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ALPA and Novoflex are launching the Universal Rail system, a new product group for the attachment of accessories for video applications.The CMOS sensors of the new digital back generation now also bring video into the medium format. Currently, Hasselblad and Sinar's backs provide the ability to capture video. As a consequence of this development, ALPA and Novoflex have decided to jointly develop the universal rail system for attaching video accessories to the camera. The universal rail system makes it easy to attach accessories, such as viewfinders, microphones, or hand-grips, to the camera quickly and easily. The universal rail system is compatible with the "Nato Rail standard" found today in the video area. As with the camera quick-release couplings according to the UniQ/C standard, the two European manufacturers ALPA and Novoflex also set a standard in the industry in the case of accessory fastening.The universal rail system is characterized by its compact dimensions, it allows simple displacements in the longitudinal direction and offers a very high positioning and alignment accuracy.Universal Rail Product OverviewAt the start of the Universal Rail system, five compatible products are available from ALPA and Novoflex.

UNI.CPL.SML & QPL.UNI.MK1The small and compact quick-action clamp ALPA UNI.CPL.SML (Novoflex N = Mount) is equipped with a ¼-inch screw and a two-thread thread for fast and secure clamping. It is perfect for light and flexible accessories.

UNI.CPL.CROThe slightly larger quick-action clamp ALPA UNI.CPL.CRO (Novoflex N = Mount X) is designed as a cross-type clamp which allows the rail to be fixed in two orientations. A solution that has not yet been offered by any provider.

UNI.CPL.HYBWith the ALPA UNI.CPL.HYB (Novoflex N = Mount XQ) the first truly universal quick clamping system comes onto the market. For the first time, it allows the mounting of rails in the universal rail form factor or UniQ/C compatible quick-change plates.The two quick-release clamps ALPA UNI.CPL.HYB and ALPA UNI.CPL.CRO differ from the corresponding Novoflex models by means of removable centering screws, which serve as anti-twist protection for ALPA cameras. The ¼-inch screw can be removed on all universal-rail quick-release clamps so that they can also be placed directly on a tripod.

QPL.UNI.MK1 & NPL1The quick-change plate ALPA QPL.UNI.MK1 (Novoflex NPL1) is also suitable for the two systems Universal-Rail and UniQ/C. It has one universal rail in one direction and a UniQ/C profile in the other.In addition, the 70 mm long Novoflex NPL2 rail is available in universal rail format. If necessary, several ¼-inch screws can also be used in this way to enable twisting protection.

UNI.RAI.055 & NPL2Already since 2016 ALPA is offering the [/en/article/alpa-universal-rail-adapter-55-mm|ALPA Universal Rail Adapter] for ALPA cameras which can also be used as a spacer.