QuickPan™ Magnum User’s Guide Photographic VR Panoramic Tripod Head ( QPX-2 ) The professional’s choice in Photographic VR tripod heads.
Copyright Information Copyright © 2000 Kaidan, Inc. All Rights Reserved. First Edition, September 2000. KiWi is a trademark of Kaidan, Inc. Other products mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. Patents Pending. Information in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Kaidan.
Chapter 1 Unpacking your QuickPan™ UNPACKING THE BOX This manual covers the QuickPan Magnum QPX-2. See the figure below. Depending on how you purchased your QuickPan, it might have shipped with a camera bracket, such as our QPU-2, or it might have shipped without a bracket and then only the indexing base would be in the box. If your unit came with a camera bracket, such as the QPU-2, then you’ll want to refer to the separate manual for that unit to make sure that all the components are included.
Chapter 2 Assembling the QuickPan™ ATTACHING THE BASE TO YOUR TRIPOD The QuickPan Magnum base has a 1/4-20 threaded hole in the bottom of the base. This will accomodate the 1/4-20 threaded posts found on most tripods. If your tripod has a larger threaded post, then it is most likely a 3/8-16 thread, which is more common in Europe. Contact Kaidan for more information on obtaining a base plate that has the 3/8-16 thread.
Chapter 3 Using the QuickPan™ CHANGING THE INCREMENT ROTATION ANGLE The QPX-2 uses a spring-loaded plunger indexing mechanism. A spring-loaded brass plunger is located on the underneath side of the QuickPan. To remove the plunger, simply unscrew the unit from the base. When removing or replacing the plunger, be sure to hold on to the brass housing and not the dark colored adjusting screw which protrudes from the end of the plunger.
Chapter 4 Using the QuickPan™ ADJUSTING THE SPRING FORCE OF THE PLUNGER The dark colored adjusting screw which protrudes from the end of the plunger is used to vary the force of the spring plunger. This adjustment is typically used to provide more force when the plunger is moved towards the center of the detent. In general, the closer the plunger is to the center of the wheel, the more force is required in order to achieve a satisfactory detent action.
Chapter 5 Using the QuickPan™ WHICH HOLE SHOULD I USE? The number of click-stop positions is determined by which hole the plunger is threaded into. It is also a function of which detent wheel is mounted on the base. The standard wheel, QPD-1, is gold colored and has 8, 12, 16, 20 and 36 positions. These positions correspond to the five threaded holes on the underneath of the base, with the 8 position location being closest to the center and the 36 position location being furthest from the center.
Chapter 6 Using the QuickPan™ STORING THE PLUNGER AND FREE ROTATION You may find that you don’t want or need to use the click-stops. In this case, you can remove the spring plunger. When the plunger is removed it does not engage the holes on the detent wheel. In this configuration, the detent wheel will spin freely, and it can be locked into any desired position by use of the Clamp knob, which protrudes from the side of the base as shown below (lower).
Chapter 7 Using the QuickPan™ ATTACHING THE CAMERA BRACKET The camera bracket (i.e. QPU-2) simply screws onto the top of the detent wheel of the QuickPan. You don’t need to tighten the bracket excessively. Most panoramas are produced by rotating the bracket in a clockwise direction (as viewed from above), and this action normally tightens the bracket.
Chapter 8 Using the QuickPan™ FINAL The completed QuickPan Magnum, with the camera bracket is shown below. Under normal usage, your QuickPan should last for years. You can clean it with a damp rag. Avoid soaking the rubberized cork faces of the camera bracket. In time, you may need a replacement spring plunger tip - simply contact Kaidan and we’ll send you a replacement at a nominal cost. Every so often you should remove the detent wheel and plunger assembly and clean these “hidden” areas.
Chapter 9 Using the QuickPan™ HOW DO I LOCATE MY CAMERA’S NODAL POINT? This is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to QTVR panorama creation. Once you understand the basics, you’ll be able to easily locate the nodal point for any camera and lens combination. Simply put, the nodal point is the point inside your camera where the light rays converge and flip over.
STEP 1: THE EASY PART - THE SIDE-TO-SIDE ADJUSTMENT Once your camera is fastened to your pan head, move to the front of the unit so you’re looking into the lens. The center of the lens should be directly over the pivot axis of the pan head. Adjust the side-to-side adjustment so the lens is centered over the pivot. With the QuickPan™ you can also measure (in millimeters) the distance from the camera’s mounting surface to the center of the lens.
If your camera does not have a hot shoe, then you’ll need to level the camera another way. If the camera has a flat, level surface, then you can use a bubble level. You should be able to locate a small level at a hardware store. If your Looking through the viewfinder align a close object (brick wall) with a faraway object (telephone pole). As you rotate the camera from side-to-side there should be no relative movement between the two objects as shown to the right.
STEP 5: HOW ABOUT RANGEFINDER CAMERAS? A rangefinder camera is a camera where you look through a separate viewfinder and not through the actual lens. The process is basically the same. Locate the Side-to-Side adjustment as discussed in Step 1. When it comes to the Fore-Aft adjustment, you won’t be able to look through the viewfinder to determine the proper setting since the viewfinder is a separate optical path that doesn’t really “see” the same image as the film.
Chapter 10 Taking Photos with the QuickPan™ HOW MUCH OVERLAP? The amount you turn the camera for each shot varies. It is dependent on a number of factors such as the field of view (the angle) of your camera and lens, as well as which program you intend to use. For example, Apple recommends that the images should overlap by anywhere from one-third to onehalf. You should check with the recommendations of the software that you intend to use in order to determine overlap requirements.
TAKING THE PHOTOS (CONTINUED) Using the twin-axis bubble level on the bottom of the Vertical Bracket, observe it while you level the tripod. Of course, this task is much easier if your tripod also has a tilt head. Once the tripod and QuickPan™ are level, now is the time to double check to see if the camera is level in elevation. If it needs to be adjusted, loosen the Captive knob just a slight amount and tilt the camera accordingly. Be sure not to change the Fore-Aft dimension. Tighten the Captive knob.
