracilis -- that tiny pink flower underfoot
• White flowers with crab spider & prey
• Propertius Duskywing skipper on dandelion
  
• Souvenier photos from a hike this afternoon (crab spider, bumblebee, fly on flower)
• On the resolution and sharpness of digital images
  
• "You've got mail!" (spider on a computer monitor)
• Golden Veronica
  
• Exotic structure of the Lesser Periwinkle
• Vinca minor pollen
• Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)
• Birch pollen
• Gee, do you suppose I should have mentioned the sharpening?  (Reader's Digest cover episode)
• Single pollen grain of Erodium cicutarium
• Pollen of Erodium cicutarium
  
• Anthers and stigma of Erodium cicutarium
  
• Gee, do you suppose I should have mentioned the sharpening?
• Small black spider on yellow flowering bush
• Syrphid fly and cherry blossoms by the river
  
• Purple star with fibers
  
• 'D' is for dime...or maybe for Denver (10X objective)
  
• Green lacewing
• Domestic concrete
• Shooting "a single maple flower"
• A single maple flower
  
• Reproductive end of a yucca moth
• Heart of an aquatic snail
• Stacking from slow-scan video (moth scales)
• Which microscope objectives do not need compensating optics?
• Telecentric optics, third round
• Stack-and-stitch: ordinary optics vs telecentric
• Several views of a copepod
• Does anybody know this ciliate?  (Chilodonella)
• Slow motion hypotrich
• Mixed ciliates
  
• Unexpected visitor from the wetlands (waterlouse)
• On illumination techniques (in "Chondrules and inclusions in a 4.6 billion yr old meteorite")
  
• Paramecium et.al. (including discussion of transverse & longitudinal chromatic aberration, and reflecting objectives)
• On how to get started in stacking (in "Macro - Need help selecting eequipment)
  
• On what kind of microscope to buy (in "Yet another newbie wants to buy a scope to take pictures...")
  
• Brown spot on fiber of goldenrod seed parasail
  
• Goldenrod seeds
• Seams like Thanksgiving, don't they?
  
• Marble butterfly -- that's the one with green, isn't it?
  
• Stack & stitch experiment with telecentric optics
• Autographa glitch: 'The Answer Is Blowing In the Wind'
  
• Autographa, stacked and stitched
  
• Big beetle, small beetle...
• 'macro' as 'more detail than unaided eyes' (including OED definitions of terms, and original definition of "photomacrography")
  
• Discussion about what "macro" means
  
• "Sticky" hairs from a jumping spider's foot (high magnification)
  
• Claws of a cutworm
  
• Foot of a jumping spider
• Inteference colors versus pigments in butterfly wings
  
• Anagrapha moth wing, details of the "Y"
• Lens test with four 50mm lenses (discussion with George Dingwall)
  
• Tumbleweed like you've never seen it!
  
• Earwig, formal portrait
• My very first springtails!
• Non invited bee (image by MacroLuv, comments by Rik about what matters for technical quality)
  
• A closer look at Mum's 'lil ones...
• Just Mum and the 'lil ones...
  
• Pink buckwheat on Mt.Shasta, CA
• Aperture and lens effects on stacking
• Cellar spider = "Daddy-long-legs spider"
  
• Spiny spider under porch roof
  
• Stacking setup for spiny spider under porch roof
  
• Face of a dragon?
  
• Shining tarsus -- whose is it?  (snout beetle foot)
  
• Hair!  It's just hair!
• Peristaltic waves down abdomen of tiny male mayfly
  
• Stacking setup for the mayfly eyes, August 2006
  
• Two tiny mayflies on a writin' stick
• Life is looking up for this tiny male mayfly!
• Spruce budworms take over car dealership!
  
• Madrone bark with spider and prey
• Obelisking dragonfly at RVGS
• Small lizard in Oregon forest
• Spruce Budworm Caterpillars and Parasites
• Flower and lichen
  
• Wooly aphids!  Get your genuine wooly aphids here!
• Conrad Basin, Goat Rocks Wilderness, WA (Favorite Location Forum)
• Guardian of the campsite?
  
• On the eve of the summer solstice...  (locust bark)
  
• Pretty mushroom -- Amanita muscaria?
• Carpenter ants on a rotting tree
  
• Just another flashy caterpillar...
  
• Have you ever seen a snake fly?
• The last click beetle trigger photos?
  
• Click beetle trigger mechanism in operation
  
• Half of a click beetle's trigger mechanism
  
• Lady beetle putting its fancy colors on
  
• Possibly the world's worst setscrew...
  
• Check out the tail on this wasp!
  
• Do *not* touch this caterpillar! (sheep moth)
  
• Call me "cute", will you?! (jumping spider)
• Bee Still (images by Ken Nelson -- comments by Rik about unsharp masking)
  
• >Minature metal glaciers?
• Who woulda' thought a carpet beetle would look like this?
• Tinier spring flowers
• Blue butterfly: small but cooperative
• Between the gills of a mushroom
• Fungus on Scotch-Brite pad?
• Some serious dry-land lichen
• I'm going cross-eyed looking at these tiny spring flowers
• >Frost Spikes 4 -- The Clubs?!
• Frost Spikes 3
• Frost Spikes 2
• Christmas LED
  
• Last rose of fall?
• Frost spikes
• Parasitic wasp on end-of-the-year-aphids
  
• End-of-the-year aphids
  
• A contrast of ... refinement?  (moth on porch light)
• Video setup used on shows such as Insectia
• Effect of sensor size on DOF etc
  
• Effect of lens aperture on DOF and resolution
• Will you be dining above or below deck?
• Syrphid fly departing
• Mating slugs
  
• Blue butterfly taking off -- 4 frames in 1/15 second
• Butterfly's sculpted egg -- a suitable wedding present?
• Stacking the wily moth
• Scales of a Sulpher (butterfly)
• Visual system of jumping spiders
• WC 8-4 Tumbleweed spikes (discovered missing from forum, 2006-05-22)
• WC 8-4 Another spider (discovered missing from forum, 2006-05-22)
• Flight machine (refs to dragonfly flight articles and FP flash technology)
  

Forums

• NorWestLeps Yahoo Group
  
• PanoTools Yahoo Group
• What kind of a person joins PanoTools?
  
• Microscope Yahoo Group
• https://www.photomacrography.net/
• Panotools Wiki
• PanoTools at Gmane
• Washington Trails Association
  

Galleries

• Stereo 3D Photo Gallery (including micro and macro)
• Wim Van Egmund Stereo Gallery
• Israel Fichman macro gallery at PBase.com
  

Macro/Micro Photography Equipment and Technique

• Ray tracing through commercial lenses, online simulator at photonstophotos.net, https://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=44431 .
  
• Videos by Thomas Shahan, "An Introduction to High-Magnification Macro Photography" and "Methods in Macro Photography with Thomas Shahan" (video only HERE.)
  
• Charlie Krebs' panel of test images with Canon MP-E 65 lens
  
• A comparison of 8 macro lenses
  
• "Ring" flash with stacked macro lenses
• The Home Made Combined Macro Lens (using toilet paper rolls)
• Charles Krebs' photomicroscopy setup
• Charles Krebs' low-power photomicroscopy setup (e.g. for flies)
  
• Stereo Viewer Selection Chart
• Russell Brown Tips & Techniques (Photoshop)
• Edmund Optics Dolan-Jenner DC-950 DC-Regulated Fiber Optic Illuminator
• Incident Darkfield Illumination Setup with LEDs
• Cleaning Digital Camera Sensors
• http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/sensorcleaning.mspx
• http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/
• http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/sensor-cleaning.shtml
• Zeiss: Microscopy From The Very Beginning
• Gordon Cougar: links to links about microscopy
• Alan Hadley's web site, micropics.org
• The Clean Microscope (Zeiss)
• Homemade goniometer (3D positioner)
• Tom Webster's macro flash bracket
  

Charles Krebs' Macro/Micro Images (horribly outdated list!)

• http://krebsmicro.com/

Miscellaneous

• The down of a thistle

Insects

• Fly ("details")
  
• Yellowjacket "portrait"
• Mosquito head from a very large stack
• New 4X and a new fly.  (Wild lookin' one too!)
• Mosquito Larva (crossed polarizers, showing muscles)
• Horsefly (using new field-stacking setup)
• Leafhopper.  Leafhopper eating.  Leafhopper being eaten.
• Aphids for breakfast, lunch and dinner...
• The eggs hatched!
• Damselfly lookin' right at ya!  Unknown beetle.
• Egg cluster
• Green Lacewing
  
• Green Stink Bug
• Happy looking nymph
• Damselfly nymph
• Water flea (dorsal view)
• The itsy bitsy spider(S)
• Insects beware (fly head, and technique to photograph it)
  
• Ladybug Head Shot
  
• Syrphid Fly Head
• Butterfly Wings (non-iridescent scales)
• Butterfly Wings (iridescent scales)
  
• Carpenter Ant Face
• Scales of Two Butterfly Wings
• Cranefly Haltere
• Crane Fly Head
• The face of death! (Mosquito Pupa)
• Two Fly Heads
• Bee's knees (sort of....) Part II (Honeybee Pollen Combs)
• Bee Face
• Scales of Two (More) Butterfly Wings
• Water Boatman Leg
• Butterfly Scale Detail
• Something for the Aphid Lovers
• Two Individual Butterfly Wing Scales
• Mosquito larva breathing tube
• Yeah, they're a bit showy, but the reception is awesome! (Chironomid midge antennae)
• This is the bee's knees! (really)
• Mosquito Wing #1 (10X objective)
• Mosquito Wing #2 (40X objective)
• Urania ripheus (Sunset Moth), wing scale detail
• Honeybee eye (87 images stacked)
• Urania ripheus (Sunset Moth) revisited
• Insects beware! (and how he did it)
  

Protozoa and suchlike

• Rufous hummingbird feather (in DIC)
• Seed Shrimp
  
• Paramecium Contractile-Vacuole Pores
• Paramecium bursaria (darkfield)
  
• Bdelloid Rotifer Heads
• Amoebas and Paramecium
• Acineta (suctorian ciliate)
• Floscularia ringens. Making "bricks" for tube
• Platycola
• Mickey Mouse of the Rotifer World
• Waterflea in Darkfield Illumination
• Euglena spirogyra (darkfield)
• Cyclops (24 image stack)
• Euplotes, reproduction via fission
• Coleps, final stages of binary fission
• Coleps feeding frenzy
• Suctorian on cyclops
• What have we here? (tiny ciliate with Volvox)
  

Panoramas

• Downtown Minneapolis from a Helicopter
• Extreme Fullscreen (e.g. ice climbing)
• Welcome to Verdon (Erik Krause, Verdon Gorge)
• Faf Acrobase (parachutist descending)
• Danish Royal Wedding shot by Hans Nyberg
• QTVR.DK - The Royal Wedding Panoramic Images
• Toompea Castle

Equipment

• Adorama Camera
• B&H Photo
  
• Edmund Optics
  
• Anchor Optics
• Orion Telescopes & Binoculars (SteadyPix camera mount)
  

Other of Rik's Stuff

• On the pricing of Zerene Stacker, in the forums at dpreview.com.
  
• Webinar with Digital Transitions: "Focus Stacking Webinar Wrap Up", June 19, 2016
  
• 35mm Film vs DSLR: Gradation, Resolution, and Dynamic Range
  
• Cleaning a Microscope Focus Mechanism: aus Jena Laboval 2
• Canon Digital Rebel Color Resolution Tests (Red/Green/Blue, versus Bayer filter)
• Lupines and Pine Trees (stitched panorama)
• "Hanford's Crib Crawler", with link to video of Z9 waste crib panoramas
• Extended Depth of Field Photography of Insects et.al.
• Ancient front page
  

Favorite TED Talks

• Conrad Wolfram: Teaching kids real math with computers
  
• Juan Enriquez: Decoding the future with genomics
  
• Dan Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren't we happy? ("real" versus "synthetic" happiness)
  
• Dan Dennett: Can we know our own minds?  (what is consciousness?)
• Dan Dennett: Ants, terrorism, and the awesome power of memes
• Al Seckel: Your brain is badly wired -- enjoy it!  (fascinating optical illusions)
  
• William McDonough: The wisdom of designing Cradle to Cradle  ("There is no finish line.")
  

3D and Extended DOF Imaging Companies & Stacking Software

• Zerene Stacker --- better images with less work
• Helicon Focus
• CombineZM
• TuFuse: Exposure and Focus Blending Software
  
• Syncroscopy (AutoMontage)
  
• FM Pharmaceutical Products 3D Digital Video Microscope with automated XYZ stage and servo controlled micro manipulators
• Photron All-In_Focus Microscopy Camera (piezoelectric motion of a microscope objective)
• Keyence digital microscope
• Saphicon Software and Hardware for Extended Depth of Field Imaging
• Picolay
• Image-Pro (Media Cybernetics)
• BIG plugin for ImageJ
• Enfuse: similar to TuFuse but open-source (and lower quality)
• SAR Image Processor
• Visionary Digital (turnkey systems)
• Macroscopic Solutions (turnkey systems)
• GIGAmacro (turnkey systems)
  
• PhotoAcute Studio
  
• RegiStax (astronomical only, no focus stacking)
• IMT i-Solution, rep'd by Martin Microscope and others, for example http://microvisual.com.my/
  

Miscellaneous

• Why microstepping in stepper motors isn’t as good as you think
  
• Randy Pausch Lecture: Time Management
  
• Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
  
• "Decapsulating Integrated Circuits", Michael Reese Much (username Olympusman at photomacrography.net)
  
• Focal plane shutter filmed at high speed by The Slow Mo Guys
  
• The Outdoor Enthusiast's Guide to Bugs
• Paul Bertner's "rules to follow for macro photography" 
  
• http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-americas-top-inventor-lowell-wood/
  
• How to remove dust using Lightroom (explanation by Jörgen Hellberg)
  
• BMI Surplus used optical equipment
  
• Stoner Tools & Raw Materials DIY metal -- aluminum bar etc.
  
• "The Human Bot Fly", by Piotr Naskrecki: https://vimeo.com/116518067
  
• Olympus OM-D Em5 Mark II: High resolution shot mode
• Speculation about reason for the Victorian-era distinction between "photomicrograph" and "microphotograph"
  
• Using "Dodge & Burn" to address fog in stacked image when shooting through light-colored hairs
  
• Magic Lantern "shutterless exposure" mode
  
• Discussion of Nikon MM objectives (Measuring Microscope), with link to brochure.
  
• http://www.science-info.net/docs/zeiss/ZeissOpticalSystems.pdf basics of microscopy
  
• Distribution and Impact of Cryptorhynchus lapathi (L.) (Coleoptera:Curculionidae) on Salix spp. in British Columbia.
  
• Interpolation Algorithms in PixInsight (with relevance to Zerene Stacker's advanced interpolators)
  
• John Hallmen's "Bugs Up Close" now available in English
  
• Electronic components: Jameco Electronics, http://www.jameco.com
• Electronic components: Digi-Key, http://www.digikey.com
  
• Photographic Science and Technology forum at dpreview
  
• POV-Ray ray tracer
  
• Stopping down a microscope objective to improve background appearance (discussion & links)
  
• Magnetic sample holder (rotating stage)
  
• Mark Berkery's "Macro Illustrated" guide to how he does nature shots of insects
  
• "Photomacrographic scales"
  
• Butterflies and Things, "leading supplier of dried butterflies and insects for collections, photography, crafters and more..."
  
• "Color restoration of Fly Eyes" by rehydration (soaking in water), Keith E. Short and Anthony W. Thomas, pages 10-15
  
• "Math for macro photographers", formulas by Peter Forsell (beware oversimplified formulas that ignore separation of principal planes).
  
• Adobe Lightroom Tutorials by Julieanne Kost
  
• "Magic Lantern" firmware upgrade for Canon DSLRs
  
• IVPV handbook of optics
  
• Online DOF calculator by Enrico Savazzi (described HERE at photomacrography.net)
  
• "Microscope objectives in photography" by John Hallmén at Flickr
  
• "Structural Colors in Nature: The Role of Regularity and Irregularity in the Structure"
  
• Motorized macro rail on the cheap -- PICAXE Forum (building an automated macro rail from a defunct DVD player)
  
• Borg brand M42 focusing helicoids and other adapters, PDF catalog, price list
  
• CHDK Wiki (for automated control of Canon cameras)
• IEEE Spectrum: "Using the Canon Hack Development Kit"
  
• How to photograph jewelry (43 pages)
  
• "Fundamentals of Vibration Isolation", CVI Melles Griot regarding optical tables
  
• Microscope slide mounting media suitable for amateurs "Alternative Mounting Media Revisited", by Walter Dioni
  
• List of close-up lenses (by Chris Lilley, at NikonGear)
• Nikon dealers: http://www.nikoninstruments.com/Where-to-Buy
  
• Nikon CF M Objectives brochure (210mm tube length, no cover glass)
  
• Nikon CF N Objectives brochure (160mm tube length, 0.17mm cover glass)
• Nikon Instruments Bio Objective Selector
• Nikon Instruments Industrial Objective Selector
  
• Photozone.de reviews of lenses for Canon cameras
  
• Vivitar 283 flash mods for low trigger voltage and switchable flash power
  
• Buck's Macro Flash Bracket Project (using a construction bracket and spring clamps)
  
• DOF Calculator (Depth Of Field) by Tom Striewisch, Alexander Kluge, and Erik Krause
  
• "OPTICAL MICROSCOPY", a 40-page tutorial hosted at micro.magnet.fsu.edu
  
• "Digital Imaging of Beetles (Coleoptera) and Other Three-Dimensional Insects
  
• Mark Berkery on "Macro Illustrated" -- a superb tutorial on macro shooting in Nature
  
• Videos about lens manufacture
  
• "Collecting and preserving Insects and Mites: Tools and Techniques"
  
• "Scientific Imaging: Visual Data and Ethics"
  
• "Depth of Field and Bokeh" by H. H. Nasse -- a long and technical Zeiss publication
  
• Table of camera flange-to-sensor distances
  
• Peter Evennett - Abbe's Diffraction Experiments
• Fred Miranda Forum topic on setups for flash macro photos in the field
• Photos to Photos Optical Bench, ray tracing program including commercial lens designs
  
• Lens tutorial http://photo.net/learn/optics/lensTutorial
  
• Linos Photonics WinLens lens analysis software
• WinLens video tutorial
  
• Schneider Gauss Optics lens analysis software
  
• "Basic Macro Photography", a readable and wide-ranging overview, particularly for fieldcraft.
  
• Scanning electron micrographs: www.microscopix.co.uk and www.psmicrographs.co.uk
  
• Computational Photography course at max planck institut informatik.  Various slide sets in .../slides/.
  
• On the history of turkeys (through DNA analysis)
  
• http://macro-photography.org/ (good introduction, though nothing about focus stacking)
  
• Earwig: Wing Unfolding
  
• Graph of tolerance for tube length variation in microscope objectives, as a function of numerical aperture.  Original article HERE.
  
• Botanical Microtechnique: Staining Fresh Material
• The Myth of DPI
  
• Why image stabilization doesn't work at macro distances
  
• "Microscope / Basics and Beyond"
  
• On the ethics and emotions of killing small subjects
• Head-to-head comparison of CS4 and ZS, focus stacking a pansy
  
• eBay store for MicroscopeNet (inexpensive microscopes)
  
• Yahoo Microscope posting with links to lists of scientific suppliers
• DxOMark comparisons of camera image quality
  
• CambridgeInColour.com Digital Photography Tutorials
• Diffraction calculator at CambridgeInColour.com, and advanced calculator (in "Part 2")
  
• Versions of Luminar lenses
  
• Sophisticated rig for photographing insects in flight, built with laser pointers and custom mechanical shutter.
  (This link is to older versions in the Internet Archive WaybackMachine. Current version seems to be at http://www.pbase.com/fotoopa/root, :: laser_system :: link.)  (4/27/2013, see https://secure.flickr.com/photos/fotoopa_hs/8579833371/)
  
• Norman Koren's downloadable lens test charts
  
• Zotero tool to collect, manage, and cite research sources
  
• Butterflies of America
  
• Alan Hadley's posting about "Stacking Method Spectrum"
  
• Helmut Dersch: LAN/WLAN Interface for Digital Cameras
  
• Numerous BIG algorithms including extended depth of field
  
• Lack of color management in almost all browsers
  
• Gigapixel stitching on the Playstation 3
  
• Digital micrography presentation (Powerpoint, as PDF)
  
• "focusstack" tag at Flickr (There are also tags for "heliconfocus", "combinez", "combinez5", "combinezm", and "automontage", though each with only a few images.)
  
• Max Lyons' exposure and focus blending software
  
• Imaging Resource "Comparometer" Digital Camera Image Comparison Page
  
• Packing Instructions for Shipping a Microscope
  
• Mike Reed's "Flame Warriors" (a caricature gallery of forum participants)
  
• Why one pro prefers film to digital for VR panoramas (with links to other good articles)
  
• Giotto software for background and dust subtraction (including pushbroom defect removal)
  
• ETime Home Endoscope ("Digital Pen Camera")
• Max Lyons' "Autumn Leaf Gigapixel #2", referencing photomacrography.net and Rik Littlefield's work in stack-and-stitch
  
• Charlie Krebs' spreadsheet for calculating required resolution for photography through a microscope
  
• RMS (Royal Microscopical Society) objective thread specification (more discussion HERE)
  
• "Equivalence" -- on the comparison of digital sensors of various sizes
  
• Leitz: Image-Forming and Illuminating Systems of the Microscope
  
• Flickr: The DOF Stacking Pool
  
• Scene Completion Using Millions of Photographs
• "Unshake" -- free code to do blind convolution
• Tutorial on use of CombineZ, by Brian V. at Digital Grin
  
• "PocketScope" 150X single-lens microscope (<2 micron resolution) -- pocketscope.com
  
• "Light Field Photography with a Hand-held Plenoptic Camera" -- Stanford Tech Report STCS 2005-02 (refocusing and parallax after-the-shot)
  
• Microscopes, Filters, Diaphragms, and Stops
  
• R.N.Clark on Digital Camera Sensor Performance Summary
  
• R.N.Clark on Modulation Transfer Function and Image Detail (MTF)
• Norman Koren's "Introduction to resolution and MTF Curves"
  
• Norman Koren's "Resolution and MTF curves in film and lenses"
  
• Moth Photographers Group at Mississippi State
  
• DOFMaster depth-of-field calculator
  
• Canon Digital Rebel (300D) manual
• Olympus macro lenses technical info
• Olympus document downloads
  
• British company that makes photo adapters
  
• GigaPxl project (film at 9x18" format, with full-custom lenses)
  
• Max Lyons Digital Image Gallery
• Modified Panorama Tools (improved optimizer)
• John Houghton Panorama Photography
• Big Ben's Panorama Tutorials
• "Squaring the Circle in Panoramas" (research paper on multi-plane and multi-view projections)
  
• panoguide.com - the guide to panoramas and panoramic photography
• PTViewer documentation mirror
• Max Lyons forums -- Extended Focus
• VRMAG -- "the travel, photography and technology magazine devoted to the world of 360-degree virtual reality"
  
• Botryococcus, golden algae
• NASA's Visible Earth
  
• Perpendicular Distance to a Line (Ask Dr.Math)
• Perpendicular Distance of a Line
• 2.5mm stereo extension (Canon remote release extension)
• Flash Photography with Canon EOS Cameras
  
• Statistical Data Mining Tutorials (Andrew Moore)
• Rik's introductory posting on Microscope Yahoo group
• Microscope HF-CZ Thread
• Thoughts on Extended Depth of Field With Don Williams' Microscopy Sequence
• Luxeon Star LEDs (bright white)
• Molecular Expressions Microscopy Primer
• Zeiss-Jena microscope manuals
• Yahoo Microscope group, description of Microscopy Today online
  
• Microsoft RAW Image Thumbnailer & Viewer
• Removing the shadow (using Photoshop)
• WTU Herbarium Image Collection (Burke Museum, plant identification)
• Burke Museum, Arachnology (Rod Crawford)
  
• Bernhard Vogl's version of manual HDR blending
• BugGuide.net
• Rik's posting of the Lep Soc News article on the Photomacrography forum
• Rik's posting of the Icaricia lupini egg on the Photomacrography forum
  
• Blue Butterfly Taking Off
• Slugs Mating
• DVD reliability -- PanoTools forum thread (see especially Erik Krause's postings)
• Digital/stepper/USB posting, Yahoo Microscope group
• Microtomes (everything you ever wanted to know...)
• GIMP resynthesizer for patching holes with believable textures (and followup)
• Children Learn By Monkey See, Monkey Do.  Chimps don't.
• Topcoder's aubergineanode
• Topcoder design reviewers
  

From posting at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NorWestLeps/message/2305:

Energy consumption and carbon footprint

• Carbon Pollution Calculator (try 12000 miles/year auto, 30000 miles/year airline, and 30000 kwh/yr electricity)
  
• Carbon Dioxide Emissions from the Generation of Electric Power in the United States
  

Indexes to photomacrography.net: 

• Stacking related articles (seriously out of date by this time)