Holding parts

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clarnibass
Posts: 130
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 11:33 pm

Holding parts

Post by clarnibass »

Hi

I have an MJKZZ rail with the T slot base and that flimsy alligator holder that comes with it. It's good for a lot of things but I'm taking photos of something really light and it's moving enough to make stacking problematic. I can't use a vertical setup because I need the part to not lean against the background and can't glue it.

One option is to use a Noga arm with a magnetic base (because I already have a bunch of these). It's much more rigid than the alligator arm, but I don't know how good the magnetic base is against vibration. I'm not sure if the part moves because of the shutter (I use a DSLR) or some tiny air moving around (possibly both).

Maybe separating the camera from the part will be necessary... any suggestions for some holder that is nice to control to set position (e.g. with screws) but not expensive?
I have a pretty sturdy tripod that I can put the rail on (Manfrotto 058) while having the part on a table next to it.

Thanks for any suggestions

ChrisR
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Post by ChrisR »

I assume your floor is concrete? Mine are wood and it's pointless to try to use a tripod and table!!
What's the subject, and magnification? Is it by chance so "really light" like butterfly scales, that a flash is making it twitch?
Chris R

clarnibass
Posts: 130
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 11:33 pm

Post by clarnibass »

Yes regular tiles over concrete.
It's stuff like tiny grains.

Deanimator
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Post by Deanimator »

ChrisR wrote:I assume your floor is concrete? Mine are wood and it's pointless to try to use a tripod and table!!
What's the subject, and magnification? Is it by chance so "really light" like butterfly scales, that a flash is making it twitch?
Just out of curiosity, is this effect similar to that of photons on a light sail?

Chris S.
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Post by Chris S. »

Deanimator wrote:Just out of curiosity, is this effect similar to that of photons on a light sail?
Not similar. I covered the phenomenon recently in this post. There have been a couple requests to make it into a sticky or FAQ, which I'll eventually get around to doing.

Light sails use radiation pressure, which is much too weak a force to account for what happens to objects such as some wing scales when blasted by flash.

--Chris S.

Chris S.
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Location: Ohio, USA

Re: Holding parts

Post by Chris S. »

clarnibass wrote:. . . I don't know how good the magnetic base is against vibration. I'm not sure if the part moves because of the shutter (I use a DSLR) or some tiny air moving around (possibly both).
Clarnibass,

I've been puzzling over this a bit. I use a collection of Noga magnetic bases and arms, and don't consider them to vibrate significantly. But I use them to hold lights and light modifiers, rather than specimens, so moderate vibration would affect my use far less. This said, I vaguely recall once testing a Noga arm to hold a subject, and in this vague recollection, I seem to remember that it worked fine. I've certainly used the Noga's to hold a camera on occasion for non-macro work, without issue.

In your shoes, I'd be inclined to test this by mounting an easy subject, such as laser-printed paper glued to a microscope slide, on a Noga arm, put it in front of the camera with a microscope objective mounted, and go into live view. Crank up the display magnification to its highest, and see if the test subject stays still or not. If it does, it's likely steady enough for your use.

Air moving around unsecured subjects is indeed a difficulty. I tend to tape or glue anything lightweight subjects to something rigid whenever possible, as air is always moving and pushing on subjects. When this is not possible, I make a temporary wind-screen around the subject if I can.

Good luck! :D

--Chris S.

clarnibass
Posts: 130
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 11:33 pm

Post by clarnibass »

Thanks. I'll get a plate to try it on the tripod and see how it works. Not much of an investment so worth trying. I'll probably also make a plate to fit the large plate the rail is mounted to, from steel to be magnetic, but I can also just drill and tap a hole for the Noga arm to fit into to see if this is better than the magnet.

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