Novoflex Castel Q focus rack with X & Y movements

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dunksargent
Posts: 251
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 2:50 pm
Location: Cambridgeshire UK

Novoflex Castel Q focus rack with X & Y movements

Post by dunksargent »

Spotted this secondhand at a very reasonable price on a well known UK (Scottish :) ) dealer's list last week:

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Novoflex 'Castell-Cross-Q' focus rack

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Just for fun and illustrative purposes ... Vintage Contarex 'Bullseye' camera fitted with Zeiss focusing bellows (incidentally, bellows was also made by Novoflex over 50 years ago) and 50mm Zeiss Planar lens.



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Close-ups of Arca compatible dovetail release mechanism …

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... it's a precision piece of engineering … note the 'extended' (lock) and 'retracted' (release) tongue positions in the dovetail

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Arca compatible 'Q' baseplate which enables quick release after unlocking the tongue in previous photo
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Underside has 3/8" and 1/4" attachment bushes


http://www.novoflex.com/en/products/mac ... ks/castel/ ... Link to the fine focus accessory which I'm planning to add soon.

Unlike other focusing racks. the Novoflex Castel has no backlash movement so it's possible to adjust focus in tiny increments.

I had always wondered why these focus racks are expensive to buy new but after handling and seeing the quality engineering, now consider it's excellent value.

Best wishes

dunk
And now for something completely different.

Himself
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2011 5:52 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada
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Post by Himself »

I don't know about the rails but that bullseye is simply gorgeous. I assume the lens is the 50/2 Planar?

dunksargent
Posts: 251
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 2:50 pm
Location: Cambridgeshire UK

Post by dunksargent »

Himself wrote:I don't know about the rails but that bullseye is simply gorgeous. I assume the lens is the 50/2 Planar?
Yes it is the 50/2 Planar which suffered balsam separation and was thus fully serviced by a lens specialist in 2009 to remedy the problem ie lens elements were separated cleaned and re-polished and coated. An 85mm Sonnar was also similarly serviced to remedy the same problem and the camera was serviced too. The service company, O.I.B. (Optical Instruments Balham) which was based in Croydon UK is no longer in business.

Best wishes

dunk
And now for something completely different.

DQE
Posts: 1653
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 1:33 pm
Location: near Portland, Maine, USA

Post by DQE »

These rails are beautiful and so well-made, especially as photographed for this thread.

Now I know what I want to acquire for my next macro equipment purchase, even though I don't use manual rails too much these days. These rails are just too beautiful to not own.
-Phil

"Diffraction never sleeps"

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