The CASTEL-MICRO Auto Step Motor Stack Rail System from Novoflex is an imaging solution for focus stacking in macro photography, useful when attempting to capture images of insects, minerals, for scientific documentation, and more. When increasing magnification in the near and macro range, one encounters the problem of decreasing depth of field. Objects are thus only sharply displayed in a narrow area, while the foreground and background appear blurred. Using a very small aperture to increase the depth of field can lead to diffraction and affects the quality of the recording considerably. In addition, the gain in depth of field is often not large. Manually focusing with a focusing rail becomes difficult and imprecise, and automatic functions like camera focus bracketing are no longer of much use. The step-motor controlled CASTEL MICRO with its digital control unit offers four different control modes to simplify macro photography and the use of focus stacking.
- Motorized Macro Focusing Rail
- Maximum Travel Distance: 100mm
- Minimum Repeatable Step Distance: 0.2µ
- Touchscreen LCD Digital Control Unit
Business Financing Options
Novoflex CASTEL-MICRO Overview
Novoflex CASTEL-MICRO Specs
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Novoflex CASTEL-MICRO Reviews
A must-have for >1:1 stacking
This is a piece of sophisticated engineering of a high order and I highly recommend it.. It essentially automates the acquisition of the many files needed to fully produce a photograph of very small objects. Although it is listed as "special order" on the B&H website, mine arrived in less than a week. (I've dealt with B&H for many years and their service and integrity are beyond reproach.) The instruction manual is complete and well-written. In your order, make sure to include your camera-specific shutter release cable with a 2.5mm jack at the other end (e.g., Vello). All other necessary parts are provided. I piggyback this unit on a manual rail (Novoflex Castel-XQ II) for rough positioning. If you do this, you will need a spacer of some sort mounted on the manual rail so that the motor housing of Castel-Micro will clear the bottom (manual) rail. I use an RRS piece that I happened to have on hand. There is a video on the B&H website associated with this piece of equipment that pretty much explains its use. I've used it in the field and (mostly) in the studio and it is very reliable. It is almost silent as it proceeds along the rail. It is such a timesaver to be able to set it up to take, say, 200 images and just walk away to do other things. It really is a piece of scientific equipment and the mathematical underpinnings of selecting your intervals are fully explained in the manual. My only complaint is that the cable connection between the touchpad and the motor unit is too stiff and is a nuisance especially in the field. All in all, I recommend it without reservation. Yes, it's expensive but it's the price of precision and high quality engineering.