Handheld macro stacking can feel overwhelming at first. All those menus and settings to juggle. Here’s exactly what I use on my OM-1 Mark II to get consistent, sharp bug stacks in the field. You can start with these as your baseline, then tweak based on your camera, lens, light, and style.
Most cameras will allow you to save certain settings under a custom profile. I have one profile for focus bracketing, one for insects in flight, and one for single shots. Below you will find the settings I use for focus bracketing.
Marit's Macro Settings
Quick-reference settings for extreme close-ups.
Fast enough to freeze subject movement and hand shake while letting the flash do the heavy lifting for exposure.
Low ISO keeps noise minimal so fine details like hairs and textures stay crisp in the final image.
Balances depth of field with diffraction. Wider loses too much focus plane; narrower softens from diffraction.
Lower power means shorter flash duration, effectively freezing motion better than the shutter alone.
Simulated optical viewfinder brightens the EVF so you can see and compose in dark macro scenarios before the flash fires.
Enables focus peaking display for precise manual focus on macro subjects.
Enough slices through the focus plane to stack a fully sharp composite from front to back of the subject.
Step size between focus slices. A value of 3 gives good overlap without wasting frames on redundant planes.
Delay between bracket shots so the flash capacitor fully recharges, ensuring consistent exposure across all frames.