Macro focussing rail??

dougdarter

dougdarter

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Douglas
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Hi,

Does anybody have any recommendations, or know where to source one??

A quick goooogle search doesn't throw up anything interesting, and I'm not keen on buying one from Ebay - most are Chinese anyway.

It will be used for vertical work mostly, so the perpendicular rail would need a lock.

New or used - Any ideas??
 
dougdarter said:
Thanks, I'd maybe be willing to experiment with a cheapie (in fact I've a wanted ad on the sales forum), butI'd rather buy from UK, and I've a feeling I wouldn't be 100% happy with these Chinese ones. These kit's need to be highly precise, and precision costs.
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I disagree, I bought a Velbon one from China cost about £40 plus £20 shipping so was not really cheap. Build quality is great and it is very precise. And many things that are made in China are fine.
 
Doug,

I started with a "Chinese" one and generally it wasn't too bad but not ideal for critcal adjustments. I looked at the Kirk focussing rail but £200 was more than a little off putting.

Enter the Velbon Super Mag Slider.....just under 1/2 the price of the Kirk and does the job well. Critical adjustments aren't a problem and there's no hint of drift. There is a very small amount of backlash in the mechanism but this simply means approching from upstream each time. The one thing missing is a scale for focus stacking but you'll quickly get used to the movement versus dial relationship.
If you want to borrow mine for assessment, just say the word....it's not very heavy so wouldn't cost much via RM

Bob
 
The Velbon jobbie looks to be excellent value for money!! Thanks for the offer of a trial, Bob, I may take you up on it.

I've done a search, and can't find one for sale anywhere in the UK??? Bl**dy typical!
 
dougdarter said:
The Velbon jobbie looks to be excellent value for money!! Thanks for the offer of a trial, Bob, I may take you up on it.

I've done a search, and can't find one for sale anywhere in the UK??? Bl**dy typical!
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I couldn't find one in the UK last year either....mine came from B&H in the US.

Bob
 
I purchased an older Minolta rail on eBay and it is an excellent piece of equipment. I don't remember how much it cost so, i guess it wasn't super expensive. I tend to remember the cost of very expensive items.
 
Manfrotto 454. Cost about £55 (from Warehouse Express I think) and locks down - no complaints so far.
 
I have, and use, the Manfrotto 454, it has done well over the past year and for the price it was an excellent buy; but of course it is not as good or as smooth as some of the more expensive ones.

Still, does the job very well (y) that I can't see the justification for a £200 focusing rail :shrug: ... 4x the price when this is just as reliable and can be well controlled, once you learn to make micro-hand-adjustments.
 
EdBray said:
That's the baby I have. Great for the money (y)
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:agree: Highly recommended for its price but you want new will have to source in the US which is a bit unfortunate with the current £/$ exchange rate.
 
dougdarter said:
Hi,

Does anybody have any recommendations, or know where to source one??
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Hi Doug,

I've got a Novoflex rail which I got from Speedgraphic. Does the job admirably. They aren't cheap though, but very well made and should meet your requirements I would think.

Cheers


Mark
 
I have one of those 4 way ones from Ebay.
It is very well built, and very precise. It has a locking mech that allows my camera and sigma 150mm macro to be supported vertically - this is pretty effective.

The whole setup is a little bit loose but that is to be expected when you consider the price. Overall for me it is a very good setup and the left/right movement is especially useful for framing.
 
The screw onto your tripod head in the same way your camera would. I recommend using a head that has a large plate on it though if you go for the 4 way - can't speak for the others.
YOu then screw your camera to the rails using the tripod mount.
 
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