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Panoramic head options

Started May 22, 2017 | Discussions thread
Scrufftie Regular Member • Posts: 156
Re: Panoramic head options

jvvw wrote:

I am looking for what solutions people are using for pano heads. I do long exposures and panoramas and need a new setup to make stitching as easy as possible. I have a x Pro 1 currently. Thanks!

My solution was a cheap 360 pano head from Amazon. There are loads of generic models available.

This solves the problem of rotation once you have levelled your camera very cheaply. They usually have an Arca Swiss fitting and don't add much bulk.

This solves the problem of misaligned shots and minimises the 'wasted' pixels as you know your shots are parallel.

A step up would be a levelling plate, if your tripod and head can accommodate one.

Neither of these solves the parallax problem which requires an extension to ensure that rotation is around the nodal point of the lens. In truth, unless you are close to your subject or are making panoramas your 'thing' this can be a step too far for most people and a bit problematic with zooms. Software today handles this really well.

If you find that a cheap pano head doesn't solve your problem entirely, the money spent won't be wasted as it will pair with a nodal slide quite well. BTW, nodal slides, extension plates, are also very cheap.

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