Panning Questions...

[shaun raney]

I just purchased an 804RC2 head from Manfrotto and a 190 tripod with the intent of using it for panning.

I set it all up, used the bullseye device on the head to line it all perfectly, made sure everything was locked all good and tight and started to slowly pan just to get used to how it felt. I kept an eye on the bullseye (spirit level) and saw that the bubble would move out of the small circle as i went around.

So I have some questions.

1) Is this normal operation?

2) If it is normal, and I am making a panorama, should I completely center my head for the shot?


mods: I know that this is a gear question, but it's also a technique question pertaining to something specific. If it needs to be moved, no biggie. Thanks.

Thanks in advance to any help I can get!

[David Ransley]

What kind of weight did you have on the head? A camera and lens can be a kg or two and on what kind of surface did you set this up? If the ball moves, then the plane changed. I would check wether the center of gravity remains the same for the equipment you use as the panning is done. The ball moving tells me that the center is shifting around the pivot. In other words, you equipment should balance nicely on the pivot for the movement to be zero.

[shaun raney]

It's a 3 way head, not a ball. Im using an XSi with a 50mm 1.8II lens and I tried it while it was unloaded too and got the same result.

[Greg_C]

I'm not familiar with the 804RC2, is the flat panning base at a different angle to the plate that the camera mounts onto? After you have leveled it with the three way head, the head the camera could be level to the ground but the panning base might be at an angle to the camera.

This often happens with ballheads unless you have leveled everything by adjusting the tripod legs. To overcome this I have a RRS panning head that fits onto the top plate after the top plate is leveled. I don't touch the panning knob on the bottom of the ball head but use the Panning head on top.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=625719

[shaun raney]

that makes alot more sense.


I wonder If I can return this head for a ball head.

[Jeff5544]

Hello. Just to confirm what Greg C said...I have almost the same set up as you and had similar problems. I realized that the legs weren't leveled first (should also be a bubble level on your legs.) After your legs are leveled, then you can level the head. should work on either a ball head or a 3 way. Good luck ad enjoy.

[shaun raney]

Hmm, I do not have a bubble level on my legs.

Since I just bought it, should I return it and spend the extra money on a tripod with a bubble level in it?

[Greg_C]

Depends where your priorities are. It is very hard to perfectly level a tripod by adjusting the legs. Or rather just time consuming, as you seem to be forever going in circles changing each leg a little.

If you want to go the super cheap way buy a little hot shoe mounted bubble level. Then level the legs without the camera on them, using the bubble on the head. If you then flip the head into portrait mode (leveled with the bubble on the hot shoe) you will at least have more room to crop due to the portrait orientation.

[shaun raney]

Would it be easier when doing a Pano to level the head as I pan each shot? I've gotten quite adept at it lol.

I am thinking of getting a different set of legs for the bubble level, and more importantly the weight holding improvements. I like the set up that you have with the pano head on the ball mount. And having extra weight holding ability is not a bad thing.

[jrader]

I do a lot of panoramics, and I recently got a new tripod with a bubble level on the body as well as the head, and I have to say that I love it much better than my old tripod (which was stolen). I level the legs first, then I compose my shot making sure to level the head (I shot panos in portrait mode ALWAYS). I then lock the tilt and shoot away, making sure to overlap my images sufficiently. I don't pan more than about 20 degrees between shots.

I can't speak for ball mounts because I have never owned one, but I can't see myself needing one anytime in the future, primarily because I shoot landscapes.

Hope this helps.

John

[shaun raney]

Just picked up my 055XPROB. Tried it out, problem solved, it was the legs. Thanks for the help!

[Greg_C]

Good to hear you got it sorted.

[argyle]

Would it be easier when doing a Pano to level the head as I pan each shot? I've gotten quite adept at it lol.

I am thinking of getting a different set of legs for the bubble level, and more importantly the weight holding improvements. I like the set up that you have with the pano head on the ball mount. And having extra weight holding ability is not a bad thing.

A pano head isn't necessarily needed to shoot panos, especially single row. If you have foreground objects that will be in the frame, however, then a pano rig that allows you to adjust for the nodal point of the lens would be needed (otherwise, you'll have to deal with parallax issues). For single row panos of distant scenes, the specialty rig isn't necessary.

Starting with a level base is crucial. Adjusting the individual legs of the tripod, and checking for level in between each adjustment, can be very time consuming, with a lot of bending up and down. The easiest way that I have found was to attach an RRS PCL-1 panning clamp to the ballhead clamp...leveling is just a matter of loosening the ball, adjusting until the PCL-1 spirit level is centered, and then locking down the ball. This literally takes a matter of a few seconds at most. When I need to pan, I then loosen the pan lock on the PCL-1 and rotate.