Stacked or Not Stacked?

Mrs. L. spotted a small (2cm long), inconspicuous flower on the 'string of hearts' plant that dangles delicately near the front door. She said that it was hard enough to see it, getting a decent photo would be even more difficult. So... a challenge that couldn't be ignored! The plant had to stay in place, but the difficulties of the location and a soft carpet under the tripod were met head on and a reasonable focus stack was obtained.

However, is a single shot better than a stack for this small flower? Here is a single shot followed by the stack. Which do you prefer and why?

Taken with K3 + Sigma 70mm macro, all at f4.

1. Single shot



2. Stack



Steve

I like them both Steve, with, perhaps, a slight preference for the stacked version - the flower itself benefits greatly from the process, while the leaves still retain some oof blur. Would it be possible to combine the stacked flower with a single shot of the leaves/branch?

A study of something this tiny generally benefits from being isolated and catching as much detail as possible. f4 effectively isolates it but limits the detail. The stack compensates for that with comprehensive detail capture.

I'm enjoying the detail of the stacked flower.

[On a different aspect, by a graduated brightening I would make a bit more visible the parts of the plant around where the flower is attached.]

Philip

Definitely the stacked one for me. a lovely portrait, I like the dark background.

+1

Stacked for me also