Kaidan III User's Manual
Contents
1. QuickPan III Panoramic Tripod Head Users Guide V09 27 une 2002 QuickPan III Panoramic Tripod Head Overview Welcome to the Kaidan QuickPan III and Panoramic Photography Thank you purchasing a Kaidan QuickPan III Panoramic Tripod Head This manual is designed to help you understand how to use your QuickPan III to create quality panoramas This document will berevised from timeto time and updated versions can be downloaded from the QuickPan II page on the Kaidan web site QuickPan III Overview The QuickPan III family is built around asturdy and preciseRotator Basewith interchangable indexing rings There areseveral camera brackets that slide and lock onto the Rotator Base Why do I need a tripod head A panoramic tripod head makes it possibleto easily capture a sequence of photos that are stitched to form a complete panoramic image lt holds thecamera in the portrait orienta tion positions the camera so that it rotates around the optical center or nodal point of the lens and provides a repeatable and adjustable click stop indexing mechanism The QuickPan III Family Introducing the QuickPan III Components Rotator Base This heavy duty design is lighter and more compact than previousmodels andthecompe tition The new base enploys interchangeable Indexing Rings that support any number of click stop positions from 2 through 22 The rings can be easily swapped at any time and contribute to the light we2. Mounting your camera on the Twin Axis Camera Bracket Select the appropriate slot in the bracket that will best locatethetripod mounting thread on your particular camera You may need to reposition thecameraknobto another slot in or der to achievethis To removetheknob simply slidethe knob alongtheslot to the end that has the threaded hole Carefully unscrew theknob out of the threaded hole being careful not to crossthread the knob Replace the knob into the appropriate slot by re versing the procedure The camera knob is atwo piece knob with ainner and outer knob Beforein stalling the camera knob in the bracket turn theinner knob clockwise into theouter knob until it wont turn anymore Next install the knob into theappropriateslot then into thetri pod mounting hole of your camera Turn the inner knob into the camera until it bottoms out then turn the outer knob clockwiseuntil thecamera is tight on the bracket Dont worry about getting the camera level at this time as this is a task you ll need to do when youreready to shoot The left right adjustment to center your lens over the pivot point is accom plished by loosening the purple knob and sliding the camera bracket in and out of theslider Besureto tighten the knob to lock the bracket in place The fore aft adjustment is made by looseningtheother purpleknob onthe slider and then moving the entire as sembly along the arm of the Rotator Base There are camera adjust
3. pan head so the two objects move over to the right hand side of the viewfinder Unless youve managed to unwittingly locate the right position you should notice the two objects will movewith respect to each other as you rotatethe pan from Looking through theviewfinder 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 thetwo objects as shown totheright If as shown above the two objects move with respect to one and another in the viewinder slide the camera fore or aft in order to eliminate this movement Here the telephone pole has moved behind the brick wall left to right Slide the camera to the front or rear as required to eliminate this relative movement Step 3 Record Your Results After youve discovered the two location dimensions besureto record the settings The QuickPan III has convenient indicator scales for this purpose These numbers represent thenodal point for this given camera and lens combination If you change cameras or lenses this proceduremay have to be repeated 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 basicallythe Same Locate the Side to Side adjustment as discussed in Step 1 When it comes to the Fore Aft adjustment you wont be able to look through theviewf
4. all that it takes Let me also reiterate what s not as important as some people think The overall level of the head camera is not as critical in order to produce good stitched results As long as the camera is not tilted or rotated and as long asthecamera is positioned so that theoptical axis is parallel totherotation plane you can tilt or position the entire head so that its not level to the horizon and it wont affect the image Now it might producea panorama that is tilted with respect to the horizon but that might be an artistic choice or something you want to do on purpose As long as the optical axis is parallel to the rotation plane and the camera CCD is not rotated slight variations in level as the head rotates is generally not a problem As you shoot around the circle try to avoid capturing any moving objects that might come into your field of view There is no harm in waiting for example whilea person walks past before shooting the photo You may also want to check with the software developer of the stitching software that youre using to get their recommendations for exposure settings and other camera settings We hope you enjoy shooting your panoramas and if you haveany questions or problems using our equipment please let us know Warranty and Product Return Information Copyright 2002 Kaidan Inc All Rights Reserved First Edition une 2002 QuickPan is atrademark of Kaidan Inc Other products mentioned h
5. e overlap requirements How many Shots Once youve determined the overlap youll be able to figure out how many shots The easiest way to do this is to simply look through the viewfinder and turn thecamerato achievethe desired amount of overlap You then check the angle readout to see how far you turned the camera Round theangular valueto thenearest convenient value For most stitching programs it is generally not that important to use a precise overlap value However it should be noted that some programs are more sensitive to an overlap value that constantly repeats from shot to shot You may need to experiment somewhat to obtain the best results Taking the Photos When yourereadyto shoot makesurethat the camera is securely attached to the QuickPan Ill You should use a tripod that is sturdy ideally onethat has acenter support system of braces to help keep the camera from flexing Proper leveling is important and often misunderstood When it comestolevelingthere are two things that are fairly important With multirow panoramas i e Stitcher the issue of leveling is less crucial and primarily involves aestethics and placement of the horizon Well concentrate primarily on cylindrical or single row panoramas First thecameras optical axis should be parallel with the rotation plane of the tripod head In other words the camera should not be pointed up or down with respect to the plane of rotation Secondly its also somewhat im
6. ent is due to the fact that youre not rotating your head around your eyes nodal point which is somewhere in the center of your eyeball Instead youre rotating about your spine which Is several inches to the rear and off to one side It is this relative side to side motion that we will strive to eliminate when setting up a camera for VR panoramas Step tThe side to side adjustment Once your camera is fastened to your camera bracket moveto thefront of thetripod head so youre looking into thelens Adjust thecamera bracket so that the center of the lens is directly over the pivot axis of the tripod head Try to be as accurate as possible You should strive to get this adjustment within plus minus a yth of an inch Nodal Point continued What is it and how do 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 J2feet away or as close as possiblewith the edgestill in focus when you look through the viewfinder If youre using a multirow head such as the QuickPan Ill Spherical set the swing arm to a level horizontal position zero degrees Looking through the camera viewfinder find another vertical edge or linethat isfar away such as another building or telephone pole Align the two objects and rotate the pan head so theyarein theleft hand sideof the viewfinder Rotate the
7. erein may be trademarks of their respective companies Patents Pending Information in thismanual is subject to changewithout noticeand does not represent acommitment on the part of Kaidan No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photo copying recording or information storage and retrieval systems or translated to an other language for any purpose other than the licensees personal use and as specifi cally allowed in the licensing agreement without the express written permission of Kaidan Kaidan Warranty and Return Policy AsLimited Warranty In the event of a defect in materials or workmanship Kaidan will repair the product with new or rebuilt parts for a period of three hundred and sixty five 365 days from the date of original purchase Such work will be performed free of charge Follow the Product Return Procedure Section Dfollowing Likewise any softwarepurchasedfrom Kaidan also comes with aoneyear warranty if your disc or media is defective or dam aged This warranty is extended only to theoriginal purchaser and is not transferable Apurchasereceipt or other proof of original purchasewill berequired beforewarranty pe formanceis rendered This warranty only covers failures due to defects in materi als or workmanship which occur during normal use It does not cover damages or fail ures which arecaused from accident misuse abuse neglect mishandling
8. ight The indexing mechanism requires no lubrication or adjust mentsandhasnolooseparts Thebasecontains an integral circular bubble level and accomodates either 1 4 or 3 8 tripod threads Thenew QuickPan III Rotator Basewill also ac cept older Kaidan camera brackets i e KiWi QuickPan Twin Axis Camera Bracket The Twin Axis Camera Bracket is designed to support most digital and film camerasthat are equipped with fisheyelenses or for thoseusers whodesireor appreciatetwo independent slid ingand lockingaxes of adjustment Thetwoin dependent axes of adjustment positions the lensin such a manner so as not to capture any moreoftheRotator Basethan necessary When a camera equipped with a circular fisheyelens isinstalled on thebracket onlyasmall segment of the Rotator Base will appear in the image This feature makes the Twin Axis Camera Bracket ideal for those using iPIX software Panoweaver www easypanonet and other software applications that usefisheyeimages Standard Camera Bracket The Standard Camera Bracket is designed to support most digital andfilm camerasin apor trait orientation Used primarily to shoot single row or cylindrical panoramas theStan dard CameraBracket can beadjusted alongthe horizontal arm of the Rotator Basein order to locate the camera in the side to side orienta tion Therearethreeslots in the bracket that when used with various positioning aids pro videfor thefore aft adjustment of theca
9. inder to determine Nodal Point continued What is it and how do I find it the proper setting since the viewfinder is a separate optical path that doesnt really See thesameimage as thefilm Instead youll 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 theleft and then theright side of the viewfinder After each pair of photos slidethe bracket rearward and repeat the process Slidethe bracket thesame increment each time i e Dmm Be sure to record the scale setting for each pair of images Process the film or in the case of digital cameras download the images to your computer At the end of this process you will be ablelocatethe pair of imageswith the least relative movement If no single image Is optimum you may need to interpolate between two images to find the closest value Shooting Panoramas How do I begin How much Overlap Theamount you turn thecamerafor 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 VRAuthoring Studio Applerecommended that the images should overlap by anywhere from one third to one half Thats a good rule of thumb for most stitching applications You should check with therecommendationsof the software that you intend to use in order to determin
10. ledges and agrees to these Limits and Exclusions If a problem with your Kaidan product develops duringthewarranty period immediately contact Kaidan for assistance CeProduct Return Policy All Kaidan products comewith a 30 day return policy aminimum 1 percent restock ing fees may apply from date of purchase with the exception of software or video tapes Both of the aforementioned items are copyrighted and subject to the laws con cerning intelectual property Kaidan will replace defective software videotapes free of chargeupon return receipt of defectiveitem s Products returned under this policy excludingreplacement of defectiveitems must beshipped at purchasers expense Pur chaser must ship product with an approved traceable service such as FedEx and with appropriate levels of shipping insurance for the item being returned Kaidan will not be held responsible for returned items lost or damaged in transit Kaidan will issue a refund to customers account if thefollowing conditions are satisfied DReceipt of item s in arestockable condition Criteria for Restockable Condition is as follows eAll parts are included in box hardware manuals discs nuts bolts tools No signs of damage scratches bent parts missing pieces markings alterations or ad ditions to the product eAll packaging materials areintact foam peanuts cardboard bubble bags eNo signs of excess usage or wear tothe product Items of Non Restockable C
11. ment shoes and lugs shown at left to help locate your camera on the bracket and to help position the camera along the slot These devices will also make it easy to remove and replace your cam era when you use it for other tasks 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 Onceyou understand the basics you ll beableto easilylocatethenodal point for anycameraand lens combination Simply put the nodal point is the point inside your camera where the light rays converge and flip over When shooting a panorama it s necessary to rotate about this point to eliminate the image mismatch caused by parallax error It5 also worth noting that the nodal point isnot thesameasthefilm plane which is often marked on the underneath side of many 35mm cameras Generally for most 35mm cameras and lenses the nodal point is located somewhere towards the center of the lens barrel Parallax error can be easily demonstrated by this simple experiment Close one eye and hold your index finger upright about six inches awayfrom your open eye Rock your head from side to side Notice Parallax error can be easily demonstrated Its the relative movement caused bya shifting point of view In this example you eye is moving with respect to your hand and the back ground how your finger moves with respect to the background This relative movem
12. meras optical center or nodal point over the rota tional center of thetripod head Spherical Camera Bracket The Spherical Camera Bracket is designed to support most digital and film cameras and to permit the angular up down elevation for the capture of multirow spherical and QuickTime VR Cubic panoramas This bracket is ideal for those software applications that stitch mul tiple rows of images including up down tap shots such as REALVIZ Stitcher The Spherical Camera Bracke can also bepositioned at a leve Zero degrees thusfulfillingthesamefunctions as the Standard Camera Bracket An optional Arca Swiss Quick Release camera plate is also available The QuickPan III Family Welcome to the Kaidan QuickPan III and Panoramic Photography Pro Quick Release Camera Bracket ThePro Quick Release Camera Bracket is designed to support most digital and film cameras that are equipped with fisheye lenses or for those users who desireor appreciatetwoindependentslidingandlock ingaxesof adjustment with theconvenienceofaquick rdeasemountingsystem You can choosefrom ether a Bogen or aArca Swiss mounting plate Arca Swiss shown at right Thetwoindependent axes of adjustment positionsthe lens in such a manner so as not to capture any more of the Rotator Base than necessary When a camera equipped with a circular fisheyelensisinstalledon the bracket only a small segment of theRotator Basewil appear in the image This feature makes this b
13. misapplica tion alteration faulty installation modification service by anyone other than an au thorized representative of Kaidan Acts of God or by products not supplied by Kaidan Thiswarranty covers any damageincurred duringoriginal shipment of product to cus tomer Any item resold or distributed by and not explicitly manufactured by Kaidan will be covered by their respective companys product warranty B Warranty Exclusions Thereareno express warranties except as listed above Kaidan shall not beliablefor special incidental consequential or punitive damages in cluding without limitation loss of goodwill profits or revenue loss of the use of this product or any associated equipment cost of substitute equipment downtime costs or claims of any party dealing with buyer for such damages resulting from use of this product or arising from breach of warranty or contract negligance or any other legal theory All express and implied warranties including thewarranties of merchantabil ity and fitness for a particular purpose are limited to the applicable warranty period set forth above Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages or limitations on how longan implied warranty lasts so the aboveexclusions or limitations may not applyto you Thiswarranty and any claimswhich arisewith the Kaidan product s aregoverned by thelaws of thestateof Pennsylvania By purchasing this product customer acknow
14. ondition are subject to the following Restocking Fee s aminimum of 0 and possibleadditional fees based on thecondi tion of the product how the product best meetsthecriteria above at Kaidans discre tion Non Restockable Condition constitutes thefollowing Missing parts hardware manuals discs nuts bolts tools and packaging materials foam peanuts cardboard bubble bags eSignsof damage scratches bent parts missing pieces markings alterations additions totheproduct Signs of excess usage or wear to the product Damage or loss incurred during uninsured shipping to Kaidan In this case Kaidan cannot issueanytypeof refund Customer will beresponsibleto submit claim with their shipping company lf damages occur in shipping customer must submit claim with shipping company prior to any action by Kaidan Items Part of Special Bundle If item s are part of a special bundle offer return of part of the bundle will void any special pricing and theitem s renainingin the possession of the customer will revert to their regular Suggested Retail Price SRP The credit to customer will reflect the difference of theactual product SRP from theamount of credit due customer Shipping Costs All shipping costs VAT duties and return costs are sole responsibility of customer If customer purchases thru Kaidan distributor or reseller customer isresponsiblefor all shipping and VAT costs incurred by that distributor or reseller The
15. portant for the camera and film CCD to be properly aligned with respect to rotation when viewed from the front looking into the lens This can happen because the camera is not seated flush against the upright bracket This is pretty common since many cameras have mounting screws that are not in the center of the base M any cameras have screws off to one end of the camera or at the edgeof the camera and this can causethe camera to not be pulled down evenly onto the tripod head mounting plate Another problem is that CCDs may not be accurately positioned within the camera body and respect to the mounting surface It only takes a fraction of degree and with other manufacturingtolerancesthis can add upto be noticeable This misalignment can also happen if the upright bracket is bent or is not exactly perpendicular to therotation planeof thehead At Kaidan wecheck this dimension very closely to ensureits as closeto 90 as reasonbly possible The effect of a rotated camera when viewed looking into the lens is a stairstepping of images as you progress around the panorama Stairstepping has nothing to do with thestate of the entire head being level with respect to the horizon This can be corrected by rotating all theimagesa slight amount in your authoring program Shooting Panoramas continued How do I begin You can also shim the camera head to compensate for such misalignment errors as well A few layers of tape is usually
16. r a coin to adjust the indexing or click stop force Thespringplunger isset fromthe factory but you mayfindthat you prefer a harder click stop action Be sure to not overtighten the plunger so that the metal body of the plunger would come in con tact with the indexing ring Also besurethat the plunger is not set deep enough as this will cause excessive play in the indexing ac tion 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 Cam era Bracket that will best locatethetri pod mountingthread on your camera You may need to reposition the Cap tive Camera Knob To removetheknob simplyslideit alongtheslot totheend that has the threaded hole Carefully unscrew theknob out of thethreaded hole being careful not to crossthread theknob Replacetheknob into theap propriate slot by reversing the proce dure Note Whatever side of the Vertical Bracket you mount your camera on al ways keep the offset portion of the Vertical Bracket towards the rear of thecamera The camera knob is atwo piece knob with ainner and outer knob Beforein stalling the camera knob in the Verti cal Bracket turn theinner knob clock wiseintotheouter knob until it wont turn anymore Next install the knob intotheappropriateslot then intothe tripod mounting holeof your camera Turn the inner knob into the camera until it bottoms out then tu
17. racket ideal for those using iPIX software Panoweaver www easypano net and other softwareapplications that usefisheyeimages Of course this bracket can also be used with any wide angle lens and stitching soft wareaswell Rotator Base How to install and remove the indexing rings and adjusting the indexing force Installing Indexing Rings D Slide the Indexing Ring onto the Rotator Base from the bot tom keeping the portion of the Indexing Ring with the degree la bel facing up until it makes con tact with the brass plunger The brass plunger will eventually snap into the hole that in the side of the Indexing Ring 2 Rotate the Indexing Ring to lineupthenotch on thetop of the Indexing Ring with the black slanted alignment pin at the top of the Rotator Base The pin will eventually go into the notch 3 Depressthe brass plunger and push up on the Indexing Ring un tilthebrass plunger popsintothe plunger hole and the pin slides into thenotch Removing Indexing Rings On thelower portion of the black Indexing Ring there is gold col ored pin visible through the hole in the side Insert the tip of a ball point pen or a paper clip end into theholeand push thegold pin in ward till the Indexing Ring drops down then slide the Indexing Ring off the Rotator Base Adjusting the Force of the Spring Plunger The screw shown at left can be used to position the spring plunger up and down You can use ascrewdriver o
18. rn the outer knob clockwiseuntilthecamera is tight on the Vertical Bracket Dont worry about getting the camera level at thistime as this is atask youll need to do when youre ready to shoot The left right adjustment to center your lens over the pivot point is ac complished by loosening the purple knob and sliding the bracket Be sure totighten theknobtolockthebracket in place The fore aft adjustment is made by loosening the camera knob and slid ing the camera along the slot There arecamera adjustment shoes and lugs to locate your camera on the bracket and to help position thecamera along the slot These devices will also make it easy to remove and replace your camera when you use it for other tasks Some models of the Standard Camera Bracket may havetherubberized cork as shown on the left Newer models have a special anodized coating that will grip the camera 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 to minus 90 Mounted on the swing arm Is an adjust able camera mount This mount can be adjusted along the length of the swing arm by loosening and tightening the purpleclampingknob Toremovethecam era mount simply loosen the knob and Slide the mount off of the swing arm Therei
19. s a spring loaded plastic ball which provides drag on the camera mount as well as the camera bracket When you re place the mount or the camera bracket onto their respective arms you ll need to push it sharply so as to overcome the spring force Thestandard camera mount shown has a number of slots for you to choose from to mount your camera It amp important to make sure that the centerline of your cameras lens intersects the pivot axis of the swing arm Since some cameras have tripod mounting threads that are not inlinewith thecenter of thecamera it may benecessar yto useoneof thevarious slots on the bracket There are camera mounting shoes flat shaped and lugs triangleshaped that are provided for you to help locateand position the camera These are also helpful when you want to remove and replace the cam era and return it to the proper location An optional camera mount is also available with aquick releasemount In this caseyou would attach thea plate either Arca Swiss or Begen to your camera and this plate would then dovetail into a mating plateon the optional camera mount Adjusting the camera position for the nodal point is made by loosening the ap propriate locking knobs and sliding either the camera mount plate along the swing arm or slidingtheentireassemblage along the arm of the Rotator Base Be sure to tighten the knobs when youre done posi tioning the camera Twin Axis Camera Bracket Camera Mounting
20. se charges are non refundable For instructions on thereturn of your product follow the Product Return Procedure below D Product Return Procedure When returning a product customer must first contact Kaidan or the distributor reseller and obtain a Return Material Authorization Number RM A After receiving theRMA customer will beinstructed to return product directly to Kaidan Returned goods must beshipped with an approved traceable service such as FedEx and with ap propriate levels of shipping insurance for theitem being returned Kaidan will not be held responsiblefor returned items lost or damaged in transit RMAnumbers arevalid for B days and the product s must be received by Kaidan beforethe RMA expires We areunableto accept for return any product s received after theexpiration of theRMA Return Packaging The product packaging must reflect customer name address RM A as well as Kaidan information Kaidan Incorporated 703E Pennsylvania Blvd Feaster ville PA 10053 U SA Contact Information Voice 215 364 1778 Fax 215 322 4186 http www kaidan com E mail info kaidan com
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search