The Auto-calibration feature in Elements (beginning in version 3.1) is a great thing to have. You simply choose the objective you are working with, the software knows what camera you are running, so the calibration is calculated for you when you add the objective list.
While this is great for the compound scope systems out there, it’s not helpful for a variable-zooming stereo or macro system. Low and behold there is a nice feature in Elements to handle this, and here’s how it works:
The feature is called “Zoom Configuration” and can be found under the “Devices” menu.
To use this feature you’ll need to have at least one objective declared under the Calibration menu ->objectives list.
When you open the window you’ll see a configuration screen for the zoom optics. Configure as follows:
Also – If you want the Zoom to appear in the live window you’ll need to check the “Zoom is located in the camera light path” checkbox.
With this complete you can close the config window. You’ll see a new tool available on the toolbar which allows you to enter the zoom value before acquiring an image:
Note that for this to work you’ll need to have selected the main objective as active before you’ll see a calibration value in your acquired image.
This is an extremely useful tool and one I’m glad to see is available in Elements D up to AR!
– Austin