“The Walk”, 2015 . Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) walking between Twin Towers. 

In this orientation, the VALOI distance tubes run parallel to the desk surface, and the camera body rests either directly on the desk or on the support bracket included in the VALOI set. While this setup effectively eliminates lens creep, it introduces a different problem: the combined weight of the camera, lens, and tubes can cause slight bending at the joint where the lens meets the distance tubes.

That’s the conundrum — while the vertical setup keeps everything aligned by gravity, the horizontal setup can introduce subtle flex. And that flex can throw off alignment and compromise scan accuracy.

The Rail to the Rescue

For some time, I had been actively looking for a way to resolve the issues described above. Support rails designed for telephoto lenses seemed promising — I had a hunch they might help. Adding structural support to the middle of the assembly felt like a logical way to reduce bending. Eventually, I came across the INNOREL LBK400M Arca-Swiss Standard Telephoto Lens Bracket (15.7"), priced at $28(!) on the B&H website. It’s described as follows:

The LBK400A Arca-Type Telephoto Lens Bracket from INNOREL is an adjustable bracket made to support a large telephoto lens mounted on a camera body. The 15.7" bracket has both 1/4"-20 and 3/8"-16 screws to mount the foot of a telephoto lens. It features an Arca-type dovetail with a precision-numbered scale. At the end of the bracket is an adjustable camera support column with an Arca-type quick release plate on top. The LBK400A is made of carbon fiber and precision-machined aluminum.

The device consists of a rail and an adjustable support column with an Arca-type quick release plate on top. This allows the camera to move up or down along the rail’s vertical axis. And that’s exactly what I needed: the rail serves as a stable reference platform for the Easy 120, while the stepless vertical column lets me raise the camera so that the center of the sensor aligns perfectly with the center of the film holder — both at the same height relative to the desk surface. Most importantly, the column height can be adjusted to suit any camera body, ensuring this alignment rule holds true. The Arca-Swiss mount also guarantees the camera is held rigidly in an upright position, with the lens’s optical axis parallel to the rail.

The only catch is that, given the level of precision required, the assembly process becomes a bit cumbersome. Here’s what I do to make it work:

First, I place the camera — in my case, a Canon EOS R — inside a full cage. The cage isn’t strictly necessary, but it provides a stable and rigid mounting surface for the Arca-Swiss plate on the column. More importantly, it includes a precise center mark that shows where the sensor sits horizontally in relation to the camera base.

Next, I place the EZ120 vertically on the desk. Then I mount the camera and lens — complete with all adapters — on top of the EZ120. I turn on the light and the camera, insert Vlad’s Test Target into the film holder, and use the lower helicoid to dial in the desired magnification. After that, I use the upper helicoid (between the lens and the camera) to focus precisely on the target.

The lens is hidden inside the enclosure — the reason for that I discussed in another article [1].

Once that’s done, I unlock the collar and rotate the distance tubes relative to the base until the image is fully aligned — both horizontally and vertically — in the viewfinder. Then I lock the rotating collar in place. That’s step one: the vertical setup is ready.

Adding the Rail

If it weren’t for lens creep, the rig would now be fully ready for scanning — no further steps needed. But if there’s any risk of components shifting under their own weight, the next move is to add the rail. I attach the bracket and adjust the support column to the correct height so the entire assembly can be turned on its side — while keeping everything locked in place, rock solid, and free from bending at the joint.

That’s the key benefit of the support column: it holds the camera at a perfect right angle to the rail and relieves mechanical stress from the lens mount and extension tubes.

To recap: I need to ensure the rail is flush with the base, runs parallel to the distance tubes, and that the collar on the support column is locked in the correct position. This guarantees that the camera ends up at exactly the right elevation relative to the base of the EZ120 — and, by extension, the film plane.

At this point, I can take the whole assembly and lay it on its side on the desk — and the alignment holds. The camera is securely locked above the rail on the support column, and the base of the EZ120 rests on the same rail. Geometrically, nothing shifts relative to anything else.

Now, we need a way to validate that everything we’ve done so far is actually keeping things aligned. How do we check this?

One thing I discovered while testing this approach is that the EZ120 base should still be able to move slightly relative to the camera — since it’s not physically bound to the rail. Ideally, I’d love to have a locating pin on the base that fits into the rail, allowing smooth movement along the X-axis while preventing any side-to-side slipping.

Here’s a simple test: try rotating either of the helicoids — one between the camera and the lens, and the other between the lens and the EZ120. They should turn freely. I’m not suggesting you do this once the system is fully dialed in, but as a proof of concept, it’s surprisingly useful. The helicoids shouldn’t be under mechanical tension. If any bending is present in the setup, the helicoids will bind up or resist rotation. So, the fact that the helicoids still rotate freely is confirmation that no bending forces are at play — and that your alignment is truly sound. And that, really, is the whole point of this exercise.

At this stage, you can remove Vlad’s Test Target and swap it for your film. You’re ready to start your scanning session without any further adjustments.

Happy digitizing!

Thanks for reading!

Appendix 1. Lenses with internal focusing

Lenses with internal focusing (just few samples):

Nikon AF-S VR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED

Sony’s FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM

Appendix 2. Video

I’ve prepared a short video that demonstrates the full framing and focusing process using helicoids. For you convenience (if you are not sure you can spend 1:51 min watching the video) here is the transcript:

• This short video was recorded live and demonstrates how to use Vlad’s Test Target to fine-tune the Easy 120 when it’s mounted in either vertical or horizontal orientation.

• The recording of the live focusing exercise starts at the 24 sec mark after a very brief introduction.

• We’re using an APO Rodagon D 2X lens mounted between two helicoids.

• The helicoid between the lens and the medium format 6 by 9 film holder helps with framing the shot.

• The one between the lens and the camera allows for precise fine focusing.

• We rely on the camera’s focus peaking feature to detect the point of optimal focus.

• Let’s start by turning the camera on. Now we see the test target on the screen.

• We’ve already selected the correct VALOI extender set, and here we’re making a final approach — first to frame the shot, and then to focus — by watching the focus peaking highlight the image.

• We begin by rotating the front helicoid to set the reproduction ratio. We do this by observing the target’s borders on screen.

• Once the shot is framed, we rotate the rear helicoid to bring the image into sharp focus.

• When all the high-contrast details in the image turn red, we’re there. Notice how all the Siemens stars light up Red at the same time — this confirms that the film and sensor planes are perfectly aligned.

• Next, we switch on 10× magnification and move the zoom window around the frame — checking the center and corners to ensure critical sharpness and alignment across the whole image.

• You can see that every Siemens star is sharp.

• The fine raster covering the surface of the target is tack-sharp too.

• Just look at those clean edges — clear visual proof of the APO Rodagon D 2X lens’s outstanding quality.

• Finally, we zoom out and see the target as a whole.

• Thanks to the Vlads Test Target we can use the camera's focus peaking feature very effectively and the focusing process is fast, precise, and easily repeatable.

• Happy digitizing!