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Just did a quick panorama platform so that the camera rotates around the nodal point of the lens rather than distorting.







Sorry about the poor photos (in particular no. 3) they were taken with a P&S without any fiddling.

It's made of one of those white bread boards (HDPE) cut down to size with a channel milled in and a hole drilled and tapped. The tripod screws into the tapped hole and the camera slides on a bolt along the channel to where you need it for the nodal point to be in the centre of the tripod. The bolt has a delrin thumbnut (the black thing) to tighten the hold.

I plan to sometime make a version 2.0, out of aluminium. It'll be more rigid and shorter and have a few other improvements - but for now, and a total of $15 inc a tap to thread the hole, I don't think this one is bad. A fair bit cheaper than the commerical offerings, especially as once you remove tool costs, it probably totals all of $5.

Ingenius! If you wanna make a bit of dough on the side, I'm sure a few of us members might be interested in buying some pre-made ones off ya.

Intial impressions (not having actually put together the Pano's) - works - allows you to rotate around the proper point and is relatively easy to use.

Problems: Getting a tripod level on a sloped corrugated iron roof is a mugs game. Add a ballhead to that and I don't have many level horizons.

Onyx: I'm going to look into that.
Would there be interest in an alloy version? It'd be shorter but the same basic concept: Simple screw hole for the standard tripod thread, and a slot with a tightenable bolt for the camera to slide along.
How much would people be willing to pay?
Any improvements you would suggest?
Anything else you'd like (remembering this is a cheap simple implementation, if you want something fancy go for the ReallyRightStuff gear).

It's a fantastic idea and well executed.

Also for your range, why not make a 3 foot long version for the macro-heads on the forum.

Nice work Nick! One comment (and I know it increases the complexity of said contraption somewhat, but it shouldn't be too hard to do, as I just thought of a really simple and elegant way to do it): if you add a horizontally panning mechanism in between the QRP and the PPPPP you'd elminate all your levelling problems, as you can then level with the ballhead rather than the legs.

Trent: That sounds like a nice adaptation, but I think it would take it past the level of complexity for me. I'm only a casual panorama shooter, and serious ones should really just grab the RRS kit.

Further questions for anyone interested in one:
What focal lengths do you shoot panoramas at? Ever more than 70mm?
I presume you'd want an angle adapter for portrait orientation.

Great innovation Nick...

I would probably not use more than 70mm for a pano and would definitely like to see a mount / L-plate that would allow Portrait shots as that is the way I shoot most of my panos... For levelling, I'd probably go for the little flash mount spirit level that I already have...

Very clever Nick...........


That tripod looks familiar

Nick,
Great job mate!
Start a production line and trademark it!
May we call "NPR" (Nick Panorail) and add it to our equipment review section. I believe the second edition is will be better.

Your Mum would not be missing a chopping board by any chance?

huynhie wrote:Your Mum would not be missing a chopping board by any chance?

He dared not to do that with his mum but perhaps from his GF's mum.

I hope that you do not decide on making those lightsphere critters, your mum might start loosing her tupperware as well

Just a few shots of my quick CAD draft of Ver2.0:









Suggested modifications?

I take it that the 2nd version is going to be a PPMPP rather than a PPPPP otherwise there would probably be too much flex in the L-Plate???

Now a mahogany one would be stylish

Yep, will be made of aluminium this time.

pippin88 wrote:Yep, will be made of aluminium this time.

Have a look at the King Pano site .......... looks like what you have designed........

cheers
bp

Ah yeah, a fair bit more complex and a lot more pricey than mine though.

I'm not setting out to design the ultimate pano setup, that seems to exist already - I'm jsut aiming for a cheap acceptable solution for those who take occaisonal panoramas.

G'day Nick,

This looks like it'll be just the ticket, well done... Hmmm, wanna make some portrait SB800 brackets

leek wrote:I take it that the 2nd version is going to be a PPMPP rather than a PPPPP

This thread keeps making me think of the PPPowerbook! Looking forward to the second version Nick!

Wait a moment... a fundamental flaw. I made this mistake when I started making my head. Levelling the top of a ball-joint for a pano head does not work properly.


Because the ball joint angles, if you level the base by moving the ball-joint and then rotate the mechanism using the base under the ball-head s, the moment you rotate the unit, it will be out of level.

You need to level the base and use the flat rotating head. I hope this makes sense?

Alistair

Alistair: If you level the tripod legs and then the ballhead it works fine, it's just a lot more difficult than only having to level the legs - the tripod head has to be level as well as the ballhead.

I don't know of a cheap flat rotating head, so we are a bit stuck really?

I could look into flat rotating heads, might be able to adapt some other bearing to the job.

I would of thought Aluminium would of flexed as much as the breadboard

Btw, with the L-Plate, see if you can get a two notches added to the underside where it goes in the groove of the slider rail.

kipper wrote:I would of thought Aluminium would of flexed as much as the breadboard

Btw, with the L-Plate, see if you can get a two notches added to the underside where it goes in the groove of the slider rail.

To ensure it stays correctly orientated right?

Had already thought of that.

Well I went around and got a rough costing today.

Looking at $25-30 for the flat plate and then another $30-35 for the angle (allowing both orientations).
I doubt anyone would be willing to pay that for a plain alu version with no form of markings etc (and it's a very simple version)

After costing everything, I can see that the currently available commercial version, especially the ReallyRightStuff gear is not at all overpriced for what it is.

pippin88 wrote:Ah yeah, a fair bit more complex and a lot more pricey than mine though.

I'm not setting out to design the ultimate pano setup, that seems to exist already - I'm jsut aiming for a cheap acceptable solution for those who take occaisonal panoramas.

.......but you would love to see my kingpano head........

cheers
bp

pippin88 wrote:Well I went around and got a rough costing today.

Looking at $25-30 for the flat plate and then another $30-35 for the angle (allowing both orientations).
I doubt anyone would be willing to pay that for a plain alu version with no form of markings etc (and it's a very simple version)

After costing everything, I can see that the currently available commercial version, especially the ReallyRightStuff gear is not at all overpriced for what it is.

Pippin88,

So you say: the commercial version as RRS is not expensive at all with a well machining and precisely same as cosmetic works of the devices.

Before not long ago, I sent couple sample of items to China and Vietnam, requesting a quotation with mass production as pano rails, L brackets etc...
Guess what? the cost after all expenses are more expensive than from RRS. But I doubt with the quality which come from them.
And finally, I switched back to RRS.

Also not long ago, on our forum, few members proposed to make for themselves these stuffs, but not hear any successfully stories from them.
I'm still listening.

You know, with a minor size modification to the width on the bottom platform, you could make a way to take stereoscopic pictures using the D70 and later pull anaglyphs out of it.

thats a really well thought out and executed piece of kit Nick.