Looking for panorama capable tripod

Are there some decent, reasonably priced tripods that can be used for
shooting panorama's? One that has the pivot under the 'film' plane?

On a similar note, on my Canon S2-IS, there is a 'stitch mode, but it
seems to not lock in the exposure settings. So as I pan across the
scene, the exposure changes. Is there a way to do that? The framing
hints for the next shot is nice, but seems to have a slight gap.

Thanks!
Norman

"NormanHeyen" wrote in message
...
Are there some decent, reasonably priced tripods that can be used for
shooting panorama's? One that has the pivot under the 'film' plane?

-- what's your reasonable ? some ppl say $50 is too much for a tripod , but
some said $500 is just nice.
You can try Manfrotto 190 D + 141 RC combo for start.


On a similar note, on my Canon S2-IS, there is a 'stitch mode, but it
seems to not lock in the exposure settings. So as I pan across the
scene, the exposure changes. Is there a way to do that? The framing
hints for the next shot is nice, but seems to have a slight gap.

Try using Manual setting.

In article ,
NormanHeyen wrote:

Are there some decent, reasonably priced tripods that can be used for
shooting panorama's? One that has the pivot under the 'film' plane?

On a similar note, on my Canon S2-IS, there is a 'stitch mode, but it
seems to not lock in the exposure settings. So as I pan across the
scene, the exposure changes. Is there a way to do that? The framing
hints for the next shot is nice, but seems to have a slight gap.

Thanks!
Norman

The tripod does not pivot. The tripod head does. To do panoramics you
need to rotate the lens around the nodal point of the lens. That point
will change with the lens you use and with the zoom setting you use. For
true nodal point pans you need a stable tripod and a head made for VR
like the Novoflex VR SYSTEM head.

--
To reply no_ HPMarketing Corp.

NormanHeyen wrote:
Are there some decent, reasonably priced tripods that can be used for
shooting panorama's? One that has the pivot under the 'film' plane?

On a similar note, on my Canon S2-IS, there is a 'stitch mode, but it
seems to not lock in the exposure settings. So as I pan across the
scene, the exposure changes. Is there a way to do that? The framing
hints for the next shot is nice, but seems to have a slight gap.

Thanks!
Norman

Any tripod can have a pano head attached. What you want to do is get a
good solid tripod, then look for a pano head with the best features.


--
Ron Hunter

Bob Salomon wrote:
In article ,
NormanHeyen wrote:

Are there some decent, reasonably priced tripods that can be used for
shooting panorama's? One that has the pivot under the 'film' plane?

On a similar note, on my Canon S2-IS, there is a 'stitch mode, but it
seems to not lock in the exposure settings. So as I pan across the
scene, the exposure changes. Is there a way to do that? The framing
hints for the next shot is nice, but seems to have a slight gap.

Thanks!
Norman

The tripod does not pivot. The tripod head does. To do panoramics you
need to rotate the lens around the nodal point of the lens. That point
will change with the lens you use and with the zoom setting you use.

True, but for scenic views where the subjects are not close to the
camera, it is not all that important. Just keeping the camera level and
keeping the exposure consistent is what counts.


For true nodal point pans you need a stable tripod and a head made
for VR like the Novoflex VR SYSTEM head.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Its best to use a MonoPod with attached bubble level for panoramas. Much
simpler to use.

NM


"NormanHeyen" wrote in message
...
Are there some decent, reasonably priced tripods that can be used for
shooting panorama's? One that has the pivot under the 'film' plane?

On a similar note, on my Canon S2-IS, there is a 'stitch mode, but it
seems to not lock in the exposure settings. So as I pan across the
scene, the exposure changes. Is there a way to do that? The framing
hints for the next shot is nice, but seems to have a slight gap.

Thanks!
Norman

"NormanHeyen" wrote in message
...
Are there some decent, reasonably priced tripods that can be used for
shooting panorama's? One that has the pivot under the 'film' plane?

That's not where you want the pivot. Ideally you want it under the lens's
first nodal point, which you'd have to find by experiment. But this is only
important when the subject matter is fairly close, anyway. For the distance
shots that most people do panoramas of, exact placement of the pivoting
point is just not critical. In fact with just a little practice you can get
good panoramas without using a tripod at all. I've taken indoor panoramas by
rotating the camera on a counter top between kitchen and dining room, just
guessing at where the nodal point would probably be, and they turned out
fine. I'm using the Panorama Maker 3 that comes with some Nikons, have never
used any other software for this.



On a similar note, on my Canon S2-IS, there is a 'stitch mode, but it
seems to not lock in the exposure settings. So as I pan across the
scene, the exposure changes. Is there a way to do that? The framing
hints for the next shot is nice, but seems to have a slight gap.

That seems very strange, but I guess there are differences from one make and
model to another. Nikons all lock the exposure automatically in panorama
mode, and as far as I know that can't be defeated, no way no how.

Neil

Thanks to all for the advice and suggestions, I appreciate it. I'll
look at some of the heads mentioned and see if these are reasonably
priced. :-) Or I might be able to just use a circular bubble level on
something that I have already and be happy with that.

It is entirely probably that I'm not doing something right in 'stitch
mode. I'll do some more testing if the sun ever comes out again around
here. It is overcast, so everything will have the same lighting, or
lack there of.

My background is a Nikkormat FT2 that I bought new, the Canon was my
first half serious digital, so I'm a bit overwhelmed with the new
electronic features. I still try and look for the little needle and
backwards 'C' to set the exposure... :-) But I'm getting better at it!

Thanks again for the advice and recommendations.

Norman

As many have mentioned that most digital P&S cameras have a stitch
assist mode, with some practice, you can get very good pano with free
hand. I can now get about 70% of pano pictures coming out pretty good
(for far away scenery, nearby buildings are more difficult).
Few people can point out the faults. For some of the panos I cannot find
the seams even I look very hard for them. I have found out that Canon
is much better in this respect, both the in-camera setup and the software.
In this mode, the LCD screen provides a small portion of the previous
frame with which you align up the next frame with about 20 - 30% overlap.
It is important to set the horizons level. The software automatically
merges the frames and corrects perspective distorsions and other small
misalignments. In this mode the exposures, focus, and speed are also
locked. I did many tests side-by-side with Nikon and Olympus for the
same scene and Canon seems always better. The cameras I used are
Canon S400, S110, S100; Nikon CP-4500, CP-990 and an Olympus (model ?).
Good luck with your project.

In article ,
NormanHeyen wrote:

Thanks to all for the advice and suggestions, I appreciate it. I'll
look at some of the heads mentioned and see if these are reasonably
priced. :-) Or I might be able to just use a circular bubble level on
something that I have already and be happy with that.

It is entirely probably that I'm not doing something right in 'stitch
mode. I'll do some more testing if the sun ever comes out again around
here. It is overcast, so everything will have the same lighting, or
lack there of.

My background is a Nikkormat FT2 that I bought new, the Canon was my
first half serious digital, so I'm a bit overwhelmed with the new
electronic features. I still try and look for the little needle and
backwards 'C' to set the exposure... :-) But I'm getting better at it!

Thanks again for the advice and recommendations.

Norman

Joseph Meehan wrote:
Bob Salomon wrote:
In article ,
NormanHeyen wrote:

Are there some decent, reasonably priced tripods that can be used for
shooting panorama's? One that has the pivot under the 'film' plane?

On a similar note, on my Canon S2-IS, there is a 'stitch mode, but it
seems to not lock in the exposure settings. So as I pan across the
scene, the exposure changes. Is there a way to do that? The framing
hints for the next shot is nice, but seems to have a slight gap.

Thanks!
Norman
The tripod does not pivot. The tripod head does. To do panoramics you
need to rotate the lens around the nodal point of the lens. That point
will change with the lens you use and with the zoom setting you use.

True, but for scenic views where the subjects are not close to the
camera, it is not all that important. Just keeping the camera level and
keeping the exposure consistent is what counts.


For true nodal point pans you need a stable tripod and a head made
for VR like the Novoflex VR SYSTEM head.


Consistent lighting is essential. Ever notice most good panos are taken
with clear skies? A passing cloud can wreck havoc with exposures.


--
Ron Hunter