Recommendations for focusing rail for 4x5

[_T_]

I’ve been using a cambo sc to take pictures at magnifications from 1x to 9x.

Only problem is the sc doesn’t have a convenient way to move the entire camera forward and backwards for focusing at full extension.

Does anyone know of any options for a macro rail that’s capable of giving decent performance with a combined 10lbs of camera and lens?

 

[xkaes]

I use a Minolta focusing rail on my 4x5" TOKO. The camera only weighs about 4 pounds fully loaded, but the rail works fine -- even though it was designed for a Minolta 35mm bellows. Since it was designed for high magnification it is very sturdy. I only use it for macro work where the bellows is normally extended quite a bit, but the lenses are all pretty light.

Actually, I use two of them -- one on top of the other. One allows for movement back & forth, the other side-to-side. The rails are geared -- with locking tabs -- and marked in millimeters. Lots of companies make similar models. Perhaps one for a 120 camera would work for you better -- Mamiya RB, Pentax 6X7, etc.

Here's one shot from last year -- Minolta 100mm f4 macro

 

[_T_]

Thank you for the recommendation.

It’s difficult to find good information about the capabilities of focusing rails.

It looks like the minolta may be the only option that doesn’t cost upwards of $400.

 

[xkaes]

There are lots of others that are probably just as good and around the same price -- that I don't know about -- from Vivitar, Nikon, Soligor, Canon, Pentax, Spiratone, Yashica, Novoflex, Olympus..............

 

[_T_]

Thank you for the list of manufacturers. It can be difficult to know what to search for. Certain terms bring up a small portion of the available rails but no set of terms pulls up all or even most of the entries. Very helpful to have a list of useful search terms.

About my findings: I have looked at quite a few rails at this point and there are a few that I’m leaning towards.

There is the Olympus OM System focusing stage. This one uses a large square section monorail similar to the one built in to my camera. This design seems well suited to a large heavy camera, please correct me if I’m wrong about that. This is one of the more expensive options.

Next up are the vintage novoflex focusing rails. There are a number of versions of essentially the same design. It has dual circular sectioned rails like the minolta but those rails are connected together at all four ends by the stage that holds the camera. The stiffening effect of this feature seems like it would improve stability.

Then there is the Nikon PG-2. This is another square sectioned monorail. What I like about this one is the mounting platform for the camera. The sc2 is large and heavy which means that it has a tendency to rotate loose on the mount. The PG-2 has a mounting screw that can be adjusted along the axis of the camera and a raised portion at the back of the platform that I could press the camera’s clamp up against to keep it from rotating. The only problem is it might not be compatible with the camera. The raised portion at the back of the platform might be too tall and interfere with the camera’s monorail. I will see if I can find the relevant dimensions somewhere and compare them to my camera.

Finally of course the Minolta rail is still in consideration.

If anyone has used any of these systems or has any other suggestions that might be suitable please chime in. Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[xkaes]

I've only used the Minolta rails. One big difference is the length of the rail. While they are generally around 100-125mm, that will effect the price. It's hard to know how much back & forth and side-to-side you will need. A lot depends on your magnification. The higher the magnification, the less movement you need. But if you get one you don't like, you can always sell it. USED rails all largely really cheap.

And some have tiny knobs vs some with HUGE knobs, a single rail or a pair, some geared, some not, etc.

 

[_T_]

So I pulled the trigger on a pentax macro focus rail iii. I was hoping the anti rotation features would be less than 55mm apart so they would be able to interact with the base of my cambo sc rail clamp but no luck. They’re 58mm apart.

Still very happy with my purchase.

Immediately cranked the magnification up to my 9.2x max at full extension and used the pentax rail for fine focus. Works exactly as I had hoped. Takes 5-10 seconds for the vibrations to work their way out of the system but once they do the setup is completely steady. For that reason I don’t think this would work outdoors with even a little bit of wind but I think this would be the case with or without the rail.

Pointed the camera as close to straight down as the system will allow and attempted to run the rail back and forth and had no issues. The camera did not overwhelm the gearing of the rail and suddenly fall forward to the maximum extent as I had expected. I didn’t even have to engage the lock. It just sat exactly where I left it. That said I have to use my free hand to help retract the rail against the weight of 10 pounds of camera. It is possible to lift the entire weight with just the knob on the rail but doing so is too much strain on my arthritic hands.

Next i tested the amount of play in the rail and found it to be almost totally negligible at 9x. All of the play I see is due to flex in the dual rails which deflect slightly as they reach toward full extension. It’s minimal, not enough to cause problems with framing the shot. Also the framing does not shift between the locked and unlocked position. Not that it matters as it’s solid enough to use without having to engage the lock.

My only issue is the rotation of the camera’s rail clamp on the surface of the macro rail’s plate. I was really hoping the anti rotation features would be just a few millimeters closer together. Not a major thing but I do think I’m going to try to get in touch with a machine shop and have an anti rotation plate cut and bent out of piece of sheet steel. If I do I’ll update with the finished product and how well it works.

Thanks for the help in finding a suitable solution. I would still be searching without it.