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Macro Focus Rail
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PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2007 7:16 pm    Post subject: Macro Focus Rail Reply with quote
Is there somebody that has experience with a focus rail?

Guido


PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 12:49 am    Post subject: Re: Macro Focus Rail Reply with quote
Jigt wrote:
Is there somebody that has experience with a focus rail?

Guido


Oh yes,

However I don’t use them for macros. They can be adapted with LF lenses.



Asahi Pentax bellows, M42 mount.


Works great.

Jules


PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 12:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I think, question was about macro focus rail.
I consider railing mechanism to move the whole equipment, not just the lens. Like these,
http://tinyurl.com/2xqdxj

I am curious to hear people views on this (focusing rail).

Last edited by Ballu on Thu May 17, 2007 4:11 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 1:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ballu wrote:
I think, question was about macro focus rail.
I consider railing mechanism to move the whole equipment, not just the lens. .


I think you are right Ballu. I think the whole equipment rail is the subject of the original question.

On a side note, when you have very long links like this one, you may want to shorten them using one of these free services:

http://www.tinyurl.com
http://www.snipurl.com
http://www.cuturl.com

Smile


PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 4:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Orio wrote:
On a side note, when you have very long links like this one, you may want to shorten them using one of these free services:

http://www.tinyurl.com
http://www.snipurl.com
http://www.cuturl.com

Smile


done.... Thanks..

I never knew that these are free services.. saw these ul formats, but never tried... thanks..


PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 4:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ballu wrote:
I think, question was about macro focus rail.
I consider railing mechanism to move the whole equipment, not just the lens. Like these,
http://tinyurl.com/2xqdxj

I am curious to hear people views on this (focusing rail).


AHA!

Never mind Laughing


PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 4:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
lulalake wrote:
Ballu wrote:
I think, question was about macro focus rail.
I consider railing mechanism to move the whole equipment, not just the lens. Like these,
http://tinyurl.com/2xqdxj

I am curious to hear people views on this (focusing rail).


AHA!

Never mind Laughing


I do mind... Smile unless you tell us more about your tripod.. I am looking again and again... seems very sturdy.. and very interesting.. Although, I am not spending on tripod/head.. but I like reading about different ways of handling heavy optical loads. This is least discussed but important point in photography.. Jump to any forum, all so called "wanna be pro" telling people.. go for heaviest to get the most stable... Wanna throw rocks in their bag..
I am not able to figure out the screw tightening mechanism on the head (tightened to tripod head).


PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 4:54 pm    Post subject: Re: Macro Focus Rail Reply with quote
Jigt wrote:
Is there somebody that has experience with a focus rail?

Guido


Yes I use mine for any real + 1:1 macro shots. An essental bit of kit. What did you want to know? There isn't much to tell.



PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 5:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nice picture Rob,

I do not mean a bellows but a rail like this:

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/macro/macro_rail.jpg


Guido


PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 7:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Macro Focus Rail Reply with quote
Rob Leslie wrote:

Yes I use mine for any real + 1:1 macro shots. An essental bit of kit. What did you want to know? There isn't much to tell.


Oh my, Rob.
This picture is nothing short of very top professional quality!
Sometimes I open scientific magazines but very rarely I see pictures of this incredible quality.
Chapeau!! You have made a masterpiece there.

BTW, what lens and what illumination?


PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 7:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
What kind of tripod do your use under the macro trail ? Any special ?


PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Jigt wrote:
Nice picture Rob,

I do not mean a bellows but a rail like this:

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/macro/macro_rail.jpg


Guido


Yes I know you mean a focus rail.
Though I did make mine from a set of Russian bellows by removing the bellows and using the rails only. All that was required was a hole to take a tripod screw. The old Russian bellows units can be picked up for around ?10 a lot cheaper than a rail and they do exactly the same job. I fact the rail part is probably better than the cheap China rails you see on eBay. The Rail you are showing looks a good one. How much?
A focus rail is only as good as the tripod and head it is on. There no point setting it up on a cheap one. You are doing millimetre accurate focus so any movement of the tripod or head when you touch it negates all the effort you have made.
Shown here with the Super Takumar f1.8 55mm reversed on 32mm + 24mm tubes. Mounted on Manfrotto 055 tripod and Manfrotto 486RC2 head.




Orio " what lens and what illumination?"

Lens was Tamron SP 28-80mm + tubes, can't remember the stop but I was trying to keep some natural light there so around f8. Shot was taken in the woods, last October. Light was a single Vivitar 283 off camera with a stoffen diffuser on it. Tripod and head as above. The picture did get a first at a RPS contest. Would not normally tell you that but because you like it so much it may be nice to know you are not alone.


PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2007 2:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ballu wrote:
lulalake wrote:
Ballu wrote:
I think, question was about macro focus rail.
I consider railing mechanism to move the whole equipment, not just the lens. Like these,
http://tinyurl.com/2xqdxj

I am curious to hear people views on this (focusing rail).


AHA!

Never mind Laughing


I do mind... Smile unless you tell us more about your tripod.. I am looking again and again... seems very sturdy.. and very interesting.. Although, I am not spending on tripod/head.. but I like reading about different ways of handling heavy optical loads. This is least discussed but important point in photography.. Jump to any forum, all so called "wanna be pro" telling people.. go for heaviest to get the most stable... Wanna throw rocks in their bag..
I am not able to figure out the screw tightening mechanism on the head (tightened to tripod head).


Hi,

It's an old Silk Master Pro II head on a Bogen Manfrotto tripod and it is heavy but it does not shake at all and will handle LF

The screw down mechanism is a variable tension brake for horizontal turning. It can be locked, stiff, or loose depending on how tight it is screwed down.

I got it used in a second hand camera store for about 100USD.

Jules


PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2007 2:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rob Leslie wrote:

Lens was Tamron SP 28-80mm + tubes, can't remember the stop but I was trying to keep some natural light there so around f8. Shot was taken in the woods, last October. Light was a single Vivitar 283 off camera with a stoffen diffuser on it. Tripod and head as above. The picture did get a first at a RPS contest. Would not normally tell you that but because you like it so much it may be nice to know you are not alone.


Thanks. I suspected that there was a flash, because of the crispness of detail, but apart from a couple of highlights (revealing only for trained eyes), it does not show like a flash, the result is naturally diffused. Which contributes to the result.
Congrats for the prize, and I don't think it's tacky to let the others know when your work was prized. All pro photographers blow their own horns all the time (and not always with full reason as you can remember), so why shouldn't we, especially when it's well deserved?
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