Hi,
I would like to mount my dslr in a vertical focusing rail so I could place it above objects or microscopes as seen many of the users here does.
After searching ebay a little I found those items:
Copy stand 79$
http://cgi.ebay.com/PRO-Copy-Stand-with ... 1e598c906b
and a 2 Way Macro Focusing Rail $29
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Way-Macro-Focusin ... 29fcbd5276
I think it'll be possible to connect the Focusing Rail to the stand but overall cost is 108$ before shipment which sound a lot for a such simple construction. Do you maybe have other idea on were to find or how to construct such rail in more affordable way? Keep in mind that I don't have access to metal workshop.
Thanks
How to build a vertical focusing rail
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
If you have an old enlarger the heads usually come off and you can then modify them to make a copy stand. The head on my old Durst M600 is even held on by a 3/8" threaded knob, which is an alternative standard tripod screw size and fits into my focusing slide which has both 1/4" and 3/8" tripod threads.
Loads of enlargers are now being scrapped and the head can often be used as an illumination base turned upside down on the baseboard.
DaveW
Loads of enlargers are now being scrapped and the head can often be used as an illumination base turned upside down on the baseboard.
DaveW
"2 way" focusing seems a bit of an overstatement when they explain:-
You can also fix a body cap to the top of a microscope head, with a hole drilled through it, then attach tubes to that, and use microscope lenses as "normal", in a rotating mount.
An Olympus CH is good for that.
This doesn't entail more than using a hand drill and a packet of ingenuity.
Some bellows units have slide-copiers which can be used or modified, too.
If you tell us what you've got to start off with, perhaps someone can suggest something specific?
Keep a lookout for part-microscopes. See the sticky threads in this section, but also consider nounting a camera directly to a "butchered" microscope head. I've used a hole-saw to drill a hole to support a 39mm extension tube.To adjust your camera in 2 direction : forward and backward
You can also fix a body cap to the top of a microscope head, with a hole drilled through it, then attach tubes to that, and use microscope lenses as "normal", in a rotating mount.
An Olympus CH is good for that.
This doesn't entail more than using a hand drill and a packet of ingenuity.
Some bellows units have slide-copiers which can be used or modified, too.
If you tell us what you've got to start off with, perhaps someone can suggest something specific?
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PaulFurman
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Funny thing Paul, I just bought Brian Bracegirdle's "Scientific Photomacrography", and unlike most here he seems to prefer vertical photomacrographic set-up's to horizontal ones. To quote from his book:-
"Susceptibility to vibration was an especial consequence of using traditional horizontal long-bellows equipment, but also affects some other apparatus. Whereas a compound microscope is compact, with its centre of gravity low-placed when the camera is vertically above it for photomicrography, a long horizontal set-up is made to vibrate only too easily, and this becomes very obvious at higher magnifications. In this regard, it cannot be too highly stressed that it is hardly possible to support macro equipment on too massive a stand."
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/ind ... ookr5.html
DaveW
"Susceptibility to vibration was an especial consequence of using traditional horizontal long-bellows equipment, but also affects some other apparatus. Whereas a compound microscope is compact, with its centre of gravity low-placed when the camera is vertically above it for photomicrography, a long horizontal set-up is made to vibrate only too easily, and this becomes very obvious at higher magnifications. In this regard, it cannot be too highly stressed that it is hardly possible to support macro equipment on too massive a stand."
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/ind ... ookr5.html
DaveW
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rjlittlefield
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As counterpoint, let me add emphasis at a few places in the quote.
"Susceptibility to vibration was an especial consequence of using traditional horizontal long-bellows equipment, but also affects some other apparatus. Whereas a compound microscope is compact, with its centre of gravity low-placed when the camera is vertically above it for photomicrography, a long horizontal set-up is made to vibrate only too easily, and this becomes very obvious at higher magnifications."
I started off doing high-mag macro (some 40 years ago) with a vertical setup. That experience was frustrating because of my setup's high susceptibility to vibration. It wiggled all over the place.
That susceptibility had little if anything to do with the setup being vertical. The problem was that the subject and lens were not tightly coupled. In fact, from a mechanical standpoint, the subject and lens were separated by over two feet of fairly flexible pipe and fittings.
In contrast, a typical compound microscope connects the subject and lens with only a few inches of rigid metal.
It should be no surprise that a few inches of rigid stuff beats two feet of flexible stuff.
When Bracegirdle compares a compound microscope with long-bellows equipment, what he's really comparing is a compact rigidly coupled system against an extended loosely coupled one.
Horizontal versus vertical is a red herring, except for two aspects. One is that most microscope stages are designed to be used vertically, with gravity playing the role of an anti-backlash spring. The other is that particular environments may present more horizontal vibration than vertical, or vice versa. In my own place, the biggest issue is vertical deflection of floor joists, caused by people moving around. In other places, horizontal deflection would dominate.
Design accordingly. Isolation with big mass and squishy supports is always a good idea.
--Rik
"Susceptibility to vibration was an especial consequence of using traditional horizontal long-bellows equipment, but also affects some other apparatus. Whereas a compound microscope is compact, with its centre of gravity low-placed when the camera is vertically above it for photomicrography, a long horizontal set-up is made to vibrate only too easily, and this becomes very obvious at higher magnifications."
I started off doing high-mag macro (some 40 years ago) with a vertical setup. That experience was frustrating because of my setup's high susceptibility to vibration. It wiggled all over the place.
That susceptibility had little if anything to do with the setup being vertical. The problem was that the subject and lens were not tightly coupled. In fact, from a mechanical standpoint, the subject and lens were separated by over two feet of fairly flexible pipe and fittings.
In contrast, a typical compound microscope connects the subject and lens with only a few inches of rigid metal.
It should be no surprise that a few inches of rigid stuff beats two feet of flexible stuff.
When Bracegirdle compares a compound microscope with long-bellows equipment, what he's really comparing is a compact rigidly coupled system against an extended loosely coupled one.
Horizontal versus vertical is a red herring, except for two aspects. One is that most microscope stages are designed to be used vertically, with gravity playing the role of an anti-backlash spring. The other is that particular environments may present more horizontal vibration than vertical, or vice versa. In my own place, the biggest issue is vertical deflection of floor joists, caused by people moving around. In other places, horizontal deflection would dominate.
Design accordingly. Isolation with big mass and squishy supports is always a good idea.
--Rik
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PaulFurman
- Posts: 595
- Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:14 pm
- Location: SF, CA, USA
- Contact:
Just to be clear my comment was only about the suitability of the rack and pinion focusing rack for fine stepping in a vertical position while holding a DSLR and say a heavy 105 VR macro lens. My bellows wouldn't work well in a vertical position, I'd have to tighten down the locking screws so it didn't slip, then it would be hard to adjust.
I would suggest moving the focusing rail to the stage on the table for positioning, then some other mechanism for fine focus stepping of the stage. Or a lead screw type mechanism for vertical stepping of the camera versus rack and pinion with tension/friction knob. Some focusing rails may work this way. It may even be possible to customize the focus rail with a lead screw/micrometer on the front/bottom for fine stepping.
My main consideration for choosing horizontal is comfort in being able to operate the camera in a seated position. Remote control software would solve that problem. One reason to prefer vertical is the ease of mounting subjects by simply laying them down on a piece of glass.
It sounds like the OP has a microscope he wants to perch the camera over - in that case the microscope will do fine-focusing. What will be missing in this rig is a way to shoot between 1x with a regular macro lens and 10x on the microscope, although that could be done with extension tubes or Canon MP-E.
My horizontal rig is completely missing the possibility of mounting a regular macro lens on the camera without bellows.
I would suggest moving the focusing rail to the stage on the table for positioning, then some other mechanism for fine focus stepping of the stage. Or a lead screw type mechanism for vertical stepping of the camera versus rack and pinion with tension/friction knob. Some focusing rails may work this way. It may even be possible to customize the focus rail with a lead screw/micrometer on the front/bottom for fine stepping.
My main consideration for choosing horizontal is comfort in being able to operate the camera in a seated position. Remote control software would solve that problem. One reason to prefer vertical is the ease of mounting subjects by simply laying them down on a piece of glass.
It sounds like the OP has a microscope he wants to perch the camera over - in that case the microscope will do fine-focusing. What will be missing in this rig is a way to shoot between 1x with a regular macro lens and 10x on the microscope, although that could be done with extension tubes or Canon MP-E.
My horizontal rig is completely missing the possibility of mounting a regular macro lens on the camera without bellows.
PaulFurman wrote: It sounds like the OP has a microscope he wants to perch the camera over - in that case the microscope will do fine-focusing. What will be missing in this rig is a way to shoot between 1x with a regular macro lens and 10x on the microscope, although that could be done with extension tubes or Canon MP-E.
And a very large number of RMS mount lenses that will easily fit on a microscope turret, e.g. Zeiss Luminars, Leitz Photars, Nikon Macro-Nikkors.ChrisR wrote: Well there are 2x and 4x scope objectives of course.
boom stand with nikon focus block for 175$, if anybody is interested, they even ship the focus block alone:
http://www.microscopesfromnightingale.c ... ng%20block
http://www.microscopesfromnightingale.c ... ng%20block