Have you ever thought about measuring the vibrations that are present in the room where your macro-extreme acquisition system is installed? Or at least evaluate the efficiency of the mat, the rubber pads, and the springs used to dampen the vibrations that inevitably make your acquisitions blurry? A solution that exists, or rather a small app, that you can install on your cell phone (for Android, but must exist also for IOS), is called: Vibration Meter.
You can download it for free from the Google Play platform: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kr.sira.vibration&hl=en&gl=US
This simple application, once properly calibrated, allows you to determine the smallest vibrations in the environment such as those caused by the camera (obviously we are talking about Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR)) or the movement of the track that moves the camera system.
In the image below you can see a screenshot made with the smartphone.
The vibrations recorded in the upper graph correspond to the steps I took around the table on which the capture system rests, and I didn’t step on my feet! The application can record the passage of cars under the house and the step that the motor makes on the endless screw between acquisitions.
Just as an example, I illustrate below the record of the vibrations created by the lifting movement of the mirror of an SLR and the shutter. It is evident how these vibrations can create blurred images (micro-shake) that affect the final image quality. The image has been calculated by Guido Gherlenda, whom I thank for having provided it to me.
The application installed is freeware, but you can also buy the full version (it costs the exorbitant amount of 1.99€) allowing you to export in .csv format the recorded data and export the images. If you want to have access to a short tutorial on how to use this app, there is also a video accessible on youtube: https://youtu.be/LlYcJJ5FKOU or more easily from below:
Extreme macro and Paleontology 