Need a permanent setup!

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CharlesT
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2020 9:02 am

Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by CharlesT »

NetDewt, I also needed something more compact than a tripod and ended up clamping my camera onto a horse-shoe style microscope:
https://www.microbehunter.com/microscop ... 12&t=13031

I feel it works extremely well for 1:1 and larger-than-macro focus stacks.
Canon 600d
Watson Service 1
Beck Epimax

lothman
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Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:00 am
Location: Stuttgart/Germany

Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by lothman »

Netdewt wrote:
Wed Jul 14, 2021 7:31 pm
lothman wrote:
Wed Jul 14, 2021 2:53 pm
Netdewt wrote:
Tue Jul 13, 2021 8:27 pm

I’ve looked online at the stackshot. Allan Walls on YouTube didn’t seem to love the MJKZZ setup but I might be able to handle assembling it.

I second Ray's recommendation to MKJZZ parts, I am extreme happy with the rig I built myself, which is controlled by a MKJZZ USB-Controller, Link

I think the Qool Rail from MKJZZ together with an USB controller is everything you need for little less than 300$
https://www.mjkzz.com/product-page/qool-rail-250
As an engineer I would rate this rail mechanical way superior to wemacro or stackshot design.
OK, but WHAT is that vertical post? I need to know about things like that! Even if I don't need a focus rail, I need some way to position the camera and stage together. I don't want to use tripod and sawhorses anymore.
I gave all information in that thread, I used a Thorlabs 66m rail with arca compatible rail dovetails on all four sides. Due to the adjustable wooden shoes it can be used vertical and horizontal just by flipping over.
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... 34#p266434

Netdewt
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Location: MN

Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by Netdewt »

lothman wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 1:09 pm

I gave all information in that thread, I used a Thorlabs 66m rail with arca compatible rail dovetails on all four sides. Due to the adjustable wooden shoes it can be used vertical and horizontal just by flipping over.
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... 34#p266434
I LOVE your design. However that rail is super expensive. 1 meter is $140. I don't think I want to spend a lot and still have a DIY project. I love that the rail is just covered in arca dovetail.

Maybe the price isn't that bad. I'll add up the cost. Did you make the wood feet?

lothman
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Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:00 am
Location: Stuttgart/Germany

Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by lothman »

Netdewt wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:34 pm
I LOVE your design. However that rail is super expensive. 1 meter is $140. I don't think I want to spend a lot and still have a DIY project. I love that the rail is just covered in arca dovetail.

Maybe the price isn't that bad. I'll add up the cost. Did you make the wood feet?
if you take the unanodized version a 2m piece is much cheaper. The problem are the right angle brackets, they are very expensive (that's why I milled them myself) but work excellent because they interlock at the dovetail when tightened.

I also made the wooden feet, clamped with a threaded rod creating friction at the face end. The slots in the wooden feet have a slight play. So if the feet do not stand on all four rubber feet, loosen the threaded rod -> settle the feet and tighten again, than you achieve a wide, dampened and stable base.

Netdewt
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2021 10:57 am
Location: MN

Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by Netdewt »

lothman wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 3:27 pm
Netdewt wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:34 pm
I LOVE your design. However that rail is super expensive. 1 meter is $140. I don't think I want to spend a lot and still have a DIY project. I love that the rail is just covered in arca dovetail.

Maybe the price isn't that bad. I'll add up the cost. Did you make the wood feet?
if you take the unanodized version a 2m piece is much cheaper. The problem are the right angle brackets, they are very expensive (that's why I milled them myself) but work excellent because they interlock at the dovetail when tightened.

I also made the wooden feet, clamped with a threaded rod creating friction at the face end. The slots in the wooden feet have a slight play. So if the feet do not stand on all four rubber feet, loosen the threaded rod -> settle the feet and tighten again, than you achieve a wide, dampened and stable base.
They have a "breadboard" mount. That could work maybe. It's kind of what I was looking at in a laptop "cheeseplate". https://www.thorlabs.com/newgrouppage9. ... up_ID=3718

That 2m unanodized piece is a great tip. That plus the right angle brackets would be $268 shipped to me. Do you have any plans drawn up about how you made the legs? Or are there other prefab options that you know of?

Netdewt
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Location: MN

Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by Netdewt »

ray_parkhurst wrote:
Tue Jul 13, 2021 3:07 pm
Hi @Netdewt,

Welcome to the forum! Lots of great info and people on here to help.

Im curious about your decision to go with a platform. Your spheres, like my coins, would seem to benefit from having gravity and friction holding them in place rather than suspending them on a vertical stage.

Based on your rail list, you are looking to go manual. Are you planning to do manual stacking? The $300 budget you give would buy a surplus THK or similar rail, so if you are ever thinking of doing stacking, you might want to add something like this to your list.

A vertical system, with a THK rail, is pretty easy to build. There are folks who sell the components needed to make the rail usable for mounting a camera (eg @mjkzz), or you can make the components yourself if you have some aptitude for that.

Anyway, I thought I'd give you an alternative, and welcome you to the forum!

Ray
Looks like you build these? I'll post this because it's Ray's. How do you attach your column to the platform?
Attachments
s8tqalceiv3m.jpg

ray_parkhurst
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Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by ray_parkhurst »

Netdewt wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 5:20 pm
Looks like you build these? I'll post this because it's Ray's. How do you attach your column to the platform?
The column is held to the base with a long bolt through the center of the column extrusion. I find this is by far the best way to attach these extrusions and results in complete rigidity, unlike methods using angle brackets and such. The hole in the center of most 15/40 series extrusions are slightly bigger than 1/4", so a long 1/4" threaded rod works perfectly for this. The base is a piece of composite countertop material, but a rubberwood cutting board works just as well and gives very good side-side stability. Small sorbothane feet can help to keep vibrations from being transmitted.

If you want to build your own, you can pick up the extrusion from 8020. I recommend the 15-series ultra light. You can buy it for $0.51 per inch, plus one cutting fee of $2.62, and shipping of course, directly from 8020.net. Here's the link to their 1515-ULS-Black extrusion:

https://8020.net/1515-uls-black.html

You can get 36" threaded rod, nuts, and washers from any hardware store. My System-9 you posted above has a 24" column, so I just cut the excess.

The Arca plate mounted to the System-9 is a 480mm model. These have gone up in price recently but are still pretty reasonable. See here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274755514676

Macro_Cosmos
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Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by Macro_Cosmos »

Netdewt wrote:
Wed Jul 14, 2021 8:19 pm
I might want some sort of focus rail for positioning, even if I am doing focus brackets in camera. If I don't need something high end though, I could get the Manfrotto 454 for $120. Maybe I just get something off the shelf and do that with a regular copy stand?
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... stand.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... _RS_2.html
Stay away from that Manfrotto 454. It's very poorly made and I don't think they ever updated it. It has been around for more than a decade. I guess back then it was fine, not in my opinion anyway.

The copy stands are good. I paid exactly (+$150 to my wallet) for an enlarger, it came with two el-nikkors which I sold for $75 each. The lot was picked up locally for free. That's how I started. The capacity rating of these stands aren't the best, so I simply countered that with some weights at the back tied to the camera's bottom 1/4in thread so the setup wouldn't creep. There's plenty of good film enlargers free for pickup.

lothman
Posts: 959
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:00 am
Location: Stuttgart/Germany

Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by lothman »

Netdewt wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 4:29 pm

They have a "breadboard" mount. That could work maybe. It's kind of what I was looking at in a laptop "cheeseplate". https://www.thorlabs.com/newgrouppage9. ... up_ID=3718

That 2m unanodized piece is a great tip. That plus the right angle brackets would be $268 shipped to me. Do you have any plans drawn up about how you made the legs? Or are there other prefab options that you know of?
pay attention the breadboard mount needs tapped threads in the face end of the rail in order to be bolted against the breadboard mount. Sou you have to cut the threads by yourself when you use the 2m long rail. But you also could buy a long threaded rod, stick it through the rail and your base plate (thick piece of plywood) and clamp everything together. The only thing you have to care for is a straight 90° cut of the rail, assuring that the clamped down rail will stand straight to your base plate afterwards.

There are lots of possibilities:
- build a setup capable for stepper motor driven sliders like mine, gives you all possibilities but is also the most expensive
- using a manual slider like shown in this youtube video of Allan Walls und build a small stand of extruded alumina profiles or even wood. Or use a modified copy stand like Macro Cosmos mentioned. medium to small invest.
- or follow Rik's advice and use your camera with focus stacking by controlling the focus drive of the lens. For your objects of 1" diameter a macro lens going to 1:1 magnification is all you need. no invest since you probably have already all you need.

Netdewt
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Location: MN

Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by Netdewt »

lothman wrote:
Fri Jul 16, 2021 3:23 am
or follow Rik's advice and use your camera with focus stacking by controlling the focus drive of the lens. For your objects of 1" diameter a macro lens going to 1:1 magnification is all you need. no invest since you probably have already all you need.
I get this point, but I still want a stand/stage/shooting system. I may not need a focus rail, but I do want some sort of stand with a built in stage.

Netdewt
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Location: MN

Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by Netdewt »

ray_parkhurst wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 6:34 pm
Netdewt wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 5:20 pm
Looks like you build these? I'll post this because it's Ray's. How do you attach your column to the platform?
The column is held to the base with a long bolt through the center of the column extrusion. I find this is by far the best way to attach these extrusions and results in complete rigidity, unlike methods using angle brackets and such. The hole in the center of most 15/40 series extrusions are slightly bigger than 1/4", so a long 1/4" threaded rod works perfectly for this. The base is a piece of composite countertop material, but a rubberwood cutting board works just as well and gives very good side-side stability. Small sorbothane feet can help to keep vibrations from being transmitted.
I found your site and sent a message Ray.

CharlesT
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2020 9:02 am

Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by CharlesT »

Netdewt, it might be worth checking the 'Magic Lantern' website periodicaly, as it looks as if someone has started to port the firmware into your model of Canon.
Even though I have it in the 600D I havent really used the focus bracketting routine, so I am not really sure how well it works.
Canon 600d
Watson Service 1
Beck Epimax

Peeker
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Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by Peeker »

Netdewt,

I wrote an Apple script using ScriptDebugger (for Mac) to have Capture One automatically manage focus stack shooting and focus adjustment when tethered to my Canon 6D. It's far nicer than having to click the shutter button in Capture One hundreds of times.

I offer no guarantee that this will work for you, but it should run using the free version of ScriptDebugger. If you don't understand how to use it then you need to teach yourself how to run a script in ScriptDebugger (see below). If you run into errors then you need to learn basic programming. Scripting is a powerful tool in Capture One and Photoshop so it would be worth your time to learn how to do it.

Create a new script in ScriptDebugger, paste the code below into it, save, compile, and run it when you've got Capture One tethered and are ready to start shooting. Change the number 200 to the number of shots you want to make for your focus stack. My maximum consecutive shots using this script and the 100mm macro is 325 shots so far.

use AppleScript version "2.4" -- Yosemite (10.10) or later
use scripting additions

tell application "Capture One 21"
-- begin live view
set theDoc to get current document
delay 10
repeat with n from 1 to 200
capture
delay 3
adjust focus of theDoc's camera by amount 1
end repeat
-- end live view
end tell

Adalbert
Posts: 2427
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:09 pm

Re: Need a permanent setup!

Post by Adalbert »

Hi Nate,
I would spend $300 on a rail if it's the right gear.
I don't know if my setup is the right one, but it costs about $300.
viewtopic.php?p=273155#p273155
Best, ADi

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