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Pages: 1
I've read some post but didn't found a clear answer for my combination.
- Waiting for someone to sell full working packages for every computer-camera combination, what was still not clear is how to trigger the camera either using a wireless connection, if possible, or a wired one.
- And what works best for Mac: Bluetooth or wired connection?
- I have Capture NX2. Do I need Camera Control Pro or Papywizard alone, with a USB Cable from the D80 to the Mac, is enough?
It is my intention to use the head mainly with a 180mm lens and I prefer Portrait orientation. Anyway, it would be nice to use it with the 10.5mm.
- At this point, what parts do I need?
- Can I find everything, from the Merlin Head to whatever I might need at "http://www.teleskop-austria.at/"?
- If not, where?
Sorry to ask for the Nth time but I'm still confused. Any help appreciated.
Thank you very much.
Marco Lanciani
Offline
Hi Marco,
I have seen that your post is unanswered, sorry for that !
Hereafter the basic's :
http://www.autopano.net/wiki-en/action/ … king_mount
You will find here a summary of what you need to start with Papywizard :
http://www.autopano.net/forum/p44171-20 … -37#p44171
Papywizard run on MAC OSX 10.5 or later.
Depending what you want to achieve (Pano's and/or Gigapixels), generally your camera will be triggered via the Merlin head by Papywizard (download : http://www.papywizard.org/wiki/WikiStart#Download )
You don't need Camera Control Pro or Capture NX for common applications, Papywizard is powerfull enough alone ...
Papywizard (version 2), if necessary, is also able to call external programs for braketing, tethered shooting etc... this depend what you need !
You can buy most of the things you need from http://www.teleskop-austria.at:
-Merlin 159,- euro at Teleskop Austria : http://www.teleskop-austria.at/prod.php … -mottri-nn
-BT module 89,- euro at Teleskop Austria : http://www.teleskop-austria.at/prod.php … ntz-blt-hu
(Please could you mention that you are member of the forum (for the BT 89 euros in place of 99 Euros)
Trigger cable for your Nikon will depend if you want to connect directly to the Merlin or not !
I hope that this answer your questions !
Could you please fill your User profile and give some informations on your camera/lenses combinations and the type of techics you want to use (Nikon D80 with 180 mm and 10,5 mm ?)
This will help us to help you !!!
Claude Offline
Hi Claude,
thanks for your reply 
Depending what you want to achieve (Pano's and/or Gigapixels), generally your camera will be triggered via the Merlin head by Papywizard
I'd say both 360° panos and giga panos, but mainly giga panos, with the Merlin...
Mediavets guide at point 6 says:
6. A shutter release cable that connects between the shutter control port on the Merlin head and the wired remote control socket on the camera. The Merlin head comes with a cable suitable for the low end Canon DSLRs, you would need to make up a cable for the Canon 5D - cheapest and easiest way if to 'hack' a cheap Chinese wired remote control available for 'peanuts' on eBay. Ask again for specfic advice if you decide to go ahead.
And you say:
Trigger cable for your Nikon will depend if you want to connect directly to the Merlin or not !
So, do I need a special cable, anyway? If so, where can I find a ready cable to trigger my D80?
Can I already test Papywizard to trigger my camera just after download using only the standard USB cable that comes with the camera? How?
I'm still a bit confused on the triggering question... would be nice to see pictures of the Merlin Head ports, cables, connections, schemes...
Thanks
______________________________
Marco
VR and Hi-Res Panoramas
Nikon D80, AF 10.5mm, AF 60mm, AF 180mm
Offline
Marco,
There are two main ways to trigger the camera shutter:
1. Let Papywizard control the shutter release directly via the Merlin head - for this you need a connection from the Merlin head camera port to the camera - this can be wired or if your camera supports IR remote release then you could use an IR device conccted to the camera port on the Merlin head. My Nikon D40 does not support a wired remote so I use the gentLED -Jump IR device - http://www.gentles.ltd.uk/gentled/options.htm#IRjump
2. Have Papywizard invoke a third-party program which triggers the shutter typically via a USB connection to the camera. This capability is currently supported for Canon DSLRs via DSLR Remote Pro and via Oxford Eye's Timelord for Nikon DSLRs (still very much a beta product) for Windows only. The primary goal is to enable software controlled automatic extended expsoure bracketing (to give a wider range than built-in AEB on the camera). Tjis is 'advanced stuff' and still rather experimental, and I suggest you only look at this sort of thing later; besides AFAIK we have nothing like this for the Mac yet.
So...I recommend you start out with Option 1 - a cable or IR device to trigger the shutter connected via the Merlin head.
The Merlin head is supplied with a cable that works out-of-the-box with low end Canon DSLRs. I also use this cable to connect the gentLED-Jump IR device.
The Nikon D80 requires a different connector on the camera end of the cable. I'm told that the simplest solution to this is to find a cheap Chinese wired remote for the D80 - from ebay for example - that also has a socket to connect a cable for triggering the shutter then connect the whole lot between the Merlin head camera port and the camera. Another user may be able to offer more precise advice on this.
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marco.lanciani wrote:
It is my intention to use the head mainly with a 180mm lens and I prefer Portrait orientation. Anyway, it would be nice to use it with the 10.5mm.
Marco Lanciani
Marco,
When shooting large mosaics with the 180mm tele lens then setting the camera/lens at NPP (No Parallax Point) probably isn't an issue so long as you don't have anything in the scene too close to the camera.
But if you want to shoot spehericals with a 10.5mm FE then yoiu must have the camera/lens at the NPP.
You would need to make some modification to the Merlin head to achieve this with a Nikon D80 I think.
Claude can confirm whether this is the case and what the options for modification are.
I have a D40 and a Nikkor 10.5mm FE - which can be set at the NPP on the Merlin head because the D40 camera body is smaller than the D80 - but I would not use the Merlin/Papywizard system to shoot sphericals - I use my Nodal Ninja 5L head for that because it's quicker and I get a smaller nadir footprint.
OTOH If I wanted to shoot higher res. sphericals with say a 18-55mm zoom then I would use the Merlin head because there would be so many more images required to cover the 360x180 and that gets tedious with a manual pano head.
Last edited by mediavets (2009-05-17 14:44:33)
Offline
Hi Andrew,
The Merlin head is supplied with a cable that works out-of-the-box with low end Canon DSLRs. I also use this cable to connect the gentLED-Jump IR device.
there's no mention of this cable at <http://www.teleskop-austria.at> but I don't speak german so I'll check with them...
When shooting large mosaics with the 180mm tele lens then setting the camera/lens at NPP...
I know, in fact sometime I shoot hand held with the tele lens and, as for spherical panos, actually I used for a while a Kaidan QP IV...
now "retired" and replaced with a 360Precision Absolute... 
Now things start to get clearer... thank you very much.
Marco Lanciani
Offline
Marco,
OK. So it seems we are focusing on your use of the Merlin with the 180mm tele lens.
And you'll use the 360P Absolute for sphericals with the 10.5mm FE. Do you not like the Absolute?
...............
I had a quick look on eBay but couldn't find a cheap wired remote with a socket - I know someone has mentioned such a device. If you - or someone you know - is handy with a multimeter and a soldering iron you could chop the cable off such a remote (without a socket), just to get that special Nikon connector, and use it to modify the standard shutter release cable that is supplied with the Merlin head.
But the gentLED-Jump would work fine with the D80 which uses the same IR remote from Nikon as the D40. I don't know whether shooting in very bright sunlight could 'defeat' the IR - we don't get a lot of that here in the UK! - but I've not had such a problem so far, and it was designed originally for kite aerial photography. The IR transmitter is of course very close to the receiver on the camera when used with the Merlin head so it should not be an issue. I attach it to the big knob on the dovetail clamp on the Merlin head using a rubber band.
Last edited by mediavets (2009-05-17 18:08:08)
Offline
Hi again Andrew,
I see from your photos a sort of power cable to, I guess, an AC adapter.
Do you already know if it's included in the Merlin from <http://www.teleskop-austria.at>
Anyway I'll check with them also for this.
Kind Regards,
Marco Lanciani
Offline
marco.lanciani wrote:
Hi again Andrew,
I see from your photos a sort of power cable to, I guess, an AC adapter.
Do you already know if it's included in the Merlin from <http://www.teleskop-austria.at>
Anyway I'll check with them also for this.
Kind Regards,
Marco Lanciani
In fact its a power cable from an external 12VDC lead acid battery pack - but I do also have an AC adapter.
The Merlin head does not include an AC adapter. The one I use provides 12VDC and 500mA and it works fine.
Last edited by mediavets (2009-05-17 19:44:06)
Offline
Hi Marco,
Considering that the Nikon D80 use the wired remote MC-DC1, in order to make the wired connection between the Merlin head and your Nikon D80 you will need :
- The original cable delivered with the Merlin ( Who is a cable with 2 "mâle" stereo plug connectors 2.5 mm on each side)
- A convertor "female" stereo plug connector 2.5 mm at one side and "mâle" stereo plug 3.5 mm at the other side .
http://www.cable-discount.com/adaptateu … stereo.htm
or http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=48406
- A "Calumet Camera Adapter for Nikon with DC-1 Plug"
http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/item/CF0068/
(Who is a cable with a "female" stereo plug connector 3.5 mm at one side and a "Nikon proprietary" DC1 plug at the other side)
For the Nikon D80, in order to align the axis of your camera and the NPP for Pano's (for short focals I.E. Fish-eyes) you will need to make a small modification to the Merlin (Separation vertical and horizontal part), see the next document :
http://www.autopano.fr/wiki/images-fr/0 … pub_V2.pdf
and the Wiki hereafter:
http://www.autopano.net/wiki-fr/action/ … 3.A9calage
This modification is made in a few minutes with a "hexa screw driver" ... very easy !
For long focals, normaly there is not "close subjects" and alignment of NPP isn't necessary = no modifications
Last edited by claudevh (2009-05-18 00:53:10)
Claude Offline
Hi all,
thank you very much for your help...
Now I'm still waiting for some answer from Teleskop-Austria... then I really think I'll do my purchase of the Merlin Head...
I'll let you know when I get it.
Regards,
Marco Lanciani
Offline
Hi Marco,
claudevh wrote:
- A convertor "female" stereo plug connector 2.5 mm at one side and "mâle" stereo plug 3.5 mm at the other side .
http://www.cable-discount.com/adaptateu … stereo.htm
or http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=48406
- A "Calumet Camera Adapter for Nikon with DC-1 Plug"
http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/item/CF0068/
(Who is a cable with a "female" stereo plug connector 3.5 mm at one side and a "Nikon proprietary" DC1 plug at the other side)
This solution can be replaced by a "Hähnel HRN 280" !!! (Recent experience with new solution !)
http://www.hahnel.ie/index.cfm?page=dsl … amp;pId=18
This work "out-of-the box" !!!
Claude Offline
I can confirm the hahnel works perfectly with my Nikon D300. A great solution if you don't want to do any soldering
Offline
Hi Marco,
What news ? Do-you decide something, do-you need more info's ?
Claude Offline
For Nikon and Mac users (not all models) here is a nikon control software : http://www.sofortbildapp.com/
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If it is possible to control it from outside, I can write a plugin for this soft.
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fma38 wrote:
If it is possible to control it from outside, I can write a plugin for this soft.
Hi Frédéric,
do you mean using papywizard to control the Merlin through the BLTm or BLTc and still using papywizard to control the camera through sofortbild for tethered - wired or wireless - shooting?
This sounds great!
Things seem to get easier... :-)
Cheers,
Marco Lanciani
Offline
Yes
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