Has Anyone Tried These Chinese iShoot Macro Rails?

johan · Post by **johan** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 8:50 am

thirtyfivemill wrote:@Johan. When mine arrive we could meet up for that coffee we've been threatening and you can take a look?

Sounds like a plan! Tap me up when it's arrived for a time that suits

thirtyfivemill · Post by **thirtyfivemill** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 8:53 am

johan wrote:
thirtyfivemill wrote:@Johan. When mine arrive we could meet up for that coffee we've been threatening and you can take a look?
Sounds like a plan! Tap me up when it's arrived for a time that suits

It's a date!!

I'll throw my tripod in the Jeep, too and you can have a look with it all set up. I'll shoot you an email or PM when it arrives.

mjkzz · Post by **mjkzz** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 2:30 pm

oh wow, I gotta get one!

thirtyfivemill · Post by **thirtyfivemill** » Sat Jan 07, 2017 2:36 am

Still waiting on delivery of this one. The "EMS" tracking system on this shipment is about as bad as it gets. Pity they don't offer a better shipping option because there's simply no offered method of shipping that's going to expedite the loooooong wait..

thirtyfivemill · Post by **thirtyfivemill** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 7:25 am

Mine arrived today. Have to say it looks very decent quality and all locks down firmly with little or no wobble. Pleased with mine and it even escaped customs for a change.

With this mounted on the Manfrotto 410 with a geared Gitzo tripod supporting everything I can now fairly precisely micro adjust every axis.

ChrisR · Post by **ChrisR** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 8:03 am

Looks good. Some graduations on the knobs would be useful?

thirtyfivemill · Post by **thirtyfivemill** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 8:25 am

ChrisR wrote:Looks good. Some graduations on the knobs would be useful?

Would be for high mag stack work, definitely. Not required for most of my work. Could be added, though, I guess.

Troels · Post by **Troels** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 2:18 pm

It is indeed nice looking. And you say: "all locks down firmly with little or no wobble". Could you please tell us if it is also stable without wobbling in working mode if not locked down between exposures at different focus?

Troels

thirtyfivemill · Post by **thirtyfivemill** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:03 pm

Troels wrote:It is indeed nice looking. And you say: "all locks down firmly with little or no wobble". Could you please tell us if it is also stable without wobbling in working mode if not locked down between exposures at different focus?

Troels

I haven't used it for auto stacking but for single exposures it's been solid enough at 1:1 and 2:1 which is where I'm using it at the moment. I wouldn't envisage movement from the shutter.

thirtyfivemill · Post by **thirtyfivemill** » Mon Jan 23, 2017 5:35 pm

Have to say, I'm pleased with these rails. Solid as I've tried and the adjustment is fairly precise. Well worth the price at $89 for two sets for a dual setup.

mortenoen · Post by **mortenoen** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:58 am

Thanks for this tread!
I've just received mine. Same brand and color. I have now tested four rails, two of them geared, but this screw, or worm drive, is by far the best yet.

I do for the most part insect inclusions in Baltic Amber, and those guys are small, 1-3mm. With these rails I can easily get 120 images through a 3mm insect body, that is under 2 micrometers movements, and with concistancy. By mounting a larger nob it can be even more precise. But the turning nob (one is bigger than the other) is good as it is for now.

There is wobble, if you turn back and forth, maybe as much as 0,5mm, but for stacking I just screw out of focus, screw back to where focus starts, and there is absolutely no wobble at all through the stack. Very tight. There is both a clutch to get more precision, and a locking screw.

I use only one of the rails, as I have a mechanical microscope stage that is better for the actual framing (because of the wobble when turning back and forth). But as a single rail for focus stacking this is just awesome!

Forgot to mention, that if you often do single shots of a field of 2x3mm, and use this rig for framing, you would be pulling out your hair in no time. It is nearly useless for that. Frame with a mechanical stage, and stack with the rail. Or do macro panoramas. For my use I will never buy a motorized stacker. All my stacks by now has been dead on with this rail.

thirtyfivemill · Post by **thirtyfivemill** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:37 am

mortenoen wrote:Thanks for this tread!
I've just received mine. Same brand and color. I have now tested four rails, two of them geared, but this screw, or worm drive, is by far the best yet.

I do for the most part insect inclusions in Baltic Amber, and those guys are small, 1-3mm. With these rails I can easily get 120 images through a 3mm insect body, that is under 2 micrometers movements, and with concistancy. By mounting a larger nob it can be even more precise. But the turning nob (one is bigger than the other) is good as it is for now.

There is wobble, if you turn back and forth, maybe as much as 0,5mm, but for stacking I just screw out of focus, screw back to where focus starts, and there is absolutely no wobble at all through the stack. Very tight. There is both a clutch to get more precision, and a locking screw.

I use only one of the rails, as I have a mechanical microscope stage that is better for the actual framing (because of the wobble when turning back and forth). But as a single rail for focus stacking this is just awesome!

Forgot to mention, that if you often do single shots of a field of 2x3mm, and use this rig for framing, you would be pulling out your hair in no time. It is nearly useless for that. Frame with a mechanical stage, and stack with the rail. Or do macro panoramas. For my use I will never buy a motorized stacker. All my stacks by now has been dead on with this rail.

That's great to hear, Morten. I use mine daily and have it invaluable for my shooting. I have the double rail now permanently mounted to my 410 Junior.

Troels · Post by **Troels** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:04 pm

Thanks Morten!

Just what I wanted to know.

Troels

Deanimator · Post by **Deanimator** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 10:41 am

Those do look nice.

I've got the cheap two axis type that are a dime a dozen on eBay and Amazon. I use mine for single shots, and DSLRController for stacking, so I don't run into any problems with precision, although it seems of quite good quality.

If I didn't already have the rail I have now, I'd definitely consider these.

Lou Jost · Post by **Lou Jost** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 10:47 am

thirtyfivemill, sorry for the off-topic question, but where did you find that external power supply for the Godox light panels shown in your setup? I can't find one that fits the odd connector of my Godox.

Thanks in advance.