Helicon Focus 7.0: Huge Improvement in Scalability for High Core Count Machines

2018-01-15 • SEND FEEDBACK |
Related: focus stacking, Helicon Focus, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac Pro, scalability

I’ve updated my in-depth comparative review of the Apple iMac Pro (best on the internet for still photographers, I hope), with new results from the latest version of Helicon Focus 7.0.0, literally built earlier today and sent to me directly from the developer.

The prior version did not scale at all; this new version is awesome, scaling to 10 CPU cores as well as one can hope for with a real program, given the drop in clock speed of a 10-core CPU (Turbo Boost reduction) and the overhead of using all those cores.

This test is for the new improved “Method B” of the pre-beta 7.0.0, which the developer says is slower but much better with difficult stacks. It uses 28 16-bit 45-megapixel images from the Nikon D850. See Nikon D850 'Focus Shift shooting' feature for Easy Focus Stacking.

2017 iMac Pro vs others: Helicon Focus version 7.0.0 Jan 15 build

f9 @ 8.0 sec focus stack 28 frames, ISO 31; 2017-10-23 18:20:34
NIKON D850 + Nikon AF-S 105mm f/1.4E ED

[low-res image for bot]