Panoramic tripod head
Encyclopedia
Tripod (photography)
In photography, a tripod is used to stabilize and elevate a camera, or to support flashes or other photographic equipment. All photographic tripods have three legs and a mounting head to couple with a camera...
, which allows photographers to shoot a sequence of images around the entrance pupil
Entrance pupil
In an optical system, the entrance pupil is the optical image of the physical aperture stop, as 'seen' through the front of the lens system. The corresponding image of the aperture as seen through the back of the lens system is called the exit pupil...
of a lens
Photographic lens
A camera lens is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capable of storing an image chemically or electronically.While in principle a simple convex lens will suffice, in...
that can be used to produce a panorama
Panorama
A panorama is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film/video, or a three-dimensional model....
. The primary function of the panoramic head is to precisely set the point of rotation about the entrance pupil for a given lens and focal length
Focal length
The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light. For an optical system in air, it is the distance over which initially collimated rays are brought to a focus...
, eliminating parallax
Parallax
Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. The term is derived from the Greek παράλλαξις , meaning "alteration"...
error.
To take a panorama, the camera is rotated at fixed angular increments, taking an image at each point. These images can then be assembled (stitched
Image stitching
Image stitching or photo stitching is the process of combining multiple photographic images with overlapping fields of view to produce a segmented panorama or high-resolution image. Commonly performed through the use of computer software, most approaches to image stitching require nearly exact...
) using stitching software, which allows the images to be aligned and combined into a single seamless panoramic image, either automatically (using image analysis) or manually (with user supplied control points). The final panoramic image can then be viewed or printed as a flat image or viewed interactively using specific playback software.
Professional models include precision bearing
Bearing (mechanical)
A bearing is a device to allow constrained relative motion between two or more parts, typically rotation or linear movement. Bearings may be classified broadly according to the motions they allow and according to their principle of operation as well as by the directions of applied loads they can...
s, scales to allow the user to take photos at specific angles, detent
Detent
Detent is the term for a method, as well as the actual device, used to mechanically resist or arrest the rotation of a wheel, axle or spindle....
s to stop at common angles and integrated level
Spirit level
A spirit level or bubble level is an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface ishorizontal or vertical . Different types of spirit levels may be used by carpenters, stonemasons, bricklayers, other building trades workers, surveyors, millwrights and other metalworkers, and in some...
s to aid in adjusting the tripod.
Robotic panoramic heads are also available. The robotic head performs the rotation and image capture functions automatically under computer cotrol. Robotic heads can also be used with time-lapse
Time-lapse
Time-lapse photography is a cinematography technique whereby the frequency at which film frames are captured is much lower than that which will be used to play the sequence back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing...
photography.
External links
- Panoramic Head Comparison list and short description of both commercial and selfmade heads from PanoTools.org
- Build your own Panoramic Head - Contains a series of illustrations showing how to make a simple panoramic tripod head.
- How to make a Panoramic Head for Digital SLR cameras - Contains a series of illustrations showing how to make a panoramic tripod head.
- Review of the Panosaurus panoramic tripod head - Article from the Royal Photographic Society Journal, with links to full-screen QTVR panoramas.
- How to Build a Panoramic Tripod Head - Worth1000.
- Nodal Samurai A homemade panohead bracket for around $2.
- Panoramic Tripod Head setup guide Guide on YouTube: how to find the Nodal Point (no parallax point) of your lens...