bubble level for panorama.
Apr 30, 2019 20:24:18 #
macthemac
Loc: texas
I have already used search to find a travel tripod. I am going to Glacier NP and plan to do lots of panorama possibly as much as 180degrees. Reviews indicate that the integral bubble level on the MeFoto is uselss with a camera mounted on the ball head. To avoid getting a jagged edge on the bottom of each pan do i need to buy a bubble level for the hot shoe?
Apr 30, 2019 20:32:51 #
It's better to sight on a horizontal line in the scene (eg. a road, a fence, etc,) if there is one, and keep the bottom of the frame even with that line. For example this 3 vertical shot pano was handheld and merged in Photoshop.
Apr 30, 2019 21:13:47 #
I use the Acratech GP ball head on a Gitzo G1127 Mk2 that when the ball head is reversed can be used as a leveling head -- Have used it & I'm happy to report -- it works just fine
Apr 30, 2019 21:31:38 #
I would shoot slightly wider than I wanted each panel so I could finish the pano expecting to crop away some jagged edges. Mount you camera vertical and shoot as many frames as you want, just remember the wider you go the more distortion you will have to deal with. Have fun on your trip.
May 1, 2019 01:06:16 #
macthemac wrote:
I have already used search to find a travel tripod. I am going to Glacier NP and plan to do lots of panorama possibly as much as 180degrees. Reviews indicate that the integral bubble level on the MeFoto is uselss with a camera mounted on the ball head. To avoid getting a jagged edge on the bottom of each pan do i need to buy a bubble level for the hot shoe?
This may cause you to rethink the whole need for "level" for pano.
https://petapixel.com/2016/10/27/stitching-panorama-forget-wide-angle-lens-home/
Not only does the camera not need to pan a level line, it doesn't even need to be level at all. All the software needs to see is stitching points. I do hand held panos with my DSLRs about 40% of the time. And I do have a multi-row pano head for when I need critical alignment and no parallax error.
May 1, 2019 03:59:49 #
Bobspez wrote:
It's better to sight on a horizontal line in the scene (eg. a road, a fence, etc,) if there is one, and keep the bottom of the frame even with that line. For example this 3 vertical shot pano was handheld and merged in Photoshop.
Very nicely done.
May 1, 2019 08:34:06 #
mizzee
Loc: Boston,Ma
Some cameras will let you display grid lines in the view finder that makes it easier to get a level shot. My camera can display vertical and horizontal levels on both the touch screen and EVF.
May 1, 2019 08:38:35 #
Does you camera have an electronic level? If you are wanting to take hi res panos, you want a nodal rail.
May 1, 2019 08:54:38 #
Get an L Bracket and adjust the tripod before putting your camera on it. That should solve your issues with Nodal point..
May 1, 2019 08:59:36 #
I'm cheap at times so just super-glued a piece of plastic onto the plate of the tripod and glued a bubble onto that. Sticks out far enough to be easily seen.
May 1, 2019 10:43:15 #
macthemac wrote:
I have already used search to find a travel tripod. I am going to Glacier NP and plan to do lots of panorama possibly as much as 180degrees. Reviews indicate that the integral bubble level on the MeFoto is uselss with a camera mounted on the ball head. To avoid getting a jagged edge on the bottom of each pan do i need to buy a bubble level for the hot shoe?
I don't recall ever using a level for this type of shooting. I do keep the camera level across the scene. The software generally brackets it all together and then crops so shooting wider than you want is a good idea. I shoot several vertical scenes, overlapping about 25%, and this generally has worked out well for me over time. Shoot in manual so that you get the same exposure across the images.
May 1, 2019 10:47:46 #
macthemac wrote:
I have already used search to find a travel tripod. I am going to Glacier NP and plan to do lots of panorama possibly as much as 180degrees. Reviews indicate that the integral bubble level on the MeFoto is uselss with a camera mounted on the ball head. To avoid getting a jagged edge on the bottom of each pan do i need to buy a bubble level for the hot shoe?
Or you could use a tilt/pan head instead. Level the camera, lock the tilt and pan through your shots.
May 1, 2019 11:10:23 #
macthemac wrote:
I have already used search to find a travel tripod. I am going to Glacier NP and plan to do lots of panorama possibly as much as 180degrees. Reviews indicate that the integral bubble level on the MeFoto is uselss with a camera mounted on the ball head. To avoid getting a jagged edge on the bottom of each pan do i need to buy a bubble level for the hot shoe?
My camera has "rule of thirds" lines that can be turned on in the viewfinder. I find them extremely helpful in taking a level series of pano shots.
May 1, 2019 11:23:17 #
My Sony a6300 has an internal level the can be made visible on the screen and EVF. Maybe your camera has one, too.
May 1, 2019 11:24:38 #
sseeley52 wrote:
Get an L Bracket and adjust the tripod before putting your camera on it. That should solve your issues with Nodal point..
No it won't. If you are trying to avoid parallax, you'll have to ensure that the camera rotates around the entrance pupil of the lens. The L bracket only let's you orient the camera in portrait position. I does not do anything about the nodal point. In the simplest implementation a rail is used to move the camera back from using the tripod socket as the point of rotation, which WILL result in parallax error.
On the other hand, if there is nothing in the foreground that obscures part of the background, you needn't be concerned with parallax.
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