Hacking a monorail -- what lengths?

[David Honey]

Thought that might get your attention(!)

I found a spare monorail, and thought I'd cut one rail down make a couple of different lengths to make my GVII easier to pack and to carry around. Question is, which lengths to choose?

I figure that if I'm using the 90mm lens I can probably get away with a pretty short monorail, and just keep a longer one strapped to a tripod leg in case I need it.

The original monorail is 17" long, and gives a max bellows extension of 16". The spare rail is only 15" long. I'm tending towards keeping the 17-incher intact, and making the 15-incher into one 'handy' length and another 'shorty' purely for ultra-WA later on, possibly with a home-made bag bellows.

Just off the bat, which combination of lengths sounds like it might be the most flexible?

(For what it's worth, I've seen one cut down to 6-1/2" (to make the WA 'Stubby') and it's said to be long enough to focus a 90mm down to to 2 feet.)

Where would you cut?

(Don't try to stop me -- the chopsaw is rarin' to go!)

;-)

[Alan Davenport]

I made a 5 inch stubby railfor my Calumet monorail camera. With the camera on the stub, I could stuff it into a Lowe Super Trekker, with a 12 inch rail inside. That's adequate for wide to normal lenses. It was still too heavy, which is why I now carry a field camera...

[Michael Gudzinowicz]

Cameras and applications vary, so I'd suggest that you mount the longest lens you intend to use with the short rail, and focus to the closest distance you intend to use with the lens. That way, you'll avoid the unpleasant consequences of a less informed decision.

With respect to which rail to cut, consider the "left-over" length's use with other lenses. If you cut a rail for use with the 90 and perhaps a 135, you don't want to end up with two short sections that are the same length. The difference between one of those sections and an ultra short one isn't really significant for practical use. You might be better off with a moderate rail, and one for your longest lenses. It eventually will be a pain to rebuild the camera for every lens change, so consider acquiring a field camera if light weight and compact size are an issue.

[MIke Sherck]

What a coincidence, I just cut down my Calumet's monorail! I had a 26" rail, which is just too long for carrying in the field, and I cut it to a 10" section and a 16" section. I figured that the 10" section would work for most of what I do in the field with a 150mm lens but I neglected to consider how much the standard carriers stick out forward of the front standard and behind the rear standard (about an inch in each case.) Thus, with my 10" rail I 0nly have about 8 1/2" of useful extension (1/4" rail caps on each end, too.) I can focus to about eight feet but I wish I had closer to the 10" of extension I thought I'd have. *Sigh*

[Paul Fitzgerald]

David,

With the GVII you can reverse the rear standard so it closes down tighter, then there the bellows compression to consider. Try it and see what the shortest length is first, like Mike mentioned. Don't forget the tripod clamp and end caps. The other problem is the focusing gears are adjusted to each rail.

Have fun with it.

[David Honey]

Thanks for the advice and ideas, guys.

Alan -- yep, it would still be relatively heavy, but then I can always start drilling 'lightening' holes. (I remember nearly ruining a motorcycle by doing that back in the 1970s!)

Michael, good advice. I'll double check.

Mike, sorry if you cut one of yours a bit short. With 26" to spare, your cutting elbow must have really had the 'itch'(!)

Paul -- hoping that the tolerances they used for locating the gear rack are tight enough for the rails to be interchangeable; I'll see when it arrives. On reversing the rear standard, I don't see how that would work -- it looks like the pivot support arms would obstruct the film carrier ears. But I have thought about modifying the rear standard, ala the 'Stubby'.
The tripod clamp can go either back or front of the standards when the camera is compacted; the end caps can stay off of one end.

I'm looking for a junker next, to do the rear standard mod. No hurry, but if anybody has one for sale...

Happy New Year, guys! I'll let you know how it goes...

[Dan Jolicoeur]

Have you seen this website for the GV stuby?
http://bigcamera.com/articles/GraphicViewStubby.htm

[David Honey]

Yes Dan, I know the site well -- that's where my hack-sawing arm got it's itch!
Thanks though!

[Paul Fitzgerald]

David,

You're right about the ears, sorry, works for vert. not horz.. You're bringing up memories of the GVIII, take the rear assm. from a GVI and put it on a GVII, front axis tilt - rear base tilt. The problem is the two I have are too pretty to butcher up. I wonder why they never sold them like that?

Have fun with it all.

[David Honey]

' ...take the rear assm. from a GVI and put it on a GVII, front axis tilt - rear base tilt.'

Paul, I thought of that too, or making up a new rear assembly that would work the same way. The so-called 'Stubby' WA has no rear movements at all, but I don't think it's necessary to go that far.

' ...the two I have are too pretty to butcher up.'

That would be my problem too, that's why I'm looking for a junker. I can see spending $1000 on eBay over time, and ending up with a GV museum(!) I love 'em, but I'd better be careful...

[Alan Davenport]

problem is the two I have are too pretty to butcher up.

That needn't be an issue with some cameras. For my Calumet (square rail, same as current model Cambo) I just made the stub out of a piece of hardwood in the shop junk. It's only to hold things together for packing anyway; I'd never massacre a "real" rail for that!

[David Honey]

I thought about that, Alan; the GV rail is just made from 1/8" aluminum angle, but I came across a spare one for $20 and it saved me the trouble. And it has the focusing gear rack.