Do any of you use panoramic tripod heads

[Tiger1]

:D
I've been reading about PTA Assembler and the "Panosaurus" tripod head and don't know what to make of it.

What panoramic tripod head do you use :?:

Anybody use the panosaurus :?: :?: :?:

Thanks,

Gene

[Tom W]

If you mean this one:

http://gregwired.com/Pano/Pano.htm

No, but I think you'd do well to consider one of the many panhead tripod heads made by Gitzo, Manfrotto, or Slik. They are very well built.

[pradeep1]

Uber panaromic guru and one of my favorite panoramic photographers uses the Panosaurus. Check out Max Lyons' website at: http://www.tawbaware.com/maxlyons/

What was interesting is that some of his most complex "masterpiece" panoramas with multiples (>50) photos stitched together were done with a simple homemade pano head ( http://www.tawbaware.com/maxlyons/panhead_d60.htm ).

So I think the Panosaurus should be a good and cheaper alternative to the expensive heads. Of course, if you are doing 360 deg. panoramic virtual reality tours, then consider investing in the more expensive panoramic heads.

Just my simple minded thoughts...

[Scottes]

The Panosaurus is good for a light camera with a small lens. To me it seems best suited for a point & shoot rather than a DSLR. And you'll notice that the Panosaurus shows all P&S cameras, not a DSLR to be found. I wouldn't trust it to hold a 10D with a 17-40 on it. It will probably work fine, but I'm sure that it will bend, and that would drive me crazy.

However even the good ones bend. Here's a great review of some of the top-end pano heads. It's detailed and if you read the whole thing you'll learn a lot about pano heads, good and bad.


I think it all depends on the type of shot you want to do. Since I don't have a pano head I've been playing with telephoto panos of mountain ranges. Nothing in these pictures is close enough for me to see anything shift, so I have no need of a pano head and I don't even bother finding the nodal point because of this.

But if you want to do closer shots with wider lenses then you might wish to get one. You can get by without one if you have an Arca-type plate or a macro slider. Either of these will let you move the camera and find the nodal point. (Within limits!) But they aren't so easy to set up and they have no way to remember the setting, so you'll probably have to find the nodal point every time you set it up. It would be a pain, but at least you can play with single-row panos.

The cheapest pano head I could find, besides the Panosaurus, is the Bogen 3030PLUS, which is $370 and only allows for single-row panos I believe. Otherwise the one I want is the 303SPH which allows multi-row pano for $500.

With any pano head you'll probably also want a leveling base for another $100 or so. It's not necessary, but it sure makes leveling the head much easier. Much!


For less than $90 the Panosaurus is mighty inviting, but I think it will have problems with a DSLR. I think.


Oh, and you don't *need* to find the nodal point or use a pano head. Photoshop has some tricks which can be used to correct images before stitching. Yes, it will take you much longer using PS but it's free. Something to try for a while before outlaying some serious cash. I always worry about spending $500 on a pano head and then letting it gather dust because I got bored with it.

[Bruce Watson]

I have one and use it with my 10D and 300D. It is a great value for the money.

Yep, it is straining with a dslr and lens, but it does work just fine.

The fancier pano heads are hundreds more, but don't function any differently.

I really like mine and intend to keep it. It has added a whole new dimension to my hobby.

Cheers,

Bruce

[Jesper]

I also have the Panosaurus. When you've registered for PTAssembler, you get discount on the Panosaurus (check Max Lyons' website).

The Panosaurus works, but like the others said, it's not really well suited to heavier cameras and lenses. With my 10D and EF 50 f/1.8 II (really small and light lens) I don't have any problems with it, but with a lens larger and heavier than that, it becomes a bit unstable.

You really only need a special panoramic head if you want to shoot panoramas of nearby subjects. When the subject is further away (landscapes, for example), you can use a normal tripod head or even shoot handheld (take care that you keep the camera approximately at the same place) - the parallax error will be small when the subject is far away. I've made some really good panos from the top of the Euromast (a high tower in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands) and those were with the camera handheld.

[Andy_T]

If you're able to spend a bit more, take a look at Kaidan products.

I've seen their 'Kiwi' model endorsed several times as a very stable low cost (200$) quality solution.

For an example, look at this thread: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=13665&highlight=

The site http://www.virtualbigbend.com described there is pretty awesome, IMHO.

Best regards,
Andy

[Tiger1]

:D Thanks for your comments everyone :D

Tom, thats the one. I have looked at the ones you suggest and they are really nice, but really pricey. There are a couple of them that are affordable though at around $200 US and worth serious consideration.

pradeep1, I've read them and was very impressed. I am going to try to find out from Max how the panosauras works with a 10d and large zoom. I'm sure they have tried it. Maybe a stiffner can be added to strengthen the upright to be sturdier.

Scottes, always a pleasure to read your comments, they are appreciated. In your second paragraph, you refer to a great review. Was there supposed to be a thread there :?: I understand what you indicate, but being a detailed person, I think I need a pano head and I can't talk myself out of it :shock: You should see my first attempt at a hand held pano. HeHeHe :D I am now learning more of the PS application to do it better - I hope, before I purchase something. However, the panosaurus is so cheap (they almost give it to you) its almost worth it even if you only use it a few times. My market is big panoramas to go along with my watercolor art; therefore panoramas offer a great opportunity, especially with the 10d. :D

Bruce, thanks for the info - have you used large zooms like 70-200L or 100-400L with the panosaurus? If so, how did it work?

Jesper, thanks again for your help as in the past. It sounds like you have tried it with a large lens; if so did it work well enough to use on a normal basis?

Andy, I read through the Kaidan literature and there seems to be some nice pano heads there. If I read correctly, Kaidan seems to be the true pioneer of the pano heads and they are a serious possibility for me.

Again, thanks for your help and I'll let you all know what I find out after I call Max Lyons and do some other digging.

Gene

[Bruce Watson]

Largest size I have used is a Tamron 28-200 with a 10D.

Other than that, I use a variety of regular to wide angle prime lenses.

There is no doubt that a large zoom might be too much for the unit.

Cheers,

Bruce

[Scottes]

Scottes, always a pleasure to read your comments, they are appreciated. In your second paragraph, you refer to a great review.


Sorry! http://www.vrphotography.com/data/pages/casestudies/vrheadreview1103.html


However, the panosaurus is so cheap (they almost give it to you) its almost worth it even if you only use it a few times.

ROFL! I pretty much feel the same way. How can you go wrong? Either you learn from it and sell it for $50 towards a good one, or you use it once in a great while and it's worth it after some time.

[Jesper]

Jesper, thanks again for your help as in the past. It sounds like you have tried it with a large lens; if so did it work well enough to use on a normal basis?

Well, I've tried it with my 10D and Canon EF 100 f/2.8 Macro, and it becomes a bit wobbly. Probably you could use it if there's no wind and you're careful while adjusting it, but it's not really very stable. The Panosaurus is made of plastic for the largest part.

According to the Panosaurus website (http://gregwired.com/pano/Pano.htm), "The recommended maximum weight is 3 lbs (1.36 kgs)." The Panosaurus FAQ (http://gregwired.com/pano/FAQ.htm) has some more information on the weight.

My 10D + 50mm weigh already more than 1 kg, and 10D + 100mm weigh more than 1.5 kg, so it's officially too heavy. Forget about using the Panosaurus with a long zoom lens....

[Scottes]

Jesper, you talked me out of it. The 20D + 17-40 will be too heavy, and the 20D + Sigma 105mm would be my first choice for a pano anyway.

But does it seem like one could add some sort of brace to make it steady enough? Do you think an aluminum L-bracket could be screwed on easily, in a way to make it sturdy enough for a 2kg rig?

[Jesper]

Well, part of it is metal, and part of it is plastic. If you look at the photos of the Panosaurus on the website (http://gregwired.com/pano/Pano.htm) (scroll down a bit): the white is some kind of plastic, the black L shaped piece is metal.

The part where you attach the camera to (with the cork; on my Panosaurus it's rubber, which is better) can slide forward or backward, which you need to mount the camera so that it rotates around the nodal point of the lens. If you'd need to slide it out a longer way, it's a lot less stable.

[Scottes]

With that in mind I don't think more bracing would help.
:-(

[Andy_T]

Just thought I'd post the link to http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/wwp304/

It is a pretty amazing site ... a large collection of QT pano's that were all taken on the equinox. A lot of people created QT panoramas at exactly the same time, around the world.

Better get that panorama head sorted out quickly, if you want to participate at the next venue (somewhere in December 18-21, 2004)

Best regards,
Andy

[Jesper]

Here are some good panoramas with some interesting special effects (look at the one with the hovercraft for example): http://www.fieldofview.nl/spv-gallery.php