My first attempt at focus stacking. Vanadinite on matrix
This was mainly a test of the software for me, but the result came out so much better than I expected. Raw editing in darktable and focused stacked using ChimpStackr, two amazing foss pieces of software.
Was it just manually adjusted focus from a fixed (tripod?) position, or were you using something to physically move the camera in increments or other methods?
The vanadinite (red) was 26 photos and the fluorite (green) was 50
I used the focus bracketing mode on my camera. I specify the number of shots to take and how much the focus changes between shots. One shutter press and my camera automatically takes all of the photos and adjusts the focus for me.
And this setup I only put my camera and the rock on a table next to a window. I still need to buy a tripod, but it's hard to justify spending more soon after buying a camera...
Not that I've seriously done stacking, but one thing that might help (based on long exposure experiments instead) is a shutter release cable, assuming your camera has a socket for such. It can reduce the vibration from manually pressing the actual shutter button, and may save the first few shots of your sequence. If your camera is wi-fi connected, you may have an app to do the same.