R7 Focus Stacking forces electronic shutter

[rpoole]

The R7, and other R series cameras, forces electronic shutter for focus stacking. This prevents the use of flash for focus stacking. There is no really good reason for not allowing mechanical shutter for focus stacking and the choice of which shutter should be left up to the photographer, not the camera. Does anyone know of any workarounds that can allow the use of flash with the built-in focus stacking?

[Nemo]

I have never found a workaround on the camera. Instead, I use external software to stack in post. I find this preferable anyway since it allows me to shoot RAW rather than JPEG. I use Helicon, which can be used as a standalone, so with your JPEGs, though I use it as a plugin for Lightroom. I know this isn't necessarily the answer you wanted to hear, but may be the best considering you want to use flash or strobe. Affinity Photo and of course Photoshop will do the same.

[Chunk]

You can bracket and save the raw files. Sadly you cant do it with flash so the IQ will be blurry, grainy messes for many use cases...and shooting raw can only help so much. 

[pwiles1968]

The thread is about the lack of Bracketing with Flash not the stacking that is easy to resolve 👍

[pwiles1968]

I will just leave this here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFLpKPzsFjc

[flashfast]

Terrible solution. That's old way to do flash focus stacking.

[pwiles1968]

That’s one example using Olympus gear feel free to suggest others 

[flashfast]

I wasn’t referring to the Olympus. Olympus cameras do focus stacking automatically.  What I meant was manually focus stacking was the old way.  It’s slow and cumbersome. Let’s say I have to shoot 100 products a day. Do you know how long it would take to get every product “properly” focused stack?  Wayyy too long and in my photography business time is money.  So as much as I love the R’s I can’t get one because it’s missing that feature and I’m not going to spend the extra money for an R3 just to get that feature because for that price I might as well get a GFX 100s ii. 

[Marceppy]

There are a few replies that suggest flash is not important for stacking and they just don’t seem to get it.  So let me repost my earlier reply and more.

There is an integrated timer function that works with brackets, why this cannot be setup to work with flash/focus stacking I don’t understand.  If it were, the timer could be set to allow flash recharge.  Canon are you listening?  I have Canon flashes, why do I have to buy off brand lighting to use Canon R7 bodies?

Another thing too, shutter only engages when in focus.  An option is needed to allow shutter release when not in focus.  This is important so the stacking programs can engage at the correct focus point. So now I have to depress shutter release half way, holding the button, while shifting the focus manually. For in-camera focusing we need an option in firmware that allows out of focus shutter release.

Both these issues have been reported to CPS & Canon survey questionnaires.  

[flashfast]

Perhaps they will implement this into the new R5 Mark II which should be unveiled next month, if the rumours are to be true.  Hopefully after that some new firmware updates will bring the functionality to other bodies such as R7 and R6 mark ii.  

[TattooTroy]

Not activating the flash in focus bracketing has nothing to do with sensor read-out speed. This is more like Canon crippling the other cameras to cause frustration to its Macro photography customers. Only the R3 can do it. The R3 has an extra option,  " FLASH " button in the focus bracketing settings. When the flash option is set to "0 sec", the flash will rapidly fire to match each highspeed shot. When set to "1 sec"  the flash fires every second. I test it with the new EL-5 Speedlite and an R3 at Wex photos in the UK. 

Olympus OM camera is the way to go for macro photography. Many macro photographers are selling their Canon gears and buying Olympus cameras for macro photography. Olympus is cheaper, lighter, and smaller, plus much better macro results. I shall leave Canon in the past.

Here is a list of Olympus cameras that fire the flash in focus bracketing.

focus bracketing Olympus