A contraption for taking panoramas with the camera in portrait mode.

VE2CJW · 03-27-2019, 05:58 PM - **4 Likes**

After watching the Panorama course by Hudson Henry, I decided that I didn't want to spend a fortune in building a nodal node adapter for using a camera in portrait mode for panoramas. I bought a couple of slides from Amazon and did some metal work to fit it all together. The pictures give a good idea if you care to build one. For the pictures, I installed the camera in reverse so the details of the contraption could be seen. For using it, you install the camera so the lens is over the center of the tripod. The first thing you have to do before using it for the first time is to define the exact point for minimizing the parallax error for each lens and put that in a notebook. There is a scale with numbers on the upper rail so it's easy to do. If you have access to the panorama course, Hudson explains how to calibrate it, otherwise look in Youtube for ideas.

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swanlefitte · 03-27-2019, 06:23 PM

Nice. I did something similar with 2 metal brackets like the bottom one only longer. I then drilled out a slide hole. For furthur stability I attached a square of wood to the top piece that butts against the bottom piece to keep it level.
Yours looks much nicer than mine.

VE2CJW · 03-27-2019, 06:28 PM

With the kind of tripod head I have, the contraption doesn't have to be perfectly level, because I can level the head perfectly using the electronic levels in my K1.

swanlefitte · 03-27-2019, 07:03 PM

I had trouble with my tension screw not tight enough pulling the camera down between shots with a heavy lens.

VE2CJW · 03-27-2019, 07:32 PM

Here it works fine.

Not a Number · 03-27-2019, 07:47 PM

Very nice.

I would have thought one would want the axis of rotation based on the center of the image circle and the sensor plane. Also I would expect a lot of vibration considering the length of the "arm" and all the weight at the end.

Post some results.

swanlefitte · 03-27-2019, 08:11 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Not a Number

Very nice.

I would have thought one would want the axis of rotation based on the center of the image circle and the sensor plane. Also I would expect a lot of vibration considering the length of the "arm" and all the weight at the end.

Post some results.

Think of the camera the opposite direction. Its like that to show the tool.

Here is one of mine with my similar set up. This still took a huge arc to get so it did and does have artifacts.

edit. Yeah and 5 security stopped me because this was useful for terrorism apparently. They finally conceded but the best light and weather had past. Only took a half hour of security detaining me. If I wasn't polite and confident I think I wouldn't have my equipment anymore and I would be out lots of money for a lawyer to get out of jail.

Last edited by swanlefitte; 03-27-2019 at 08:17 PM. Reason: story

VE2CJW · 03-27-2019, 08:12 PM

Nice picture seanlefitte. Haven't taken pictures yet, too cold around here for now. The sensor plane has nothing to do here. You want the lens optical center or entrance pupil to be the center of rotation, not the sensor. This is to correct the parallax error. Don't forget that the camera will be mounted backwards to what you see in the pictures, so the lens is over the center of the tripod plate. I won't be taking long exposures with that, onl;y normal daylight shots.

swanlefitte · 03-27-2019, 08:35 PM

Originally posted by swanlefitte

Think of the camera the opposite direction. (

Got that.

Yeah I calibrated mine for the nodal point of a few lenses and marked it. I am within less than a mm of true.

Arjay Bee · 03-27-2019, 08:38 PM

Originally posted by Not a Number

would have thought one would want the axis of rotation based on the center of the image circle and the sensor plane. Also I would expect a lot of vibration considering the length of the "arm" and all the weight at the end.

The rotation point is somewhere inside the lens where the light rays invert bringing the parallax error to as close to zero as possible. All explained better than me on various web locations.

One example:
Finding the nodal point in panoramic photography?

**rgknief60** · 03-27-2019, 08:41 PM - **1 Like**

Back when I got my K20D, I had an idea for a panoramic head. My Dad built the unit, I drilled the indexing plate. There are 8 or 9 different angles from which to choose. The outer two sets of holes are each 3 degrees, offset so one can choose 1.5 degree increments. I did not have the foresight to build in flexibility. It would take a bit of reworking to use with the K-1.

Homemade Panoramic Head

swanlefitte · 03-27-2019, 08:48 PM - **1 Like**

Here is another pano with the set up based on my sigma 70mm. The boat was slightly smaller than 1 frame. so with overlap this was about 10 frames and about 90 degrees of rotation.

this was landscape mode.

**tduell** · 03-27-2019, 11:37 PM

Originally posted by VE2CJW

After watching the Panorama course by Hudson Henry, I decided that I didn't want to spend a fortune in building a nodal node adapter for using a camera in portrait mode for panoramas. I bought a couple of slides from Amazon and did some metal work to fit it all together. The pictures give a good idea if you care to build one. For the pictures, I installed the camera in reverse so the details of the contraption could be seen. For using it, you install the camera so the lens is over the center of the tripod. The first thing you have to do before using it for the first time is to define the exact point for minimizing the parallax error for each lens and put that in a notebook. There is a scale with numbers on the upper rail so it's easy to do. If you have access to the panorama course, Hudson explains how to calibrate it, otherwise look in Youtube for ideas.

I have stitched hundreds of panos almost all handheld with very few issues, most of which caused by an object very close which appears in more than one shot. The simple solution in those cases is to do some masking in some of the shots.
So my view is that such devices are not really needed if you take only a small amount of care in how you move your camera when handheld shooting.
My 2 bob's worth.

Cheers,
Terry

biz-engineer · 03-28-2019, 12:58 AM - **2 Likes**

That setup WILL work. The no parallax point is always in front of the camera and located between the lens diaphragm and the front element of the lens. An L-bracket, $20 arca rail, gimbal allows to rotate the system for both vertical and horizontal panning around the no-parallax point.

swanlefitte · 03-28-2019, 01:11 AM

Originally posted by VE2CJW

For the pictures, I installed the camera in reverse so the details of the contraption could be seen. For using it, you install the camera so the lens is over the center of the tripod. The first thing you have to do before using it for the first time is to define the exact point for minimizing the parallax error

I think you should edit your post to put spaced lines around this to help it stand out.

03-27-2019, 08:48 PM - 1 Like	#12
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	Here is another pano with the set up based on my sigma 70mm. The boat was slightly smaller than 1 frame. so with overlap this was about 10 frames and about 90 degrees of rotation. this was landscape mode. Last edited by swanlefitte; 03-27-2019 at 08:50 PM. Reason: clarification

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03-27-2019, 06:23 PM	#2
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	Nice. I did something similar with 2 metal brackets like the bottom one only longer. I then drilled out a slide hole. For furthur stability I attached a square of wood to the top piece that butts against the bottom piece to keep it level. Yours looks much nicer than mine.

03-27-2019, 06:28 PM	#3
VE2CJW Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Candiac, QC, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 403 Original Poster	With the kind of tripod head I have, the contraption doesn't have to be perfectly level, because I can level the head perfectly using the electronic levels in my K1.

03-27-2019, 07:03 PM	#4
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	I had trouble with my tension screw not tight enough pulling the camera down between shots with a heavy lens.

03-27-2019, 07:32 PM	#5
VE2CJW Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Candiac, QC, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 403 Original Poster	Here it works fine.

03-27-2019, 07:47 PM	#6
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	Very nice. I would have thought one would want the axis of rotation based on the center of the image circle and the sensor plane. Also I would expect a lot of vibration considering the length of the "arm" and all the weight at the end. Post some results.

03-27-2019, 08:11 PM - 1 Like	#7
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	Originally posted by Not a Number Very nice. I would have thought one would want the axis of rotation based on the center of the image circle and the sensor plane. Also I would expect a lot of vibration considering the length of the "arm" and all the weight at the end. Post some results. Think of the camera the opposite direction. Its like that to show the tool. Here is one of mine with my similar set up. This still took a huge arc to get so it did and does have artifacts. edit. Yeah and 5 security stopped me because this was useful for terrorism apparently. They finally conceded but the best light and weather had past. Only took a half hour of security detaining me. If I wasn't polite and confident I think I wouldn't have my equipment anymore and I would be out lots of money for a lawyer to get out of jail. Last edited by swanlefitte; 03-27-2019 at 08:17 PM. Reason: story

03-27-2019, 08:12 PM	#8
VE2CJW Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Candiac, QC, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 403 Original Poster	Nice picture seanlefitte. Haven't taken pictures yet, too cold around here for now. The sensor plane has nothing to do here. You want the lens optical center or entrance pupil to be the center of rotation, not the sensor. This is to correct the parallax error. Don't forget that the camera will be mounted backwards to what you see in the pictures, so the lens is over the center of the tripod plate. I won't be taking long exposures with that, onl;y normal daylight shots.

03-27-2019, 08:35 PM	#9
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	Originally posted by swanlefitte Think of the camera the opposite direction. ( Got that. Yeah I calibrated mine for the nodal point of a few lenses and marked it. I am within less than a mm of true.

03-27-2019, 08:38 PM	#10
Arjay Bee Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Horn Island, Torres Straits, Q Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,715	Originally posted by Not a Number would have thought one would want the axis of rotation based on the center of the image circle and the sensor plane. Also I would expect a lot of vibration considering the length of the "arm" and all the weight at the end. The rotation point is somewhere inside the lens where the light rays invert bringing the parallax error to as close to zero as possible. All explained better than me on various web locations. One example: Finding the nodal point in panoramic photography?

03-27-2019, 08:41 PM - 1 Like	#11
rgknief60 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 983	Back when I got my K20D, I had an idea for a panoramic head. My Dad built the unit, I drilled the indexing plate. There are 8 or 9 different angles from which to choose. The outer two sets of holes are each 3 degrees, offset so one can choose 1.5 degree increments. I did not have the foresight to build in flexibility. It would take a bit of reworking to use with the K-1. Homemade Panoramic Head

03-27-2019, 11:37 PM	#13
tduell Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,515	Originally posted by VE2CJW After watching the Panorama course by Hudson Henry, I decided that I didn't want to spend a fortune in building a nodal node adapter for using a camera in portrait mode for panoramas. I bought a couple of slides from Amazon and did some metal work to fit it all together. The pictures give a good idea if you care to build one. For the pictures, I installed the camera in reverse so the details of the contraption could be seen. For using it, you install the camera so the lens is over the center of the tripod. The first thing you have to do before using it for the first time is to define the exact point for minimizing the parallax error for each lens and put that in a notebook. There is a scale with numbers on the upper rail so it's easy to do. If you have access to the panorama course, Hudson explains how to calibrate it, otherwise look in Youtube for ideas. I have stitched hundreds of panos almost all handheld with very few issues, most of which caused by an object very close which appears in more than one shot. The simple solution in those cases is to do some masking in some of the shots. So my view is that such devices are not really needed if you take only a small amount of care in how you move your camera when handheld shooting. My 2 bob's worth. Cheers, Terry

03-28-2019, 01:11 AM	#15
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	Originally posted by VE2CJW For the pictures, I installed the camera in reverse so the details of the contraption could be seen. For using it, you install the camera so the lens is over the center of the tripod. The first thing you have to do before using it for the first time is to define the exact point for minimizing the parallax error I think you should edit your post to put spaced lines around this to help it stand out.