buy lens or panohead...that is the question

[justatad]

Hello. I'm new to this forum, and fairly new to stitching panos. I have been using a 18-50mm lens at 24mm b/c of some vignetting, and I've been hand holding about 15 shots going a full 360. I haven't tried to get the sky and or ceilings b/c things tend to get ugly when using hugin/autopano or photoshop's photomerge.

I'm wondering if there is a recommended fancy/expensive lens (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/351542-USA/Canon_9518A002_EF_S_10_22mm_f_3_5_4_5_USM.html) that could make this whole process a lot easier, or is it necessary to buy a fancy/expensive panohead? Or both? Or neither?

I'm also not completely clear on how flash panoramas works based on the simple tutorial. It sounds like I don't need to do any stitching, but wouldn't this require that I have the shots perfectly aligned? I don't want to purchase flash panoramas until I know it will do what I need it to do, and I can do what it needs me to do with the equipment I have.

Thanks in advance!

[allSaints]

Hi there justatad,

I would recommend you to get a fisheye lens for 360 panos. It makes the whole process quite a bit easier. Before, I used my 17-40mm lens and I had to take lots of pictures. And I always got into trouble with zenith and nadir.

Now I use a Sigma 8mm F/4 and I only take six pictures horisontally and maybe one for the nadir point. And then I have plenty of overlap so I can choose where to place my stitchings.

A pano head you can easily make yourself at almost no cost. I made this one (http://wirestam.com/panos/mount.html). If there are no objects near the lens you don't need any mount at all.

Regards, Tommy

[izoneguy]

What camera are you using? Do you want to create panos for fun or profit?
I use Nikons. 10.5MM fisheye and a precision 360 head. It is expensive but worth it. Using PTI Gui I hardly have to do any hand aligning.

[justatad]

Thanks a lot for the responses.

allSaints - thanks for the DIY. Can you show a few shots with a camera mounted on your panohead? any instructions? do I need to be a metal forging expert? :) I'll check out that lens. What software do you use for stitching?

izoneguy - I would like to do this for profit. I am currently using a D80, but I also have a Canon 1D Mark IIn. I guess the ideal would be to buy a full frame camera (i.e. D3 or D700 or Canon 1Ds or 5D) but I don't have that in the budget. do you think ptgui (http://www.ptgui.com/) is the only way to go? what about autopano with hugin?

so is the logic of flash panoramas to create create six files as shown here http://flashpanoramas.com/player/simple from the one file that you stitch together? why won't it just go off of one file? it seems a little convoluted doesn't it?

[justatad]

It appears that this is the widest lens available for Canon & Nikon. Is this true?

Sigma Fisheye 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/440665-REG/Sigma_485101_8mm_f_3_5_EX_DG.html


Sigma Fisheye 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye Autofocus Lens for Nikon AF
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/440661-REG/Sigma_485306_8mm_f_3_5_EX_DG.html


Would you recommend this over a Nikor or Canon brand lens that isn't as wide? Or is it good to get the widest lens possible for panos?

Thanks!

[izoneguy]

For Nikon look on e-bay for used 10.5MM fisheye. Sometimes a store will sell b-stock. I got mine for $400. I think new it was $600-$650??
I use a Nikon D200 - the D80 will work as well.
For the pano head.
Look on the 360precision.com site - look at the 360Precision Absolute

You could try making your own pano head and I did try that before buying
a 360 precision head..
The problem is you will not get repeatable results. If you don't mind
spending hours manually lining up points then you could try a DIY pano head.
Making panos is hard enough and if I had to manually fix stitching everytime I would lose money.
I have one client that I do between 3-5 panos that have 3-4 views every week.
The challenge to getting good results is HDR and good photoshop skills.
I did try some other stitching software but PTGui just works.
I have transitioned all my software to the MAC and crank out the panos now.

I think you asked about 6 photos used in FPP?

FPP works best with 6 cube faces. Here is my workflow.
You take 6 vertical photos every 60 degrees.
The pano head spins around and has click stops.
Then you adjust the pano head and take one photo
looking up at the first position. Create a 360 equilateral
view from the 7 photos I took with my Nikon
using the Precision pano head. Sometimes I might bracket
at each position and take 5-7 photos. And take some photos
looking stright down. Looking at the results I might make an
HDR pano or just do some exposure blending. I take that photo
into Cubic convertor. It makes the 6 cube faces I talked about.
Then you can fix the hole in the bottom photo blending and
adjusting a photo you took on location facing down.
Follow the tutorials from the FPP software and have a pano that
plays in Flash. The real fun begins when you start learning how
to use .xml to control your pano tours!

[justatad]

Thanks a lot for all this information izoneguy!

I'll keep my eye on E-bay and see if I can find a good lens as you describe.

I was looking into the 360Precision Absolute, and evidently their shopping cart is having problems. How much does one of the these run?

I really appreciate seeing your workflow. I'm familiar with HDR, especially using adobe photoshop on normal (non-pano type images), but have a long way to go with my knowledge/experience with a quick pano workflow.

Does FPP come with cubic converter?

This is how I think my workflow will be once I purchase the hardware/software:

1. Shoot - obtain all shots necessary (6 vertical photos every 60 degrees) + bottom & top image + anything necessary for HDR.

2. Import & HDR Processing - bring into computer to process HDR.

3. PTGui

4. Cubic convertor

5. Create FPP file

6. Manipulate .xml for virtual tour


Am I missing anything? I sure wish FPP came with PTGui and Cubic converter.

[izoneguy]

I was looking into the 360Precision Absolute, and evidently their shopping cart is having problems. How much does one of the these run?

Not sure what it costs now. I think I paid $1200??
Very expensive but saves time in post.

I really appreciate seeing your workflow. I'm familiar with HDR, especially using adobe photoshop on normal (non-pano type images), but have a long way to go with my knowledge/experience with a quick pano workflow.

Does FPP come with cubic converter?

No, here is the link
http://www.clickheredesign.com.au/cubicconverter

This is how I think my workflow will be once I purchase the hardware/software:

1. Shoot - obtain all shots necessary (6 vertical photos every 60 degrees) + bottom & top image + anything necessary for HDR.

2. Import & HDR Processing - bring into computer to process HDR.

3. PTGui
*PTGui can make hdr files - the new version is very fast.

4. Cubic convertor
*Then back to Photoshop to fix the bottom shot.

5. Create FPP file
*Or multiple FPP files

6. Manipulate .xml for virtual tour


Am I missing anything? I sure wish FPP came with PTGui and Cubic converter.

You just have to commit to the hardware and software and build up a good portfolio. I keep working on different ways of producing panos. There is no one way of doing it. FPP is the cheapest part of the equation but the glue that pulls it all together. I am glad there are smart people like Denis that share their passion with other creative people.

[justatad]

izoneguy - you are my hero of the day!

resolution - what is a good size to create these for speed/clarity? I assume they should be 72dpi for screen, right?

for cubeconverter - is there an equivalent version application that will run on windows?

for panohead - any chance there is a brand that is based in the US for a similar product?

thank you, thank you, thank you.

[izoneguy]

izoneguy - you are my hero of the day!
:p

resolution - what is a good size to create these for speed/clarity? I assume they should be 72dpi for screen, right?
The lowest I go for cube size is 1000px. Most I do about 1500px
This means you 360 equilateral should be about 6000x3000px
Experiment to come up what works for you.

for cubeconverter - is there an equivalent version application that will run on windows?
Look at this:
http://archive.bigben.id.au/tutorials/360/readme/scripts.html

for panohead - any chance there is a brand that is based in the US for a similar product?
This one looks interesting - pretty good price also!
I have no idea if this product is good or not.
http://www.kingpano.com/gallery/index.php
Review:
http://www.tawbaware.com/kingpano_review.htm


thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Trausti Hraunfjord]

http://gregwired.com/pano/Pano.htm and $75.95 for panosaurus panohead... unless you have a big and heavy camera.

I have no difficulty in recommending that head to people. Especially when people are starting in the panorama world, they need something that is cheap, yet good. That's panosaurus.

I did modifications on my head, so that it only fits my camera, but with the latest modification (a seat for it that puts it in the exact same position every single time) I can mount and unmount the camera from the head in less than 20 seconds.

With the original head unmodified, it would however be a bothersome process to mount and unmount the camera, with a lot of parallax to deal with. My modifications only costed the time it took to do them (less than a couple of hours in total).

Stitching software.

The only software to consider is PTgui. There is nothing else that comes even close to it. I used to use Realviz, but that is pure trash in comparison.

I shoot 3x9 shots + one for the top and 3 for the bottom ... that's 31 photos. Loading them into PTgui results in NO manual stitching if the shots are indoors, but may require manual stitching if shot outside on a clear and/or greyish day out in the open. But it's amazingly good and quick.

PTgui will come with cubic face output in some future version... and that will be a bit step forward.... it's the only thing I feel as a big downside for it, but with other software around that can do the conversion, it's not a major problem per se.

[ROUNDSHOT]

Hello:

Using your Canon youґll need a very good PanoHead - please have a look to the MK PanoHead :cool:

Key features:

Panoramic tripod head for the stitching of digital panoramas
Suited to create cylindrical, spherical and cubic panoramas as well as Multi-Row
360° panoramic plate with pre adjustable scale and integrated circular bubble
tilt up and down + / - 90° exactly in the nodal point (click-stops each 15°)
Our MK PanoHead allows the use of heavy digital SLR cameras and medium format cameras
High-quality materials, fine mechanical work - Made in Germany

www.vr-head.com

Software: ptgui (www.ptgui.com) or Stitcher UL 5.7 will be fine

Best regards from Germany

Marc

[siesfor]

another recommendation for panohead (which I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned) is the Nodal Ninja (http://nodalninja.com) which I have and have no problems with stability (like I've heard mentioned with the panosaurus) and a whole lot cheaper than the 360precision head (saving money is always good). The new version which is ready made for bigger camera/lens setups is I think about 450-US, or you might be able to find a NN3 model w/ t-adapter for longer setups for about half that. Just one more option to wrap your head around.

[thatkeith]

I assume they should be 72dpi for screen, right?
Actually that's pixel-per-inch resolution, which is only relevant for print output. Ignore that and look at the actual pixel dimensions of your image.

The lowest I go for cube size is 1000px. Most I do about 1500px
This means you 360 equilateral should be about 6000x3000px
Experiment to come up what works for you.

That's good advice. I use around 1900px or so cubefaces for fullscreen panos and 1100-1400px for most embedded stuff.

Use Pano2VR for converting stitched equirects to cubefaces.

for panohead
The 360Precision heads are the best I've seen, although you don't necessarily need to spend that much if your needs aren't pro-level demanding.
You could look at the new 360Precision Atome if you have a very wideangle lens; that's great for cylindricals, and if your camera/lens combo means you have very little zenith/nadir to patch you could fill in with a quick handheld shot for the top, maybe the same or a small mirrorball or logo patch for the bottom. And dang, it fits into a pocket *and* is ridiculously quick and accurate!

Keith

[Elliot]

Congratulations to everybody for this very informative thread. The summaries on the last pages are very informative. I wished I had seen this when I started.

I have a question.... My panorama head is a Manfrotto 303SPH. I have taken that thing with me on trips. It is heavy but it does the job.

You guys are posting how important is to have a head that is adjusted to your specific needs in order to have consistent results. I am having some problems with Realviz but not PTGui. Upon re-calibrating the 303SPH then both programs did work correctly. I still prefer PTGui.

Do you find these heads are losing their calibration. Is there a head that will maintain the calibration in a better manner. I have been looking at 360Precision and those heads look very good. I understand they have a model that is sent from factory made for your specific camera and lens, not requiring field calibration. Is this the way to go?

My Manfrotto is too heavy. I purchased a Gitzo (expensive) tripod that allows the head to aim down. This in an effort to come up with an easier way to do the nadir shot. Purchasing this Gitzo GT4521EX was not the correct solution either. It is a nice carbon tripod, light but not of much help.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Elliot

[ramirox3]

The challenge to getting good results is HDR and good photoshop skills.
I did try some other stitching software but PTGui just works.
Sometimes I might bracket
at each position and take 5-7 photos. And take some photos
looking stright down. Looking at the results I might make an
HDR pano or just do some exposure blending.


Hello Izoneguy
thanks for those answers as clear
woul be possible toknow your workflow in HDR in PTGui?
I just acquire FPP but hotspots I could not make it work,
I tried to follow the example tutotial Hotspots review but not the achievement put to work, I need to generate html? and if so how is it done?
it would be possible that you mount a xml that includes hotspots and the files should contain the folder.
It would be good if someone set up an example with all codes and files included.
Thank you

[Elliot]

Ramiro

I do regular still photos with HDRI and they work very good. The problem I have with the panoramas is that when I try with either PTGui or CS3 there are multiple ghosts. The photos are not lining up perfectly one on top of the other.

I use a remote wireless trigger to shoot the photos. Someone told me that my Manfrotto 303SPH may be the cause for the multiple ghosts.

Thanks
Elliot

[ramirox3]

hi Elliot
Thanks
I have same panohead and I dont ghosts and no desalining.
I just acquire FPP but hotspots I could not make it work,
I tried to follow the example tutotial Hotspots review but not the achievement put to work, I need to generate html? and if so how is it done?
it would be possible that you mount a xml that includes hotspots and the files should contain the folder.
It would be good if someone set up an example with all codes and files included.
Thank you [/COLOR]

[Elliot]

Ramiro

Thanks for your information. I am going to get to the bottom of this thing. I am getting the ghosting when I used it on PTGui but not on CS3. I think PTGui is a very good software and I trust them. There has to be an explanation.

Thanks
Elliot

[Trausti Hraunfjord]

Elliot, have you got yourself a copy of the smartblend plugin for PTgui?

In my case, I have no ghosts at all when using smartblend, while the internal PTgui blender does allow some ghosting.

Need convincin? Have a look at this page here: http://wiki.panotools.org/SmartBlend

[izoneguy]

Ramiro

Thanks for your information. I am going to get to the bottom of this thing. I am getting the ghosting when I used it on PTGui but not on CS3. I think PTGui is a very good software and I trust them. There has to be an explanation.

Thanks
Elliot

Hello Elliot,
Make sure you are using the latest version.
When loading HDR images that were shot on a tripod
click the setting that says they were shot on a tripod.
Here is one I just did. The front view was 7 exposures.
The other panos were 5 shots. Lots of blending and
selective color balancing.

http://www.cuial.com/mhsrv_panos/PANO_02/PANO_02.html

[ramirox3]

Hi Izoneguy
yesterday I posted:
I just acquire FPP but hotspots I could not make it work,
I tried to follow the example tutotial Hotspots review but not the achievement put to work, I need to generate html? and if so how is it done?
it would be possible that you mount a xml that includes hotspots and the files should contain the folder.
It would be good if someone set up an example with all codes and files included.
Thank you

And I trying made one tour of two panos con 3 hotspots, the hotspots are visibles but dont work I dont know where is the error
You can see the files at

http://eneconpalito.com/ramiro/TRelojHotspots/

Thanks in advance
Ramirox3

[izoneguy]

I looked at your files...
I think some of the cube photos
are corrupted.
Start over and make all panos
one way or another.
Cube faces seem to make better panos.
Or try making them QTVR.
I have had good success using panos as .mov
Once you clean them up I can look at them again.

[ramirox3]

thanks
Iwill make that you say me
about hotspots in xml are correct? or syntaxis are wrong? why when I click on buttons nothing happens .

[Elliot]

Ramiro, Tuddi and Izoneguy

Thanks for your responses. It is nice to hear from another person that is using the Manfrotto 303SPH. That panorama head is so big and bulky and I feel there has to be something better.

The PTGui, I do have the latest version. I like the program a lot. I have Realviz and when Realviz fails PTGui comes through successfully.

I loaded the program Tuddi recommended and it works great.

Among all of your suggestions I know there will be a solution to the issues. I have been busy with work related issues but in the next two or three days I will experiment with all these technologies and devices.

Thanks
Elliot

[izoneguy]

thanks
Iwill make that you say me
about hotspots in xml are correct? or syntaxis are wrong? why when I click on buttons nothing happens .

I did not get that far. Your corrupt photos slimed the Flash card I was using and I stopped right there. I don't want to just send you an xml file that has no bearing to what you are doing. What I did see seemed to be going in the wrong direction. Delete the corrupted photos. Please make new ones and I will take a look.
Thanks

[fotocubo]

Any advice about a cheap and strong spherical panohead for D90 + Nikkor 8mm f2.8? Thanks in advance for any tip.

[Trausti Hraunfjord]

If your camera+lens weigh less than 1.5 kg, you can't go wrong with panosaurus (http://gregwired.com/pano/Pano.htm). It's so cheap that you won't regret the buy, and it is very easy to modify it due to the material it is made out of. Without modifications I would have been sick and tired of it quite quickly, but with the mods I did, it takes only 6 seconds for me to attach the camera to the head (measured from the time I reach out for the screwdriver) and it is perfectly aligned every time. Before the mods, it could take me 10 minutes to set it right.

Not in the mood for modifying your head... then there are other more expensive choices.

[fotocubo]

Hola Tuddi: Panosaurus is a great panohead and the cheapest one but not enough solid to hold a Nikkor 8mm without vibrations. I know cause I've got it. I just wanted to update informaton on new panoheads around. The best gear seems to be be 360precision but really too expensive. I was wondering if there were some new choice bettering current price/versality options. Maybe I'm expecting a miracle. Thanks anyway and saludos.

[siesfor]

Nodal Ninja - http://www.nodalninja.com/ - $450us
Bogen/Manfrotto - http://www.adorama.com/BG303SPH.html - $600us
Kaidan - http://www.adorama.com/IKAQPP.html - $800us

The best in stability for the price, is the Nodal Ninja, the new model being designed around larger/heavier cameras. It's also the only one I have experience with and can vouch for. Both the Nodal Ninja and the Kaidan, support camera weights of 20 pounds or more (9-10kg), the Bogen's maximum support is about half that, but probably strong enough.

[Elliot]

Hello Siesfor

I have a Bogen Manfrotto 303SPH. This thing is good but just to heavy. The last few weeks I have been researching for a unit to purchase. The things I want are:

1. Low weight
2. Stability
3. Consistent results
4. Weight support
5. Adaptability to new cameras
6. Precision
7. Ease for doing the Nadir

I have asked everybody and most people recommend the same three units you recommend. I talked with one of the principals at Nodal Ninja in Arizona and I was extremely impressed at his honesty and willingness to assist.

Do you have the Kayden QuickKam Pro. Is it easy to set it up.... One of the issues I have with the Manfrotto aside of the weight.... is that it flexes a little bit and it will not anchor on the same spots all the time. Perhaps I am being to picky because the unit is not bad. Perhaps I am blaming my lack of photography skills to Manfrotto.

I know that my analysis has been too detailed....:???: but I want to be sure I am going to buy something I can carry with me on the planes. To match the future head I bought a Carbon Fiber Gitzo Tripod. I have a Manfrotto tripod that is very good but also very heavy. With all these new airline regulations if I carry the Manfrottos I could not carry my clothes.

Thanks
Elliot

[siesfor]

The Manfrotto probably flexes cause it says it's maximum load is only about 8-9 pounds. the Nodal and Kaidan's are 22 & 20 pounds respectively, and the further away you are from the max load the better.

I don't know about the others, but the Nodal breaks down to small pieces for easy travel and locks solid when put together. Haven't tried the Kaidan (and at 800 bucks I doubt I will) but it sounds pretty sturdy (and at 800 bucks it better be).

I would highly recommend the Ninja for price and stability (and cool name), but I'm not sure about the carbon fiber tripod. I also purchased one of the heavier manfrotto tripods because of the recommendations I read against using carbon fiber tripods. I think it had to do with the setup being top-heavy, and running a higher risk of your camera crashing to the floor if you aren't careful. If I'm not being careless/lazy I'll strap the camera to my wrist just to ensure nothing happens, and it's probably not a big deal indoors, but probably more so outside with some wind, or if offsetting it to take some nadir shots. But with the new airline restrictions, those manfrottos could be declared a lethal weapon.

[Elliot]

Siesfor

I wondered about the carbon fiber tripod being to top heavy if used with the Manfrotto head. This Gitzo tripod was also very expensive and I have some doubts about it. I think the Manfrotto tripod is better but it is just too heavy for the airline travel.

There are some sites where they talk about how to reinforce the Manfrotto 303SPH. Some guys have added some metal bars to prevent the flex of the vertical arm. If you notice the Manfrotto vertical arm is flat while the other ones are like an I-Beam type of structure.

The leveling bases of the Manfrotto must be a pound or more and that's just the leveling base.... It is weird that they made this thing so heavy but not stiff enough to hold the camera without flexing. It is still a good head considering that it was introduced over 5 years ago. Perhaps they will launch a new one in the near future.

I am thinking of either the NN5 or the Kayden. They told me the Kayden is big, bulky and heavy. This has narrow it down to the NN5. The person I talked that has the Kayden he has several units and he likes the Kayden the most but he warned me that it is to heavy.

Regards
Elliot

[fotocubo]

Thank you for such useful information. Kaidan QP and NN5 seem interesting, first one looks better but more expensive than NN5. Your info will help me a lot on making my decision. Regards. Jose M.

[Elliot]

Hello Fotocubo

I was reading the last few posting I made. I want to make sure I don't give a bad description of the Manfrotto 303 SPH. It is a very nice unit.... my only problem with it is the weight.

Go to You Tube or Truveo. The owner of 360 Tactical VR has placed about 8 video tutorials on how to use the Manfrotto's. They are very good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61chY0ycdK4

There are 8 of these videos



Regards
Elliot

[thatkeith]

I have been looking at 360Precision and those heads look very good. I understand they have a model that is sent from factory made for your specific camera and lens, not requiring field calibration. Is this the way to go?

The 360Precision heads are exceptional, and they won't shift or 'decalibrate'. The model you're thinking of is the Absolute, which is shipped with the right size parts for a specific camera body and lens combination. You can get replacement parts if you change lens and/or body.

I'm currently looking at the new Nodal Ninja 5 pano head. This looks very good, but it is quite different from the 360Precision heads. More on this later - I need to experiment first.

k

[Elliot]

ThatKeith

Very interesting comment. I still have not purchased the new pano head. I just came back from the trip for which I wanted the new head. The Nodal Ninja 5 was not available and the 360Precision would not get here on time for the trip.

I went without acquiring the new head. I just carried my old Manfrotto 303SPH. That unit is heavy.... very heavy....! It shifts a little bit... I am sure the Manfrotto has introduce some kind error on the photos.

I would love to hear your comments on the Nodal Ninja 5 and the 360 Precision. I am determined to buy a new head. Some people have recommended to me the QuicKPan Professional from Kaidan.

Please let us know your report of these heads. I am sure it will be difficult to compare them since they are very similar.

Thanks
Elliot

[Nate]

I've been using this one for a few years with no problems. Plus, you can't beat the price!
http://gregwired.com/pano/Pano.htm
I am constantly changing bodies and this works great with few errors.

[Bruce Hemming]

Hi Elliott

A 360 Precision Absolute ( I have the original from before it was given that name) is heavy - but I have no problem putting it on a Manfrotto 055 tripod. There is no question of it being top heavy even when used with a levelling base - and a 5D. It is expensive, but it works every time and even if you don't make a template it will save you loads of time in post production. The quality of build is exceptional and it survives air travel and baggage handlers with no problems - so far. I usually put it into a Pelican 1550 case along with my flashguns etc and lots of padding and check it for the hold. The cameras go in a Lowepro OmniPro as cabin baggage - it will fit into the empty Peli if I need extra protection once on location. I have occasionally taken the 360P as hand baggage and never been stopped - that includes flights to the US - and at that weight it does qualify as an offensive weapon if used in that manner. I prefer not to because it is an inconvenience lugging it through departure lounges etc.

Up until now I have been dismissive of adjustable heads - of any make - as I didn't really see the point of them, the 5D with 15mm FE is more than adequate for just about every situation and when I use my shaved 10.5 Nikkor it is always with a ring bracket on a monopod - or handheld.

However a friend of mine uses a NN3 with his crop factor camera to produce high resolution partial panoramic images, in fact he restricts the FOV so much that he is effectively just making a w/a shot at increased resolution. It's not something that I would want to do everyday but it is something that I'm thinking about.

Hope that this is of interest.

Regards

Bruce

[discocandy]

360Precision NN5/ or nn3 it does not mind.
I worked with both of them even with the pansaurus and kingpano.
but for price the NN3 or 5 are the best choice in my opinion.

I would go for the adjust version of the 360Precision at $1195

I would go for the NN5. with all extra's that would be $509.95
so still have some money to buy a very good tripod. like the induro CX213 at $397.00

and still be cheaper than the 360precision...

The 360Precision is very nice but I would rather use that money on a good tripod to rather than a flashy panohead when the NN is ridged as much as the 360Precision

but those are my 3 cents... (inflation you know.. 2 cents is not enough anymore..);)

[nidrig]

ThatKeith

Very interesting comment. I still have not purchased the new pano head. I just came back from the trip for which I wanted the new head. The Nodal Ninja 5 was not available and the 360Precision would not get here on time for the trip.

I went without acquiring the new head. I just carried my old Manfrotto 303SPH. That unit is heavy.... very heavy....! It shifts a little bit... I am sure the Manfrotto has introduce some kind error on the photos.

I would love to hear your comments on the Nodal Ninja 5 and the 360 Precision. I am determined to buy a new head. Some people have recommended to me the QuicKPan Professional from Kaidan.

Please let us know your report of these heads. I am sure it will be difficult to compare them since they are very similar.

Thanks
Elliot

Hi Elliot,

Have you chosen a pano head? I have the 303Sph, too. And I encounter the same problems as you; heavy and it shifts. Not to mention the nadir which is a pain to post process.

The NN5 stand high in my list; have tried it? do you have feedback from other photographs?

cu

[Elliot]

Hello

Thanks to all the people that have responded to my posting. Your comments have been very much appreciated. During the last two weeks I have been traveling and have not had too much time for the panoramas.

Nidrig

I finally call Bill Bailey at Nodal Ninja and had a small talk with him. He is a very friendly manufacturer. I placed the order and I think I got the last one from this last production batch. They are already working on the second batch and it should be out very soon. The unit is supposed to come in tomorrow Monday by UPS.

I still think I want the Kaidan QuickPan and the 360Precision Abosulte.... :) From all the various people I have talked with, they are all very happy with Nodal Ninja because the weight. They are also very happy with 360Precision and Kaidan QuickPan. It is a difficult decision, they are all good.

Next week I am leaving on another trip and I refused to carry the Manfrotto. We received some brand new Pelican Cases and I will check these things as baggage. I will carry 3 of these Pelican Cases with other equipment I need for my work. On last week trip I paid $300.00 of excess weight to the airline. Not only that, I had to drag the cases around. Though I have TSA (airport security) cases, they still opened the bags.

Tomorrow afternoon I will be able to give to you a better response on this issue.


Again.... thanks to all the fellow camera fans that responded to my posting on this subject.

Regards
Elliot

[Elliot]

Nidrig

I received the NN5. It is light and small. I am having parallax errors. I am sure they are caused by me. Last afternoon I talked with Bill Bailey and he has given some additional instructions on how to set my Nikon 10.5mm. He is also sending some kind of rubber gasket to help with some super minor movements the head has. Nothing to worry about.

The head is good if you want it for traveling. It does the same thing as Manfrotto at a smaller footprint and much lighter weight.

Bill Bailey is an outstanding fellow willing to listen and advise on how to use the device.

Thanks
Elliot

[discocandy]

Yeah Bill is a good guy for sure!
Nick Also, they are both very helpfull!
I always advertise their product when I can just because of that and ofcourse because it is an outstanding product!!;)
Paralax errors wil be caused by misalignment of the camera on the panohead.
For me the trck was to put a pice of tape on a window and put my cam directly in front of it. now by moving from extreme left to extreme light and taking pictures ofcourse I could tweak just as long as it was perfect..
Now I can do tight rooms without errors.. (well almost) ;)

klick on image to se a shockwave panorama... (yeah I know it is not flash....)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/2988920675_7e4dd8c6e7_m.jpg (http://fieldofview.com/flickr/?page=photos/56266685@N00/2988920675&tags=equirectangular)

[Elliot]

Discocandy

Since I got the NN5 I have been super busy and have not played with it anymore. I am trying to do a tight room and I am getting some parallax errors. It is not the NN5, it is me....! The NN5 is amazingly small by comparison to the other products. It is very easy to travel with it. And.... Bill.... he is a very good guy... he is just another enthusiast of panoramics...!

Your panoramas are quite interesting.

Thanks
Elliot

[jameswarren]

Have you see the Pano Pro lens, you can nearly get fullscreen with a single shot, if your camera is not short of some good megapixels. Down to a new larger mirror than the old. See www.pano-pro.com

Hello. I'm new to this forum, and fairly new to stitching panos. I have been using a 18-50mm lens at 24mm b/c of some vignetting, and I've been hand holding about 15 shots going a full 360. I haven't tried to get the sky and or ceilings b/c things tend to get ugly when using hugin/autopano or photoshop's photomerge.

I'm wondering if there is a recommended fancy/expensive lens (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/351542-USA/Canon_9518A002_EF_S_10_22mm_f_3_5_4_5_USM.html) that could make this whole process a lot easier, or is it necessary to buy a fancy/expensive panohead? Or both? Or neither?

I'm also not completely clear on how flash panoramas works based on the simple tutorial. It sounds like I don't need to do any stitching, but wouldn't this require that I have the shots perfectly aligned? I don't want to purchase flash panoramas until I know it will do what I need it to do, and I can do what it needs me to do with the equipment I have.

Thanks in advance!

[Trausti Hraunfjord]

For massive street projects the one-shot lenses are quite ok, but it's not going to give any satisfactory quality. Easy to use, yes, but that's about it. Taking a picture of a mirror, which does have imperfections, can never (not with current technology at least) provide good and sharp results. No matter how many pixels the camera offers.

That being said; I was about to buy one of those lenses a while back for a street project, but when the client backed out (finances), I didn't make the purchase (0-360.com)