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HOW TO USE 

THE MACRO 150

1

Look through the viewfinder, and 

MOVE

 the camera toward 

the subject until it can be seen in rough focus (don’t change 

focus).

2

SET UP

 the tripod according to your desired composition.

3

MOUNT

 the focusing rail at its midpoint (with the main 

screw-knob 

facing you

) on your ball head. 

MOUNT

 the 

camera body in the top clamp of the Macro 150.

4

ROUGH FOCUS 

by doing the following:

1.  SLIDE

 the focusing rail within the ball head’s clamp, 

then 

LOCK DOWN 

with the ball head clamp.

2.  PRESS

 and 

HOLD

 the Clutch Release button and slide 

the stage along the rail.

Keep all rail and stage mating surfaces free of dust, 

dirt and debris. If you foul the surfaces, please do not 

work the focusing action without first thoroughly 

cleaning all surfaces. Dry dust and dirt can be blown 

off and/or wiped off with a cloth. Mud or salt water 

should be washed off with clean, fresh water and then 

thoroughly dried. Do not disassemble your Macro 150 

for cleaning.

CLEANING

Action of the lead screw may improve if a small 

amount of light machine oil is applied to the threads. 

However, if you intend to use the equipment in areas 

where windblown contamination (sand/dirt) is likely, 

we recommend keeping all surfaces clean and dry (i.e.; 

do not apply lubricant).

The stainless-steel lever on the quick-release clamp 

rides on a special bronze bearing surface. This bronze 

bearing washer slides up and down the stainless-steel 

shaft which attaches the lever to the clamp body. This 

shaft and the lever cam was lubricated at the factory 

with a high-quality synthetic lubricant. Over time, you 

may need to re-lubricate this shaft and/or the cam 

surface of the lever. Only use a high-quality machine 

oil or lightweight grease sparingly and wipe off any 

excess.

LUBRICATION

MAINTENANCE

5

RELEASE 

the Clutch Button to its engaged position.

6

TURN 

Lead Screw Knob for fine focusing. One revolution of 

the Main Lead Screw-Knob = 1 mm of movement.

LUBRICATE HERE

Begin by understanding image scale—the ratio of the 

size of the subject to the size of the image registered 

“on film” (or on digital sensor) in the camera. Close-

up photography encompasses the image scale range 

from 0.1X to 1X (or “life size”), meaning that the in-

camera image size is from 1/10th as big as the subject 

(ratio 1:10), up to the same size (ratio 1:1) as the 

subject. And photomacrography defines image scale 

greater than 1X (ratio > 1:1), where the in-camera 

image is a magnified enlargement of the subject’s true 

dimensions; e.g. 2X (2:1) signifies an in-camera image 

that’s twice the size of the subject. (“Macro” denotes 

largeness, or, as a prefix, enlarged.)

Conventional focusing technique can be applied 

when the closeup range is from only 0.1X (1:10) to 

about 0.5X (1:2). However, this method becomes 

a frustration as image scale approaches 1X (1:1) 

because any rotation of the lens’ focusing ring has 

simultaneous and significant impact on the intended 

reproduction scale.

So, estimate the approximate image scale that’s 

desired. A U.S. dollar bill is useful for comparison 

reference—its length (less blank ends) is ≈ 4X the 

horizontal width of the 35mm film frame, so a 

subject of that size would represent an image scale 

≈ 0.25X (1:4) if fully framed. Folded in half, the bill 

would replicate a subject size ≈ 0.5X (1:2), or ≈ 1X 

(1:1) if folded again. Apply this guideline to select the 

approximate image scale that’s appropriate for the 

subject (allow for some “air”), and manually (AF off) set 

the lens’ focus ring for that reproduction scale. (Most 

“macro lenses”, as made for closeup work, have handy 

image scale settings that are clearly marked on the 

lens’ barrel.)

FOCUSING RAIL THEORY

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