Neewer 200mm Professional Rail Nodal Slide Metal Quick Release Clamp for Camera

I bought this to go along with my Neewer leveling base, rotating clamp and nodal rail. The machining and parts are all good quality, and no plastic save for the large spirit level. As I mentioned in my rotating clamp review, this appears to be manufactured by Fittest, from 6061T651 aircraft grade aluminum. It has a decent black anodized finish, as good as many pricier rails. Desmond appears to share parts with some of the Neewer re-badges, and the prices are competitive. The products don’t overlap though, so check Desmond as well. The numbers are laser etched, and overall the clamp really does look as nice as ones costing a bit more. For what it is, it’s quite handsome. I think it looks every bit as good as the SunwayFoto.There’s not a lot to review here. The rail does an excellent job at its main task, sliding on a rotating base and holding things. In this case its primary function is to hold a very pricey camera and lens. The thumb screw is machined from a solid piece of aluminum, and the machining of the threads is decent enough. Don’t expect it to be silky smooth machining like SunwayFoto, or the unreal buttery movement from a fluid filled shaft. Movement of the thumb screw is quite smooth, especially after some use. After some use however, a bit of lubricant has been noticed at the base of the jaws. A quick wipe with a paper towel or tissue removes this. I expect it will continue for a while.The jaw is 38mm, approximately the width of the rail, as is the opposing dovetail. Movement of the jaws is kept even by 2 springs on each side of the screw shaft. This is similar to their other clamps, and the way most of the budget offerings solve the problem (if they care to solve it).As reader Linden has pointed out and I neglected to mention, the plate must be mounted by sliding in, rather than dropping in. I believe this is for safety reasons – all of my Neewer clamps open plenty wide enough to accommodate dropping in – and then some. I think the reasoning was that if the rail wasn’t tight and you dropped in your plate by putting the forward dovetail in first, you could push the whole thing right off of your tripod. If this is an issue for you, you might try elsewhere.The rail itself is as well manufactured as it can be – given the size. The only improvement that could be given would be to be massive, such as the Really Right Stuff rails. I really don’t care what I look like out there, and there’s nothing you could do to this other than scratch off the anodizing. It’s got 2 little Allen set screws that act as safety catches on each side. The only way this could be improved would be to have added spring-loaded tabs. At the opposite end of the clamp appears to be a small slot for a strap. There are no screw holes on the ends, so avoid this if you’re thinking of putting a vertical clamp on the other side. Otherwise, there are plenty of screw holes on the bottom, as well as the sliding groove (with included 1/4 20 screw) for an additional over/under clamp. The purpose being you may like to or have to slide the (over/under) clamp and camera instead of sliding the rail, or you may wish to use the rail as a macro rail. It depends on your setup.As it is, the 200mm was the size I had wanted to later add a vertical arm to. At this point, the rail accommodates a 16-35, 24-70, 24-105 and 14mm just fine. I haven’t put a telephoto on yet, the only other lens I’d consider would be my 70-200. But typically, this will be used with medium wide lenses.Pros:- Price- Excellent materials, fit and finish- Handsome for what it is- Spare screws and 2 more Allen Wrenches (yays!!)- Does the jobCons:- Dual spring jaw mechanism could be improved- Could have end screw holes instead of strap slotIf you’re looking for a budget Arca-Swiss compatible nodal rail, you really can’t do a lot better. Desmond Photo also distributes high quality gear, of which Neewer grabs a few pieces with different specs. Desmond has shorter ones and longer ones, but nothing at 200mm. Neewer also makes an excellent looking vertical rail which is on my list when I move to a 360° Panoramic setup. I chose this over the SunwayFoto rail, and so far I’m happy with the savings. Function wise it’s 100% as good, and the main reason for spending more has to do with aesthetics really. 5 Stars.

Very nice sturdy quality that also comes with a distance scale and level bubble. The slide track is very smooth. would buy again.

Good strong metal that actually does not add that much weight. I purchased this to use with their Gimbal for added flexibility in leveling & balance. Only complain I would add is the screw center in the rail is kind of a pain to use, would have been better to add one with a tightening clip (I do not always have a screw driver readily available). Other than that it is a good product at an excellent price.

Lo uso para fotos panoramicas. Excelente herramienta

Easy to use and recommended for panorama photo shots.

As nodal rails go, this is inexpensive and simple. Bare bones. But it works. It's solid, durable, and simple to use. I don't need frills. I need something I can use and not have to worry about breaking. I've taken it on several trips now to mountains and deserts and it's held up in bad weather and rough handling. Solid and simple. That's what I need.

I purchased this nodal rail a few years ago to help with my Panoramas. After watching videos on how to take better panoramas, I wanted to purchase a nodal rail. The name brands were at least twice as expensive. I figured I would try this Neweer model and was disappointed. I finally had a chance to field test this rail. While the design is nice, the Arca clamp is totally unreliable. While practicing the setup in my house, I repeatedly had to re-tighten the clamp. As such, when I took it into the field, to be safe, I put a strap on the camera and had the strap around my neck. Twice when walking with the camera on the tripod, the camera popped off the nodal rail. Luckily, I had it on the strap. I would say this is a do not buy unless you are extremely careful when using it.

Very well made and works perfectly to allow me to balance my camera on the tripod. Like all cameras, my Nikon Coolpix P1000 has the tripod mount under the base of the camera and the heavy zoom telephoto lens extends a long way out in front of the body. That means when mounted on a tripod, if the pivot on the tripod is loosened to allow moving the camera, it tends to tilt down unless the pivot is again tightened. This attachment allows me to balance the camera so that even if the pivot is loosened enough for me to tilt the camera manually, it will not tilt down by itself when I release my grip on the camera. This allows me to keep the pivot loose enough to track moving objects at all times without loosing control when I let go of the camera.