This tool guarantees successful macro photography!

The aim here is to create images that focus on the small things, including their beauty and uniqueness. But there is a challenge that many macro photographers know: The shallow depth of field in macro shots is an often-occurring annoyance. Of course, you could stop down and take the shots at f/16 or even f/22, but most macro photographers often lack the appropriate light, and high ISO values are known not to be beneficial for image quality.

Photographer Florian Rothlehner is also familiar with these problems. Together with his wife Steffi, he runs the YouTube channel "Photoflanie", which is all about photography. In addition to filter, street and landscape photography, they are particularly fond of the small things in macro photography. "In no other genre of photography is it so easy to venture into strange, unknown and sometimes surreal worlds, and even right on your doorstep," says Rothlehner.

Dive into the world of macro photography with the macro focusing rail!

To counteract this problem and to be able to capture macro shots optimally, the photographer uses so-called focus stacking. With the help of a macro focusing rail, a series of individual images is created. By varying the distance between the camera and the subject, the focal plane is shifted. This is then combined using appropriate software to create an image with an exceptionally high depth of field.

On this occasion, we had the unique opportunity to let the photographer test our macro focusing rail for its launch. Rothlehner immediately liked the compatibility of the rail with the Carbon Tripod CT-5C, which he used for the practical test. The macro focusing rail impressed the photographer with the precise workmanship of the crank drive and the pleasant thread pitch. Thanks to the clamp that can be rotated by 90 degrees, two macro focusing rails can even be combined in a cross function, says Rothlehner. This makes it child's play to focus even the smallest macro motifs precisely.

He was also particularly impressed by the design of the aluminium rail, as he could use his camera "upright" on the tripod, even with the centre column inverted, thanks to the double profile. "This makes ground-level operation much easier for me," explains the photographer.

With a length of around 20 centimetres, the macro focusing rail fits in almost any camera bag and can be taken almost anywhere. Despite its compact dimensions, the rail is ideal for stacking larger mushrooms from front to back, for example, as the photographer found during his practical test.

The macro focusing rail in practice!

As can be seen in the following video, the photographer went into his local forest for the practical test and captured various motifs there.

The first motif was a spot where a tree must have stood before. A circle has formed at the former spot, on which moss has now grown. Before the first shot, the photographer shows exactly how the rail is attached to the tripod. Thanks to the compatible Arca-Swiss system, the rail can be attached directly to the inverted centre column, including the tripod head, via the rail. Here he also emphasises that the 90-degree rotatable main plate is very flexible and allows for leeway in how the camera can be attached to the rail. Whether with an L-bracket in portrait format or via a quick-release plate in landscape format – almost anything is possible.

He uses the following comparison image to show the difference between a single shot and a stacking shot, in which the rear plant stems are also sharply depicted.

He simulates the shallow incident sunlight with the Lumen Stick RGB using battery power with the compatible batteries. The photographer likes to use the long surface of the light stick for this. "Due to the length of the light stick and the relatively small motif, a relatively soft light is created in combination. In addition, it also helps us to keep shutter speeds short," explains Florian Rothlehner in his video, as he positions the light stick to the side of the motif.

As a second motif, he uses a tree trunk and a branch leaning against it, which was already very weathered. The tree mushrooms that grew there enchant him, and he sees his chance to test the macro focusing rail from another perspective.

He realigns the tripod, including the macro focusing rail, completely. As another aid, the photographer recommends working with a cable release. He works with the predecessor of the Cable Release V2, with which he can take the shots after realigning the camera. The advantage: the shot can be taken without camera shake.

The conclusion of the nature photographer

After various test motifs, Florian Rothlehner finds that the macro focusing rail is an all-around successful product. Thanks to the compatible Arca-Swiss system, the rail can be clamped into the designated tripod head from both sides. Depending on the motif, the rail can also be set up using the feet included in the scope of delivery, so that focus stacking on a flat surface is entirely possible.

The crank thread convinced him completely in several aspects. Not only is it smooth-running, but it also helps him to precisely set the distances between the stacking shots. The nylon bag that comes with the macro focusing rail also protects this very crank thread from dirt or even scratches from other equipment in the camera backpack or camera bag.

From the photographer's point of view, it might be advisable to own a bundle of two macro focusing rails, so that a macro cross-function is also possible. In any case, Rothlehner will not want to do without the macro focusing rail on any macro tour in the future and sees the tool as an indispensable aid for his macro shots.

Would you like to learn more about macro photography and get valuable tips and tricks? Then feel free to visit the YouTube channel of Florian Rothlehner and his wife Steffi. Feel free to tag us on your macro results. We look forward to your pictures and video recordings.

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