I need a Copy Stand

[physics-fan3.14]

I recently purchased a Canon T3i, and now I need a copy stand to go with it.

 

I know many people here use a copy stand, but what brand, and what type do you use? What should I look for when buying a copy stand?

 

[Deerefan8420]

If you are using your T3i with a dedicated macro lens, I would recommend the Bencher Copymate II. It holds the camera well with the added weight of the macro lens. It's kind of bulky and takes up a good bit of room, but it is a solid copystand.

 

If you are wanting to use your T3i with a bellows setup, I would recommend getting in touch with Ray(rmpsrpms) and let him build you a stand. He does great work with his setups and he has many options to choose from.

[physics-fan3.14]

I don't have a macro right now, and probably will wait a while to get one (let the bank account recover, you know). Currently I just have the EFS 18-55mm that came with the camera.

[Deerefan8420]

I don't have a macro right now, and probably will wait a while to get one (let the bank account recover, you know). Currently I just have the EFS 18-55mm that came with the camera.

 

If you want to save a little extra money, I would suggest that you talk with Ray and let him get you setup with a bellows system. He can put together a great setup for much less than the cost of dedicated macro lens.

 

Ray built a setup for me and I love it. In fact it's the only setup I use now, except for when I need to take images of the entire holder. Other than that, I'm using the much smaller stand. And it only takes up a small amount of space, as compared to the Bencher Copymate II.

[bsshog40]

I have a Canon T4i and I bought this Copy Stand It actually works pretty good for the price. I use it for all my pics.

[Zebo]

You can also pick up a set of inexpensive extension tubes that will work with the electronics of your Cannon.

[wdrob]

$67.50 with free shipping and includes bellows but you have to do a little bit of engineering. The stand is sturdy as can be but the blog shows how I rigged mine up.

 

You are an engineer for real, I believe, so there you go.

 

 

[ldhair]

I'm a big fan of Bencher as well. When you get a long lens, you need something really sturdy to hold it that won't shake around.

Bencher

[Deerefan8420]

I'm a big fan of Bencher as well. When you get a long lens, you need something really sturdy to hold it that won't shake around.

Bencher

 

I would have to agree. I started out with some of the cheaper models that I found on eBay for $100 or so. But as my equipment got bigger, the little stand wouldn't hold-up to what I needed. So that is why I bought this stand Here when I purchased my Nikon D3100 and the 105mm Nikkor Macro lens to go with it. I have the "heavy-duty" model which has the heavy-duty counterbalance spring and it holds the camera/lens combo quite well.

[robec1347]

I have the Bencher CopyMate II also. It is a great copy stand. I am sold on Ray's microscope stand/bellows kit. With that you won't need a copystand or macro lens.

 

Since I've been using the microscope stand, I've only used the copystand and macro lens less than 10 times.

 

This has been a period of a little over 2 years and easily a thousand coins photographed.

[TonerGuy]

If you want to save a little extra money, I would suggest that you talk with Ray and let him get you setup with a bellows system. He can put together a great setup for much less than the cost of dedicated macro lens.

 

Ray built a setup for me and I love it. In fact it's the only setup I use now, except for when I need to take images of the entire holder. Other than that, I'm using the much smaller stand. And it only takes up a small amount of space, as compared to the Bencher Copymate II.

 

I have a bellows system and I cant seem to get it to work well for me. Is there a trick Im missing or am I just being stupid ? Be honest...

[Deerefan8420]

If you want to save a little extra money, I would suggest that you talk with Ray and let him get you setup with a bellows system. He can put together a great setup for much less than the cost of dedicated macro lens.

 

Ray built a setup for me and I love it. In fact it's the only setup I use now, except for when I need to take images of the entire holder. Other than that, I'm using the much smaller stand. And it only takes up a small amount of space, as compared to the Bencher Copymate II.

 

I have a bellows system and I cant seem to get it to work well for me. Is there a trick Im missing or am I just being stupid ? Be honest...

 

Send me a PM and tell me about the troubles you are having and I'll try to help you out! It does take a while to get adjusted to the bellows but once you get it figured out, you'll really enjoy using them.

[TonerGuy]

Send me a PM and tell me about the troubles you are having and I'll try to help you out! It does take a while to get adjusted to the bellows but once you get it figured out, you'll really enjoy using them.

 

Well I havent tried them in awhile. Originally I tried, failed and put them away. I will try again soon and let you know the problems I am having. I just remember that I couldnt get them to work well. I cant exactly remember why though. Thank you for the offer. Expect a PM in the coming week or so.

[rmpsrpms]

Using a bellows setup is a bit different from using a vintage macro lens, and very different from using a modern macro lens. Most folks start out taking pictures of family and landscapes. In both cases the distance to the subject is fixed, and the lens is moved vs sensor to focus the shot. This seems logical, since it's much easier to adjust the focus using the lens than moving toward or away from the subject, especially if your subject is a mountain! Plus, adjusting focus makes little difference to the magnification of the subject, ie how much of the frame it takes up.

 

Older macro lenses and bellows setups, used in macro mode, are used in the exact opposite way. Because the subject distance is so close, it is much more convenient to move the entire camera + lens system vs the subject. The magnification of the system is set by the lens to sensor distance, and because this changes rapidly in the macro region it makes more sense to first set your magnification by adjusting lens extension, then focus moving the whole system.

 

Newer macro lenses (most anything that autofocuses) uses a different principle for focusing that enables the lens to use the more traditional portrait/landscape method, keeping the subject distance constant and adjusting the lens. It is accomplished using "zoom" principles, ie as the focus is adjusted, the focal length is changed to mimic the portrait/landscape technique. This makes modern macro lenses easier to use than vintage macro lenses or bellows, but results in a lot of variation in the framing of the shot due to focal length and working distance inconsistency. Many folks get around this by using long macro lenses (150mm, 180mm) which increases the working distance and lessens the zoom effect.

 

Personally I find autofocus to be troublesome, and have yet to find a lens that can critically-focus properly. Coins are not perfectly flat objects, and often are not perfectly parallel to the camera sensor, so there is a lot of potential for the lens to miss critical focus and spoil the shot. I always prefer manual focus to ensure critical focus accuracy.

 

Ray

[bsshog40]

I agree with you Ray. I alway put my camera on manual focus when taking coins pics. I also use my Live View on my canon so I can use the 1x, 5x, & 10x zoom on the screen to focus.

[messydesk]

I use a Kaiser RS-1 copy stand, because that's the one I bought.

[rmpsrpms]

So, what did you decide to go with?

 

Ray

[physics-fan3.14]

I went with this one: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SFGPQQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

It just arrived yesterday, so I haven't had a chance to use it yet. I assembled it, and it seems really sturdy. It is going to take me a while to figure out my camera and the lighting and how to use it - but I'll post pics when I do.