Panoramas made simple

Eliminate Parallax

Even if your setup is perfectly level, you won't be happy with the results until you eliminate image parallax. Image parallax occurs when near and far objects don't align in overlapping images. For example, if you're shooting a scene that contains a fence line, each fencepost in Image 1 should line up with its twin in Image 2. You can eliminate the effects of parallax by placing the optical center of the lens (not the camera) directly over the point of rotation.

See image above:

1. Vertical red line: axis of rotation
2. Horizontal red line: lateral centerline of lens axis
3. Yellow lines: light rays cross in the optical center of the lens

You're ready to shoot panos when your points of intersection converge.

But how can you shift the camera and lens backwards when your camera body plate only slides left/right? Add one of our nodal slides. These rails with clamps mount to the bottom of your camera body plate and are the perfect way to shift your camera & lens back so that the No-Parallax Point of the lens can be correctly positioned directly over the pivot center.

Optical Center? Nodal Point? Entrance Pupil?
Let's call it what it is: the No-Parallax Point

There's friendly controversy over the correct term. But for the sake of visual simplicity, we'll stick to the term "No-Parallax Point" or "NPP" when referring to the point about which your setup should rotate.

Parallax Experiment

This concept can be bewildering, but its influence on creating seamless panoramas can be demonstrated with a simple experiment rather than through an optics lesson.
Try the following experiment: With one eye closed, extend your arm and point your thumb up. Line your thumb up with the side of a door frame. Now, turn your head left and right. Notice how the door frame shifts as you turn your head? This is an example of image parallax due to the fact that your eyes are not in the middle of your head.
You can also do this experiment with a camera and attached lens (it's easier to start out with a prime lens since the NPP point tends to be close to the physical center of the lens). Pivot the camera left and right over its tripod mount and you will notice the same effect as background objects shift relative to foreground objects (say, a nearby fence post versus a distant fence post). But if you pivot the camera at a specific point under the lens, you'll notice that the near and far objects remain aligned. This is the No-Parallax Point. The idea is that parallax can be eliminated by mounting the camera on the ballhead so the NPP of the lens sits directly over the rotation axis of the ballhead.

Nodal Slides

MPR-CL

1. Use with most non-collared prime lenses. Not long enough for most zoom lenses and too long for fisheyes.
2. Clamp is fixed and accepts plates with left/right dovetails.
3. Length = 6-inches (152mm)

MPR-CL II

1. Use with most non-collared zoom lenses. Too long for most super wide lenses (especially if you're using a full-frame camera).
2. Clamp is fixed and accepts plates with left/right dovetails.
3. Length = 7.4-inches (189mm)

192 Precision Plus Package

1. Mini-clamps can be rotated and oriented either parallel or perpendicular to rail.
2. Perfect if shooting panos with collared and non-collared lenses since the clamps can accept plates with left/right dovetails and fore/aft dovetails.
3. Minor disadvantage is the additional stacked height of the back-to-back clamps.
4. Length = 7.6-inches (192mm)

192 Duo Package

1. B2-Duo clamp is adjustable fore/aft and accepts plates with fore/aft dovetails.
2. Great for shooting panos with collared telephoto lenses.
3. Can be added to MPR-CL II for a nodal slide that can accept left/right and fore/aft dovetails.
4. Length = 7.6-inches (192mm)

192 FAS Package

1. FAS "fore/aft sliding" clamp is adjustable fore/aft and accepts plates with left/right dovetails.
2. Great for shooting panos with normal, wide, super-wide, and fisheye lenses.
3. Index marker on bottom of FAS clamp assures precise repeatable positioning.
4. Length = 7.6-inches (192mm)