You can start by pushing either the AF-On button or halfway on the shutter button to focus (typically on the foreground).Then press the Fn2 button (which can be set to access "My Menu") with "Focus shift shooting" at the top of the screen. Then you push the Center button then you push it again and the sequence starts.That is four button pushes on three separate buttons to start the sequenceThe Olympus E-M1 II can be set to (Focus) BKT mode (and even left there after turning off the camera). You press partway on the shutter to focus then all the way down to start the sequence.One "full" push on one button to start the sequenceCan the D850 be set to implement the sequence with only one or two pushes?Clearly the files are of higher quality than the Olympus, but for my purposes pushing all these buttons on several parts of the camera is clumsy at best.Thanks

dougorama wrote:You can start by pushing either the AF-On button or halfway on the shutter button to focus (typically on the foreground).I prefer manually focusing the starting point a little closer to the camera than the foreground. If you use AF, the first image can be back-focused.Then press the Fn2 button (which can be set to access "My Menu") with "Focus shift shooting" at the top of the screen. Then you push the Center button then you push it again and the sequence starts.That is four button pushes on three separate buttons to start the sequenceThe Olympus E-M1 II can be set to (Focus) BKT mode (and even left there after turning off the camera). You press partway on the shutter to focus then all the way down to start the sequence.One "full" push on one button to start the sequencePretty much the same with the GFX, but there's a problem with that way of doing things that the Nikon 850 doesn't have. Say you're in a studio, and you need to review images to get the lighting right. You have to either keep cancelling the focus bracketing or change to single shot mode until you've got the lighting and exposure right, and then put the camera into bracketing mode for the sequence. That part's much easier the way the Nikon does it.I will say that I do like it that when the sequence is over, the GFX returns the focus point to where it was at the beginning. That should at least be an option on the D850 for repeating sequences.Can the D850 be set to implement the sequence with only one or two pushes?Clearly the files are of higher quality than the Olympus, but for my purposes pushing all these buttons on several parts of the camera is clumsy at best.Thanks

“I will say that I do like it that when the sequence is over, the GFX returns the focus point to where it was at the beginning. That should at least be an option on the D850 for repeating sequences.”That would be a nice option to have but I’m also happy that it can pick up where it stopped in case I did not go far enough.I also agree with your tip about starting the sequence  a little in front of where you want to place the nearest focus point.When I do focus shift  sequences I am usually in “work slow” mind  so haven’t felt a need to speed things up.

While I appreciate the "work slow" method the nice thing about the Olympus is that you can "work fast" in the field. So you are saying there is no faster way than what I outlined for the Nikon D850?Thanks

dougorama wrote:While I appreciate the "work slow" method the nice thing about the Olympus is that you can "work fast" in the field. So you are saying there is no faster way than what I outlined for the Nikon D850?I don't know of one. But I'm using the GFX for all my stacking shots now.Jim

dougorama wrote:While I appreciate the "work slow" method the nice thing about the Olympus is that you can "work fast" in the field. So you are saying there is no faster way than what I outlined for the Nikon D850?ThanksI have no idea if there is a faster way. I wish I could help. The external CamRanger and Tethertools CaseAir system where you “drive” the camera from a computer,  or an iOS or Android tablet or phone,  works pretty well for shooting focus shift sequences  as does the Tethertools CaseAir system and might be faster. They also let you keep your hands off the camera.