Nodal Ninja

I’ve been shooting panoramic images for quite some time now by taking a series of pictures and stitching together using software.  However, unless you use a specialised tripod head, shoot anything closer than a couple of metres away and you come across a problem known as parallax.  This is when subjects in the foreground move in relation to the background as the camera is rotated.  To illustrate this, place your finger a foot or so away from you and move your head from side to side.  You’ll notice that the background alters as you move.  To correct this, the camera needs to be set back to it’s nodal point.  In order to obtain the highest resolution as well as ‘depth’ to your image, you will need to shoot a series in portrait format and for this you will need a specialised head.  There are several on the market and arguably, no, unarguably the best for single-row panorama’s, is the Nodal Ninja 3 MK11.  Why is it the best?  (By the way, I’m not being sponsored!)  Because it’s incredibly compact, lightweight, and really easy to set up.  Paramount if you just add it to your kit as an aside if you are looking for other subjects as well.  For those of you interested, click here to be directed to the UK dealer.

Here’s one I did last week on the North Kent Marshes at sunrise.  5.15 to be exact.  How I love getting up for spring/summer sunrises!  Always worth it when you get there though.  Six upright images, stitched using PtGui software.

Tags: nodal ninja, north kent marshes, panorama, panoramic, ptgui, spring, sunrise