Product Description

Ideal for macro photography to make precise positioning movements to achieve the perfect framed shot, for QTVR and other precise copy/repro work, this plate has finger-tip control for ultra-fine positioning - but with a simple lock-release lever for fast set-up. Two plates can be interlocked at 90° for full lateral/forward/back movement (over 4.7"). In extruded aluminium, the plate has 1/4" and 3/8" holes and screws for tripod and camera mounting. Maximum Load Capacity 17.7 lbs Weight 1 lbs

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18006 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Bogen
• Model: 3419 MICRO POSITIONING PLATE
• Dimensions: 1.15 pounds

Customer Reviews

Best Value, Very Fine Adjustment, But...
A focussing rail or 'micro positioning plate' is what you put your camera and macro lens on in order take another exactly-the-same picture, only with the focus adjusted by a fraction of a millimeter. If you do macrophotography and like it, you should have one.

It took me months to figure out what is wrong with my Bogen-Manfrotto 454 Micro Positioning Plate; during that time Amazon's and Adorama's refund/replace time limits expired, and Bogen told me I could send the device to them at my expense for a 'free estimate,' which is not exactly my idea of the way a one-year warranty should work. What is wrong with the plate is that the cast-aluminum housing allows the moving rail too much side-to-side play, and that the gear that drives the motion is not perfectly round in cross section. The result is that the camera and lens move forward, yes, but also wiggle from side to side with every turn of the knob; this lateral movement causes the subject to move sideways in the photograph, exactly what a focusing rail or micro positioning plate is supposed to prevent.

Fortunately, this device does have the finest adjustment (you turn the knob 270 degrees and your lens moves one millimeter closer or farther away, for 120 millimeters of travel) available in its price range and a bit beyond. It sets solidly on a tripod. Its dimensions make it truly portable and also keep camera and lens close to the tripod head for stability; these two advantages really do outweigh the tricky fingering necessary to mount and dismount one's camera.

I read another person's review of this unit just recently, and he said that for 1:1 work, the 454 plate is okay, and that for larger magnifications it is disappointing. I find it disappointing for 1:1 ratios. Reasons I can use it satisfactorily: (1) my *software* can adjust for laterally-out-of-alignment images; (2) I can do the re-alignment (tediously, laboriously) with my image editor; and (3) I went into my workshop and devised some practical though Rube-Goldberg-like adjustments. I give it a '3' instead of '1.5' because I have the plate and don't have to improvise one out of a drill-press vise. And I recommend it because I can't justify spending $500 for a heavier, bulkier alternative that just might have some design flaws, too.

Buy one. If it doesn't wiggle your camera from side to side, rejoice. If it wiggles beyond your toleration, send it back within 30 days.

Macro Positioning Plate - Bogen
Works great. For when you have extension rings on a macro lens.

This thing is a real labor saving device. I give it a ten.

very stable and easy to use
Mounting this thing on your camera and tripod is a bit of a hassle, but one you're set up, it is very easy to use. It has both coarse and fine position adjustments for very fast and accurate camera positioning. Both 3/8" and 1/4" bolt sizes are supported.