Mary, yes its a bit higher profile than I'd ideally like, for stability sake.
It is stable with a 1-DMkII and 180 macro and macro flash, but vibration damping with an MP-E65 at higher magnifications takes hands-off shutter care. And no walking nearby either!
The question is looking at comparing costs and alternatives. The $149 bi-directional housebrand focus rail from Adorama is higher still, and adapts less well to the A/S plates under and over. Fine value for P&S folks though.
The RRS set is a work of art. Beautiful and functional. Low profile and rock solid. But the bi-diectional stacked version starts about $450. For the amount I use it, I could not justify the excellence of RRS.
The Novoflex bi-directional setup started expensive, and offered me little more over my Velbon-Wimberly A/S compatible rig. The Novoflex is missing A/S compatibility; adding the Wimberly C-10 and P-5 adds another $125, and raises the profile, so its starts costing as much as the RRS.
This Velbon has a very long for-aft focus track that is smooth. The side to side has less adjustment distance, but it is sufficient.
Used with a Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro, I took the lens collar from a bigger lens, and bought the $28 adaptor from Canon spare parts in Jamesburg, NJ, so now for $28, my 100mm macro has full rotation around lens axis.
My other use for this is field and still life close-ups with the Canon 90mm TS-E manual focus lens. In many ways, a tilt shift lens is better for macro than a macro lens because you can control the struggle for depth of field - light - and shutter speed. At f/2.8 or f/5.6 the 90 TS-E will do amazing things in the field. Add a 1.4x TC and or tubes and your off.
I felt getting that glass was worth more than buying RRS fabrication art, if one is not rich and has to make a choice.....
Jack
Hey... thanks Allen for the insight on your experience with the Velbon; what do you like about that Novoflex setup?
And, Jack!! you've got me thinking about that tilt/shift lens I've been sorta mulling. I forgot about using it for macro with tubes. Yah, the cost of RRS stuff is way too much. But, I do use the Lplates and the BH55, though I'm sorta thinking of trying a Markins. Maybe...
I'm thinking the velbon setup and...darn, that 90 TS-E; now that I can actually SEE what's in the viewfinder (5D, yay!) I can manually focus again. Off to look at lenses...
I don't own one so I can't comment directly. What I think I might like is that it's rock solid because the tripod attachment assembly connects across the entire length with the camera/lens assembly. The Velbon is a little bouncy in my hands because of the spindly mechanical linkage between the tripod assembly and the camera assembly. Also, the Novoflex looks to have finer grained adjustments whereas I know from personal experience that the Velbon is hard to move precisely in small increments. The point of camera/lens attachment can also be centered directly over the tripod head with the Novoflex while the Velbon attachment is offset from the tripod head attachment. I'm not sure why that's important to me though.
Alan, I looked at that Novoflex and it says it "two plane focusing system" so does that mean it moves side to side and forward/aft? And by connecting "across the entire length with the camera assembly" do you mean it does that because it's a solid piece?
That would be important...
I looked at your photos and you do some straight down/overhead photo angles for flowers and that will be one way I'd use a rail. RRS has some big long "camera bar" that I considered using for that, but moving the camera back in little increments using a loosened clamp while it's tilted seems risky to me. But moving the focusing rail seems more secure, though I see that the RRS rail and the Novoflex would both be roughly set by loosening the clamp. I have a Gitzo G2220 which lets me go vertical with the tripod column, so I guess I'll give that a try if I can find some flowers down here in polluted and overdeveloped SW Florida.
I really appreciate all the thought that folks are putting into this with me. The spring flower season will be upon me soon and I want to be prepared.
This (much more expensive) Novoflex is clearly two plane as we both understand it. I see the reference to two plane in this Novoflex too and I don't think it means what you and I would expect it to mean. I suspect that "two plane" in this context means that it moves fore and aft on two different sliders and not fore and aft as well as side to side.
>And by connecting "across the entire length with the camera assembly" do you mean it does that because it's a solid piece?
Yes and no. I mean that it's two solid pieces (with large contact points) that touch/slide along a common central rail. If I mounted a long lens and camera on the Novoflex and them tried to bounce the lens, I don't imagine that the Novoflex would contribute much to the bounce. The Velbon, I know from personal experience, does add a little bit of bounce. In fact, it contributes most of the bounce which is why I don't use it much.
Ah, yes.. when you show me the other Novoflex I see what I mean doesn't apply to the one you want. Wow, that two way setup is a big expense! I think it's more than a two way RRS macro focus rail.
I can move the Gitzo tripod column sideways when it's tilted out horizontally, but it's a bit of a struggle. If I put a focus rail on the horizontal tripod column it's gonna be with the ballhead tilted in one of the drop slots with the clamp horzontal and that's gonna be shaky all by itself given the way everything is sort of dangling off that column.
