After not using it for quite a while, I thought revisiting HHHR technology resident in my E-M1X was in order. So I went out in my backyard and captured some late season images of flowers.

Other than doing some in-field tests with Handheld Hi Res technology for this website, I’ve never needed to use it for my commercial photography or any client work.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge. To view this article in a range of other languages click on the Canadian flag in the upper right hand corner. 

That’s not to say that using Handheld Hi Res (HHHR) technology doesn’t have benefits. It certainly does.

The most obvious advantage is resolution. Using HHHR massively increases the size of an E-M1X file to 8160 x 6120 pixels, from the native resolution of 5184 x 3888.

According to the photonstophotos website there is also a significant increase in dynamic range. At native ISO-200 this increases from 9.71 to 11.54 stops. This puts both the resolution and the dynamic range of an E-M1X RAW file shot in HHHR mode in a very competitive position vis-a-vis the Nikon Z9 and other full frame cameras.

If using HHHR can bring resolution and dynamic range to levels competitive with many full frame cameras, then the obvious question is why didn’t I use it on a more frequent basis? One of the answers is clearly seen in the image above. The potential for subject movement to create digital artifacts.

Since we are combing sixteen images into one high resolution frame it takes some patience and shot discipline to get the optimal timing of an HHHR image capture. When we do, the results can give us more latitude with which to work. For example, I found the added resolution and dynamic range using HHHR at ISO-4000 with the photograph above, was beneficial.

Using HHHR gave me more pixels with which to work… so I could go into the combined RAW file output and apply sharpening only to the tiny fly that was on the flower blossom. This made it appear more crisp in the full composition.

Revisiting HHHR also means appreciating the limitations of the technology. A poorly conceived and executed composition… like the one above… is not magically going to be transformed into a terrific image just because we used HHHR technology. In these situations using HHHR will only result in more pixels being used to demonstrate our creative shortcomings.

Depending on our creative intent using HHHR may not be our best choice of technology. The image above was captured using f/16 and HHHR, with a 90 mm macro lens. You can see that the depth-of-field is quite shallow…. which is fine if that was the goal of the composition.

If we wanted deeper depth-of-field, then handheld in-camera focus stacking, or perhaps using a different lens, focal length, and distance to subject would be been a better approach.

As an experiment I captured a couple of HHHR images of a pair of oven mitts that our granddaughters gave my wife and I. Rather than use a single AF point and manually position it as I normally would, I let my camera’s Face Priority AF mode do the auto focusing for me.

In order to get shallower depth-of-field I kept my lens wide open to f/4 and moved in quite close to the subject. With the image above I was 495 mm away.

You can see that the nose and other facial details on this mitt are quite sharp. Depth-of-field drops off quite quickly in other portions of the composition.

The second mitt was photographed also using Face Priority mode, the same aperture, HHHR technology, and shutter speed. The only difference was that I was slightly further away at 505 mm. The areas of the mitt that are in focus are significantly different when you compare both images.

This serves as a reminder that even though our cameras may have some incredible technology in them… when used under similar shooting conditions… the results can vary significantly between images. Letting our cameras choose by using some automated functions, can sometimes result in unintended consequences.

Revisiting HHHR was a good exercise for me. It made me think about why I was using this technology. Did I really need the additional resolution? Was an increase in dynamic range going to make a noticeable difference to the resulting images? Were the environmental conditions such that I was risking digital artifacts? In some ways HHHR capability is a computational photography technology response to full frame camera equipment.

As photographers we sometimes get caught up in technical hype that can overwhelm us. For almost two decades we’ve been told that we ‘must have’ full frame cameras. That we needed high resolution sensors… with more dynamic range… and better low light performance. For some photographers this was true. Full frame camera gear was ideal for their needs.

For others… not so much.

Technical Note

Photographs featured in this article were captured handheld using camera gear noted in the EXIF data. Images were created from RAW files using my standard process in post. This is the 1554 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

Copyright

Word of mouth is the best form of endorsement. If you like our website please let your friends and associates know about our work. Linking to this site or to specific articles is allowed with proper acknowledgement. Reproducing articles, or any of the images contained in them, on another website or in any social media posting is a Copyright infringement.

Article is Copyright 2026 Thomas Stirr. Images are Copyright 2026 Thomas Stirr. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written consent. If you see this article reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use. Posting comments on offending websites and calling out individuals who steal intellectual property is deeply appreciated.