QuickPan ® Panoramic Tripod Head User’s Guide - V1.
QuickPan III / IV Panoramic Tripod Head Overview Welcome to the Kaidan QuickPan III / IV and Panoramic Photography Thank you for purchasing a Kaidan QuickPan III / IV Panoramic Tripod Head. This manual is designed to help you understand how to use your QuickPan III / IV to create quality panoramas. This document will be revised from time to time and updated versions can be downloaded from the QuickPan III / IV page on the Kaidan web site.
The QuickPan III / IV Family Introducing the QuickPan III / IV Components Rotator Base (QuickPan L, III & IV) Standard Camera Bracket This heavy-duty design is lighter and more compact than previous models and the competition. The QuickPan bases employ interchangeable indexing ClickDiscs or rings that support various click-stop positions. These can be easily swapped at any time and contribute to the light weight. The indexing mechanism requires no lubrication or adjustments and has no loose parts.
QuickPan III Rotator Base How to install and remove the indexing rings and adjusting the indexing force Installing Indexing Rings Removing Indexing Rings 1) Slide the Indexing Ring onto On the lower portion of the black Indexing Ring, there is gold colored pin visible through the hole in the side. Insert the tip of a ball point pen or a paper clip end into the hole and push the gold pin inward till the Indexing Ring drops down, then slide the Indexing Ring off the Rotator Base.
QuickPan IV Rotator Base How to install and remove the indexing discs and adjusting the indexing force Installing Detent Discs 4) The new Detent Disc is installed by pushing it into the recessed area in the top of the Rotator Hub as shown at left. 1) To install or change the Detent Discs simply loosen the silver thumbscrew on the side of the black Rotator Hub by turning it in a counter clockwise direction. Do not remove the screw, just turn several times.
QuickPan III / IV Rotator Base Tripod threaded bushing adapter The QuickPan III / IV Rotator Bases comes with a tripod adapter bushing which accommodates both 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch tripod mounts. 1/4 inch Tripod If your tripod has a 1/4 inch threaded mount, leave the brass bushing in the center hole in the bottom of the rotator as shown at right.
Standard Camera Bracket - Camera Mounting Mounting your camera on the Standard Camera Bracket To mount your camera, first select the appropriate slot in the Vertical Camera Bracket that will best locate the tripod mounting thread on your camera.You may need to reposition the Captive Camera Knob. To remove the knob simply slide it along the slot to the end that has the threaded hole. Carefully unscrew the knob out of the threaded hole, being careful not to crossthread the knob.
Spherical Camera Bracket - Camera Mounting Mounting your camera on the Spherical Bracket The Spherical Camera Mounting Bracket has a rotating swing arm which is held into position by large black locking knob. The knob allows you to position the arm and your camera from plus 90 degrees to minus 90 degrees . Mounted on the swing arm is an adjustable camera mount. This mount can be adjusted along the length of the swing arm by loosening and tightening the purple clamping knob.
Camera Mounting - Standard Camera Bracket Mounting your camera on the camera brackets For the Standard Camera Bracket, shown at right, select the appropriate slot in the bracket that will best locate the tripod mounting thread on your particular camera.You may need to reposition the camera knob to another slot in order to achieve this. To remove the knob simply slide the knob along the slot to the end that has the threaded hole.
Camera Mounting - Compact Camera Bracket Mounting your camera on the camera brackets For the Compact Camera Bracket, shown at right, select the appropriate mounting hle in the bracket that will best locate the tripod mounting thread on your particular camera.You may need to reposition the camera knob to another hole in order to achieve this. Carefully unscrew the knob out of the threaded hole, being careful not to crossthread the knob. Replace the knob into the appropriate hole by reversing the procedure.
QuickPan-L Rotator Using the QuickPan-L Rotator The QuickPan-L is a unique model which has three concentric rings of 24, 18 and 14 positions. There are three corresponding plunger positions in the rotator cap.You can move the plunger from one position to another and select any one of the three rows. The 24 position is the outermost, the 18 position is in the middle and the 14 position is one on the inside.
Nodal Point What is it and how do I find it? This is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to stitcher-based panorama creation. Once you understand the basics, you’ll be able to easily locate the nodal point for any camera and lens combination. about six inches away from your open eye. Rock your head from side to side. Notice how your finger moves with respect to the background.
Nodal Point (continued) What is it and how do I find it? Step 2: Fore-Aft Adjustment This step is most easily accomplished out of doors. Find a vertical edge or line, such as a doorway or edge of a building. Position your camera and tripod about 2-1/2 feet away, or as close as possible with the edge still in focus when you look through the viewfinder. If you’re using a multirow head such as the QuickPan III Spherical, set the swing arm to a level horizontal position (zero degrees).
Nodal Point (continued) What is it and how do I find 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. Instead, you’ll have to start with the bracket all the way to the front and take pairs of test shots. Each pair will have the vertically aligned objects in the left and then the right side of the viewfinder.
Shooting Panoramas How do I begin? 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, in their QuickTime VR Authoring Studio, Apple recommended that the images should overlap by anywhere from one-third to one-half. That’s a good rule of thumb for most stitching applications.
Shooting Panoramas (continued) How do I begin? stairstepping of images as you progress around the panorama. Stairstepping has nothing to do with the state of the entire head being level with respect to the horizon. This can be corrected by rotating all the images a slight amount in your authoring program. You can also shim the camera/head to compensate for such misalignment errors as well. A few layers of tape is usually all that it takes. Let me also reiterate what's not as important as some people think.
Warranty and Product Return Information Copyright © 2004 Kaidan, Inc.All Rights Reserved. First Edition, June 2002. QuickPan 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.
