SWEBO focusing rail

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chdphoto
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SWEBO focusing rail

Post by chdphoto »

being new this area of macro work, I'm putting my equipment together, and have been looking at the focusing rails.

In my head I keep thinking that a rail that can give you incremented adjustments would be more repeatable and accurate.


SWEBO LS-001, Lead Screw Macro Focusing

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VN ... SQ898HV3OW

my other choice would be the Kirk rail.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007O ... AVE6&psc=1


any input would be great and appreciated.
Kevin

chris_ma
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Post by chris_ma »

Hi Kevin,

that brings up some questions:

what kind of magnification are you planning to use this on and how deep of a stack?

field use or studio?

horizontal setup or vertical?

and do you prefer manual stacks or do you eventually want to move up to an automated one anyway?

or more generally, what type of macrophotography are you planning to do? :)

bests
chris

chdphoto
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Post by chdphoto »

I purchased a canon 65mm 1-5x lens, I currently work in the 1x range without stacking, and wish to move up and start doing stacks, maybe 30-50 image depth.


I would say both in studio and outside,

always horizontal.

current image with 100mm canon macro lens, single flash, with diffuser

Image
Kevin

chdphoto
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Post by chdphoto »

thanks for the help
chris_ma wrote:Hi Kevin,

that brings up some questions:

what kind of magnification are you planning to use this on and how deep of a stack?

field use or studio?

horizontal setup or vertical?

and do you prefer manual stacks or do you eventually want to move up to an automated one anyway?

or more generally, what type of macrophotography are you planning to do? :)

bests
chris
Kevin

chdphoto
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Post by chdphoto »

another handheld image

Image


I'm reasonably happy with my single image work at 1:1, just wish to move up on the magnification and learn stacking.
Kevin

kaleun96
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Post by kaleun96 »

I can't speak to the quality of either but they both look nice.

The Kirk rail could be more steady given the dual guide rails but I have a Sunwayfoto rail that is similar to the SWEBO and I don't notice much side-to-side movement. Most of that comes from the ballscrew and I've had rails with dual guide rails still exhibit side-to-side movement from the ballscrew (when moving back and forward).

On the other hand, if you're dropping that kind of money on a Kirk rail, I'd seriously consider a MKJZZ or WeMacro automated setup. Perhaps not as portable for outdoors but more functionality and for deep stacks it will really save you time and energy.
- Cam

chdphoto
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Post by chdphoto »

kaleun96 wrote:I can't speak to the quality of either but they both look nice.

The Kirk rail could be more steady given the dual guide rails but I have a Sunwayfoto rail that is similar to the SWEBO and I don't notice much side-to-side movement. Most of that comes from the ballscrew and I've had rails with dual guide rails still exhibit side-to-side movement from the ballscrew (when moving back and forward).

On the other hand, if you're dropping that kind of money on a Kirk rail, I'd seriously consider a MKJZZ or WeMacro automated setup. Perhaps not as portable for outdoors but more functionality and for deep stacks it will really save you time and energy.
thanks for the review and info.
Kevin

chris_ma
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Post by chris_ma »

kaleun96 wrote:On the other hand, if you're dropping that kind of money on a Kirk rail, I'd seriously consider a MKJZZ or WeMacro automated setup. Perhaps not as portable for outdoors but more functionality and for deep stacks it will really save you time and energy.
agreed

chdphoto
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Post by chdphoto »

chris_ma wrote:
kaleun96 wrote:On the other hand, if you're dropping that kind of money on a Kirk rail, I'd seriously consider a MKJZZ or WeMacro automated setup. Perhaps not as portable for outdoors but more functionality and for deep stacks it will really save you time and energy.
agreed
I just don't know if I want to do the computer or app controlled controllers.
Kevin

chdphoto
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Post by chdphoto »

chris_ma wrote:
kaleun96 wrote:On the other hand, if you're dropping that kind of money on a Kirk rail, I'd seriously consider a MKJZZ or WeMacro automated setup. Perhaps not as portable for outdoors but more functionality and for deep stacks it will really save you time and energy.
agreed
I think the wemacro looks like the better of the 2, but not sure if this would be for studio only.

I seriously think people doing stacks outside are working below freezing, or with insects the sit still longer than I have ever seen.
Kevin

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Post by NikonUser »

kaleun96 wrote:
"for deep stacks it will really save you time and energy."

I have never felt the need for an automatic rail, but perhaps I have never run 'deep stacks'
I just manually stacked a micro (moth) using 2 flashes. 1st image was at 3.26 pm the 61st at 3.29 pm.
Not sure what I could do in the 3 minutes if my setup was automated; also, I doubt that twiddling the knob on my stacking rig and pushing the camera button used up much energy (on my part).
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kaleun96
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Post by kaleun96 »

NikonUser wrote:kaleun96 wrote:
"for deep stacks it will really save you time and energy."

I have never felt the need for an automatic rail, but perhaps I have never run 'deep stacks'
I just manually stacked a micro (moth) using 2 flashes. 1st image was at 3.26 pm the 61st at 3.29 pm.
Not sure what I could do in the 3 minutes if my setup was automated; also, I doubt that twiddling the knob on my stacking rig and pushing the camera button used up much energy (on my part).
I often do 130-200 photo stacks but my flashes can't keep up with a photo every 3 seconds over that many shots.

I mainly like the precision of it and the reduced error. I think my manual macro rail could do maybe 0.05mm increments somewhat reliably (unsure of the +/- error for that) but the added precision to do 0.005mm or smaller is a big bonus. At those distances it seems like you would need to take more than a few seconds to ensure correct positioning for each step but guess it depends on your setup.

I think when I had a manual setup I was taking maybe 10-15 minutes for 80 photo stacks. Most time was spent trying to precisely move the rail for the next photo and giving it time to settle. The monotony of it would prevent me from doing many stacks in a day. Whereas with an automated one, I can try as many configurations as needed to get the right result with little effort.

Edit: plus if your flashes can't keep up, it sucks waiting around for the recycle time! I often give them more time on an automated run to ensure consistency between flash bursts as triggering them too fast gives inconsistent lighting.
- Cam

chdphoto
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Post by chdphoto »

I guess starting out the stacks will be smaller and less ambitious, and bigger subjects, I'm not sure if I will go with led lighting or use some studio strobes. lots to plan, and decide.

thanks for all the input.

still can't figure out the rail issue, but lens coming in on Tuesday so need to figure this out.

thanks,
Kevin

kaleun96
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Post by kaleun96 »

chdphoto wrote:I guess starting out the stacks will be smaller and less ambitious, and bigger subjects, I'm not sure if I will go with led lighting or use some studio strobes. lots to plan, and decide.

thanks for all the input.

still can't figure out the rail issue, but lens coming in on Tuesday so need to figure this out.

thanks,
Some other things I like about the SWEBO:
1. A big knob with off-centre handle for quickly moving the rail into position
2. Graduated markings on the handle to help with precision movements
3. Many mounting options. This seems like a small thing but it can be really convenient in the long-run
4. It appears that the other end of the ballscrew allows mounting some attachment, it would be perfect if this was for a stepper motor but that may be asking too much.

So if you're unsure about whether you will go for an automated rail in the future, I'd go for the SWEBO as it's cheaper, looks decent, and has some nice-to-have extras. If you get an automated rail in the future, the SWEBO would be good for moving a specimen holder in the Y-axis.
- Cam

chdphoto
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Post by chdphoto »

kaleun96 wrote:
chdphoto wrote:I guess starting out the stacks will be smaller and less ambitious, and bigger subjects, I'm not sure if I will go with led lighting or use some studio strobes. lots to plan, and decide.

thanks for all the input.

still can't figure out the rail issue, but lens coming in on Tuesday so need to figure this out.

thanks,
Some other things I like about the SWEBO:
1. A big knob with off-centre handle for quickly moving the rail into position
2. Graduated markings on the handle to help with precision movements
3. Many mounting options. This seems like a small thing but it can be really convenient in the long-run
4. It appears that the other end of the ballscrew allows mounting some attachment, it would be perfect if this was for a stepper motor but that may be asking too much.

So if you're unsure about whether you will go for an automated rail in the future, I'd go for the SWEBO as it's cheaper, looks decent, and has some nice-to-have extras. If you get an automated rail in the future, the SWEBO would be good for moving a specimen holder in the Y-axis.
thanks very much,

for the specimen area this looks pretty useful,
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DV ... EG6U&psc=1

this would hold a background, diffuser material, and the actual specimen itself. funny how may useful things are in the milling area, and soldering/craft area.
Kevin

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