Recommendation for a light, low geared, macro slider?

Rod McD wrote:

Hi,

I'd like to ask forum members for advice on a macro slider please. I have a two axis macro slider that's commonly available all over the internet under a dozen different names and no name. It uses a rack and pinion gear to drive the movement. It works but it's not ideal.

There are two problems, both of which come from the gear ratio. The first is that the gear ratio is too high. One turn of the knob moves the camera about 30mm. This makes it hard to make very fine even adjustments of the type needed for stacking at say 1:1 to 1:2. The second is that when pointed up or down, gravity will move the carriage, camera and lens downhill. Yes there's a lock knob, but that then requires two adjustments per shift, more time, and more chance of upsetting bugs.

Can anyone recommend a slider with a very low gear ratio? Single axis is fine. It might use a worm drive or have an additional gear train to reduce the ratio. It must be field portable and preferably light. So not a powered one.

Many thanks,

Rod

I have a couple of NiSi NM-180 rails and a Haoge FM-160.

They are comparable in weight and size, with the NiSi being slightly larger because of the greater length and the rotatable clamp.

The NiSi is sort of the darling of the macro world right now. It has a fairly fine lead screw (what you called a "worm drive") that moves a highly controllable 1.25mm/turn. It's a pain to move a large distance, though. They give you a flip-out crank handle on one knob so you can haul it back quickly. It has a rotatable Arca clamp to accommodate lenses with long standard plates like my 200mm f/4 Micro-Nikkor. For me, the rotatable clamp is a necessity for any main (single rail or top rail in a stack) use. It goes for around $130.

The Haoge has a large, steep pitch lead screw" and can smoothly move 4mm per turn, making it a very controllable alternative to a typical 15-25mm/turn rack and pinion. It has a fixed 90-degree Arca clamp, meaning you need to use it with a Hel-L bracket on your camera or a square "bidirectional" Arca plate on camera or lens. If your lens has a long standard Arca plate you're kinda SOL). It's a great lower (cross) rail and it's even useful as a vertical "lift" rail. It goes for around $70 or near half what you pay for the NiSi.

I prefer the "quicker" 4mm/turn at 1:1, the fine 1.25mm/turn is more a 5x sort of thing.