So I have the 21" cambo rail for my SC and was wondering if a longer one is available...
So I have the 21" cambo rail for my SC and was wondering if a longer one is available...
According to the Cambo accessory document, which can be found on the Cambo web site, there was a 30 and 40 inch monorail.
I use the 30 inch Cambo rail pretty regularly with a 600mm Nikkor. With an intermediate standard, and both the normal and the bag bellows, it will focus from infinity down to roughly seven and a half feet. The 40 inch rail doesn't seem to be easily available, so I am considering using a ~1"x1" wooden rail, probably a hardwood like maple or similar. I have read that this worked well for another poster.
Long focus lenses designed for process work give a very interesting rendition close up on 4x5, at the reproduction ratios for which they were originally designed. A compendium lenshood takes care of the "excess" coverage of the lens. I use either two tripods or, for more manoeuvrability, one solid tripod plus a monopod. Images made with this combination give a fascinating sense of the familiar seen with a new clarity and intensity. Not easy to describe in words, but evident even on the ground glass.
Try a 1" x 1" piece of aluminum extrusion. A metals supply house might even have some scrap lying around. You could drill a hole in each end and put cotter pins in them to keep from rolling a standard off of the rail.Originally Posted by Rodney Polden
I haven't seen the 30" rail available anywhere besides the calumet website (which sells for 200 dollars!) along with an intermediate standard which i haven't been able to find anywhere. Maybe i could get a duplicate SC for dirt cheap, use 3 standards to connect 2 bellows and somehow figure out how to screw 2 21" rails together. Anyone try anything like this? I'm in the process of figuring out how i can get a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio with a subject, so i need to find a cheap lens that will do the trick too.
Scott,
I have seen 8x10 Cambo SCs that have a tripod block with a double rail locks, it may do the trick. I have a 4x5 Cambo SC btw.
Héctor Navarro Agraz
On my rebuild , I changed over to wood rear rail, seems to work fine but then it is not very long so I am not for sure how well it would act with long unsupported spans. In an earlier post (another thread) I discussed using "aluminum extrusion" used for carports & screen rooms as it has two semi-circular channels to strengthen the wall. I used them as a means of attachment running self-tapping screws into them. I also used stainless steel (3/8) all thread covered with clear plastic (hose) pipe through the center section then crown nutted the ends to add compressional tension for added stiffness to the rail.
I don't know if you are considering using this method but others may so I should perhaps make some corrections & go into a little more detail? I used the term crown nut which should be cap nuts, I couldn't find end caps for the rail stock so I used washers which I drilled & counter sunk the screw holes. The screws act to maintain alignment, keeping the washer => rod centered as well as the washer itself acting as a keeper or stop for the rail mounts. I used washers thathave center hole close to the rod diameter.
[ I put an aluminum tube over the rod & therefore needed to isolate the dissimilar metals, I also countersunk the center (rod) hole but from the interior or channel side. I cut the tube slightly longer than rail so that it extended just past the rail & seated into the countersink portion. I wanted the tube to have compressional rather than a flair style seat against the washers. This is a bit over kill & probably not needed so you can skip this portion]
I used fairly thick (strong) washers as you don't want them to be deforming if you over torque them. I attach one washer with cap nut & then run the rod & plastic through & then mount the other end cap (washer) but I use a crown or a couple of regular nuts on this end. I tighten the nuts (lightly) then cut the rod. then I back off the nut(s) on this end and replace with the cap nut. This action is determines the compressed length of the rod & allows for this rod end threads to be cleaned by temporary nut(s) when they are removed. The cap nuts & washers (double) give the rod a finished (professional) look to the rail.(Screw holes being counter sunk allow for second thinner (finish) washer to be placed over the first set as an option) The 5x7 format probably doesn't require such dynamic stress factor but I used this build as a prototype for an 8 x10 format (ulf) weight of a future build. This wasn't used with a Cambo but it should work as long as the rail mounts function on one inch square stock.
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