My Autopano Pro forum

bigwade wrote:

Plenty @
http://www.nodalninja.com/forum/  :-)
http://www.panoguide.com/forums/
Have Fun!

Fun with what?

I have NN3, used it with my 5D + Sigma 24-60, but that's proven too heavy combo. The whole panohead wobbles a lot and it's not really stable. And that's just for horizontal shots, never did a vertical pano, as the vertical rotation has no detent ring, so there's no way to set and secure the camera in even increments...

Adam wrote:

bigwade wrote:

Plenty @
http://www.nodalninja.com/forum/  :-)
http://www.panoguide.com/forums/
Have Fun!

Fun with what?

Searching of course...
At the NN forum 99% is a NN user
At panoguide at least 50% I guess.
So you can get all the information you need there.

I use a NN3 with a Canon 450D/sig8 or Sig10 FE for travelling (+Feisol cheap rotator not the old NN rotator) and sometimes the NN3 on a Seitz VR drive with a 5D+ Tokina 10-17.
I use a NN5 with a Canon 450D/sig8 or Sig10 FE and 5D Tok 10-17 or Sig 15 FE for more serious work with a D8 rotator.(or the Seitz VR Drive)
The D8 rotator is new and very precise
All for spheres.

With your gear a NN5 will do. (Buy the D8 or D12 in a package deal, it's much cheaper)
If you want to make big mosaics a robot would be better I guess.
Nodal Ninja Support is outstanding.
Have Fun !

Last edited by bigwade (2008-11-21 20:46:32)

Adam wrote:

Hey,
What do you think of this one from Kaidan

http://www.kaidan.com/Detail.bok?no=134

We could play this 'game' for a long time.

And you haven't discovered the large Agno's range of pano heads yet.

Personally I am rather bored with it.

360 spherical panoramics
The yaw becomes slightly looser after significant use, but I do not believe that it is a significant problem.  I purchased a preproduction D8 rotator which is very precise and significantly heavier.  I think that you may be well served by owning both rotators if you have those two needs.  Original rotator for hiking or srambling long distances.  Heavier rotator shooting different detent settings during a job with different focal lengths.

Gigapixel panoramics w/ DSLR
When I shoot gigapixel panoramics with a DSLR by putting the NN5L on top of an architectural head with three axii fine movements.  I make a Z pattern shooting it in rows.  I change the yaw with the fine adjustment of the architectural head.  At the end of the row I change the pitch on the upper arm of the NN5L and take the next row working in the other direction.

I use the gigapan robot with my Canon G9, but the mechanical servo depression is the Achilles heel of this platform and sometimes the Canon refocuses even though I have it in manual mode.  The focus is held by keeping the shutter depressed half way.  The optional digital shutter release would need to reverse engineer the interface with the camera over USB.  Someone has posted documentation on this, but I would rather just develop a new robot for a DSLR.   There is an affordable modified Bescor with electronic shutter release developed by a guy out of the San Francisco bay area.

Last edited by Castillonis (2008-11-23 07:54:33)

Castillonis wrote:

I use the gigapan robot with my Canon G9, but the mechanical servo depression is the Achilles heel of this platform and sometimes the Canon refocuses even though I have it in manual mode.  The focus is held by keeping the shutter depressed half way.  The optional digital shutter release would need to reverse engineer the interface with the camera over USB.

One of these devices could I think be made to work with Canon G9 on Gigapan Imager robotic head?:
http://www.blip.com.au/item.aspx?itemid=12
http://www.blip.com.au/item.aspx?itemID=14

Last edited by mediavets (2008-11-23 13:49:30)