Velbon Super Mag Slider Macro Rail - Magnesium

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

Using it for macro work with reversed 50mm F1.4 Nikkor.
The adapter inserts are impossible to remove for mounting directly to the tripod 3/8 thread. Instead, I used a Manfrotto quick attach adapter to attach to the slider. It is stable and easily adjusted.

Aluminum inserts in a magnesium frame? Dissimilar metals cause them to lock together. Velbon could isolate with teflon tape so the inserts can be removed if need be.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

I have been stacking for a short time. Up until this point it has been on a steady tripod just using the focus ring to accumulate pics to stack. This is so much easier, I can just turn the adjustment a quarter of a turn, settle down, take the shot and move on. The results have proven to be provide consistency in the stacking results.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

For studio macro work it works well. I use this both for macro work (including focus stacking) and for stitch panoramas to offset for the nodal point. It is sturdy.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

I use the mag slider for close-up and macro photography. The slider is lightweight but very robust. I had to machine a small relief in the back of the slider and it took some time in the milling machine. The controls work great and vertical holding with camera body and lens results in no slipping. Addition of quick release adapters makes using this a snap. Great product!

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

This is an exceptionally well engineered piece of kit. It is easy to use and is very light and firm. The only regret I have is that it does not have a scale on it. However, that is only a minor grumble. I believe that the two way movement will allow me to use the slider for panoramas in that I'll be able to set the camera pivot point at the nodal point - however, I am yet to try to use that function.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

This is used for fine-tuning with macro photography. This unit ([$]) is much more stable than the trick of using 2 single-axis rails (at $15/each). The extra $90 is worth it because the $30 would be a waste of money. The unit is just a little bulky, but any device that does this job well needs to be bulky.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

I DO MUCH MACRO WORK WITH ROSES AS MY WIFE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL ROSE SOCIETY. I HAVE BEEN USING ANOTHER MAKER'S FOCUSING RAIL, BUT HAVE CONSISTANTLY HAD TROUBLE MOUNTING THE CAMERA ON THE RAIL BECAUSE OF THE AWKWARD LOCATION OF THE MOUNTING KNOB. IN BROWSING THROUGH YOUR WEB SITE, I NOTICED THE SUPER MAG SLIDER, TRIED IT, AND FOUND THAT IT IS MUCH EASIER TO MOUNT THE CAMERA ON, REGARDLESS OF THE WEIGHT OF THE PARTICULAR MACRO LENS THAT I MAY BE USING. IT'S GREAT, AND I WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM IN RECOMMENDING IT TO ANY ONE THAT DOES MACRO WORK. FRANK MOORE

POSITION OF THE

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

I mainly use it for macro work.It does have some extra movement between the two platforms.Otherwise its an excellent slider for the money.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

Provides a very fine movement on the slider with each turn of the positioning screw and allows precise focusing for close up macro work.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

I use the Mag Slider for macro shots of flowers and insects "in the field". It allows you to focus using the slider when dof is so small.This has been a great advantage when autofocus isn't practical.I'm very impressed with the smoothness of the controls and the build quality.It's also very easy to attach to the tripod and the camera even without quick release plates.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

Use for macro photography and video. Very good in focusing when using reverse lenses/extension tubes.Feels like a solid built.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

I was skeptical until I saw it. Light but sturdy, it held my D300 in place with the 60mm 2.8 Nikon Micro and three extension tubes rock solid. From landscape to portrait at any forward angle absolutely nothing budged.

The fine-tuning on my focus was razor-sharp. What I hadn't anticipated was how much I would appreciate being able to move the camera a few micrometers to the left or right.

I also used this with a good deal of success to mount my camera at the parallax point for some really effective panorama shots.

Love it!

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

I have been shooting macros with various lenses and extension tubes. I found that stacking tubes have become cumbersome and time consuming.

To combat this, I purchased the MP-E f2.8 1-5X and this slider. Though I've used this slider for only a few days, I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

I find the build quality and the ease of use to be excellent. I have attached a quick release plate to the bottom bracket, and since I use this exclusively with the MP-E, I do not need a second QR plate.

The operation is smooth, and makes focusing extremely easy. No more sliding the tripod back and forth and sideways to get the composition and focus fine tuned. Just a few twists of the knobs do the trick.

If you are serious about macro, do not pass this item up.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

I always had trouble to control the camera when taking macro pictures very close to the subject. The depth of view becomes very shallow and the slightest movement takes the picture out of focus.
I had other focusing rails, but the quality of the Velbon Slider is far beyond them on every aspect.
As a mechanical engineer, this product caught my attention for being made of magnesium. It is lighter than aluminum, which is one of the most used metals when weight and resistance has to be balanced. The fact the slider is moved by the thread shaft rotation makes every movement very smooth with minimum efforts, yet very stable.
The only trick not everyone will notice is that the 4 nuts mounted on the main body have to be tightened or loose for quicker and lighter movements, or precise and a little bit stronger movements. The second option is prefered in most of the cases.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

The Super Mag Slider is sturdy and well made. Operation is very smooth and well designed.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

I use this in combo with my Manfrotto 405 gear head on my tripod.

These two items allow me to position my camera in any position and the Slider allows precise composition (right to left) and precise focusing when used with my Macro lenses.

The units controls work smoothly and quickly.
The only thing lacking is a quick connect for the camera or lens mount.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

Very easy to use. Wonderful value and reasonably light. It is somewhat bulky and would not take on extended trips, but when you are doing roadside macro work it is now essential. Add quick release plates so that I can use my ballhead and it functions well in this fashion without a loss of stabilty.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

I bought this rail for use in macro photography. Very sturdy construction. It held my Canon 7D with 70-200 lens at almost 60 degree down position without any travel. I just keep it attached to my tripod and use built-in camera attachment knob to add / remove camera instead of using regular tripod ball head quick release adapter. I wish I had bought it long time ago.

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

The rail is MUCH larger than I expected. I think this is a good thing, as it seems a lot more stable than I expected it to be. I put a quick release plate on it for faster attachment to my tripod. It's a little bit cumbersome to use due to it's size, but I think that's just part of the "learning curve" to this type of device

Comments about Velbon Super Mag Slider:

One of my real likes is macro photography. I had been making do with moving the tripod and or subject to get things just right so I finally said enough was enough get a set of macro rails.

The beauty of these rails are that they can be micro-adjusted in both the forward / back and left / right planes which to me has proved to be a great benefit.

They are strong and hold a Canon 50D with 100mm F2.8 LIS macro lens fitted with 3 extension tubes and ringflash at all angles with no problem whilst still allowing me to make micro-adjustments in all directions.