Heavy duty copy stand?

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ray_parkhurst
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Re: Heavy duty copy stand?

Post by ray_parkhurst »

JKT wrote:
blades wrote:I looked at the Kaiser RS2 but found it a little flimsy for my needs.
Why not R1 system? Those are pretty stable - at least mine is. I skipped R2 as too flimsy too.
Hmm, didn't know the RS1 was more stable than RS2. Do you know the reason? Is it the base, or the clamp, or??

JKT
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Post by JKT »

The vertical column has larger outside dimensions, which naturally affects most other parts as well.

Edit:

The outside dimensions for different Kaiser system columns seem to be:
120 x 80 for RePro
105 x 74 for RD
70 x 35 for R1 & eVision
35 x ??? for R2

They may look similar in picture, but there's quite a difference in stiffness... :D
Last edited by JKT on Mon Jan 14, 2019 7:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

Pitufo
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Post by Pitufo »

I have an RS2 and it has been great - even at quite high magnifications. EDIT: an error - it is an RS1 I have.

I also have a Zeiss (some type of compact measuring microscope, I think?) which I may part with. It is not very tall but very heavy. I thought I might build something with it myself with an Olympus camera.

It is very heavy.

(in Newcastle upon Tyne but I may be visiting Aberdeen at the end of Jan).

P.S. There are a couple of 150W Halogen arms to go with my RS1 if anyone interested. One looks in good working order, the other not.
Last edited by Pitufo on Mon Jan 14, 2019 4:36 am, edited 2 times in total.

ray_parkhurst
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Post by ray_parkhurst »

JKT wrote:The vertical rail has larger outside dimensions, which naturally affects most other parts as well.

Edit:

The outside dimensions for different Kaiser system columns seem to be:
120 x 80 for RePro
105 x 74 for RD
70 x 35 for R1 & eVision
35 x ??? for R2

They may look similar in picture, but there's quite a difference in stiffness... :D
Yes, they do look similar in pictures, though I have not seen pics of the RD or RePro. Never owned one, but have always heard from other coin photogs that they are good, but not sure which model they use.

Pitufo
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Post by Pitufo »

I made a mistake earlier - it is the RS1 I have.

(base is 50 x 45 cm).

mjkzz
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Post by mjkzz »

I used a granite block for some kind of measurement test, it comes with a steel rod, 5cm in diameter (a little less, as most Chinese product make exaggerated claims), but it is so sturdy, I think you can replace the rod, too.

You can get them on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=m ... d&_sacat=0

Note the first few, but those with large granite block. You can customize it if you want to, to fit your needs.

ray_parkhurst
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Post by ray_parkhurst »

I completed a working system with the "copy stand" concept:

6" x 12" composite base
24" t-slot column
48cm ARCA plate
Vivitar bellows mounted on ARCA clamps

I installed a manual 60x60mm Z-stage for fine focusing, and would plan on using the mjkzz VCM system as an add-on for focus stacking. I will put one of these together, test, and post some results here, but I don't see any reason it shouldn't work perfectly.

Note that this system is tailored for coin photography, and with a 75mm lens (Nikon, Tominon, Rodenstock) can frame up to 80x120mm, which is big enough to frame a coin in a graded 'slab'. It can also of course go down to as small as desired. I did try it with a 50mm Tominon and could get to 4x with reasonable (web quality) IQ.

And the bottom line...it's as stable as my current (and more custom/labor intensive) setup! The single-bolt attachment really does the job well, and puts uniform pressure from the flat-finished end of the column against the hard composite material surface.

I highly recommend this method.

Here's a pic of the system:

Image

mjkzz
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Post by mjkzz »

ray_parkhurst wrote:I completed a working system with the "copy stand" concept:

6" x 12" composite base
24" t-slot column
48cm ARCA plate
Vivitar bellows mounted on ARCA clamps

I installed a manual 60x60mm Z-stage for fine focusing, and would plan on using the mjkzz VCM system as an add-on for focus stacking. I will put one of these together, test, and post some results here, but I don't see any reason it shouldn't work perfectly.

Note that this system is tailored for coin photography, and with a 75mm lens (Nikon, Tominon, Rodenstock) can frame up to 80x120mm, which is big enough to frame a coin in a graded 'slab'. It can also of course go down to as small as desired. I did try it with a 50mm Tominon and could get to 4x with reasonable (web quality) IQ.

And the bottom line...it's as stable as my current (and more custom/labor intensive) setup! The single-bolt attachment really does the job well, and puts uniform pressure from the flat-finished end of the column against the hard composite material surface.

I highly recommend this method.

Here's a pic of the system:

Image
wow, very nice!

But be honest to you, I could never get such system work myself, even with the granite stand, I have to mount the camera at the base, close to granite and put the whole thing at edge of a table, with camera pointing down the edge (not surface of granite), essentially elevate the setup. And even this, I have to keep the camera still and move the subject.

mawyatt
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Post by mawyatt »

Ray,

Nice!! Are you attaching the ARCA plate to the vertical bar with "T" nuts?

Best,
Research is like a treasure hunt, you don't know where to look or what you'll find!
~Mike

ray_parkhurst
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Post by ray_parkhurst »

mawyatt wrote:Ray,

Nice!! Are you attaching the ARCA plate to the vertical bar with "T" nuts?

Best,
Yes, I used 2 T nuts but I will probably end up using 4. The plate has a little flex and it would be good to tie it down in more places.

The 480mm plate is shorter than the 24" column, so it can/must be strategically placed to give the right combo of "close enough" for highest magnification, and "far enough" for biggest field. It can also be moved fairly easily if one direction is favored.

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