Have a look at this crazy thing:

http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/products

It is a modular tablet/minibook device...

pu2wxp wrote:

I'm using my Papywizard on my MacBook 13" to shoot with Merlin panohead, but it is heavy and I have to keeping it.

I am researching and thinking about buying a Nokia N810.

Someone suggests another interesting device to do the job?

The most compact and the most comfortable solution is the T&C controller. It´s big as a box of cigarettes - you have to type in ONCE at home your camera(s) and your lenses, just like 5D2, 15mm, 20mm, 85mm, 300mm and that´s it.
You don´t have to make any xml-files as presets for spheres - just choose "fisheye" after the 15mm and the TC knows. You must specify the sensor-size, crop and nature of lens before of course and the overlap you need/want generally.
You can store afaik about 100 models of cameras and lenses.

Again: you just have to do this ONCE at home. After that you just choose camera and lenses from the list which you see in the touchscreen.

In the field you:

1) choose on the LCD menue the camera and lens you´re going to use (if you stored more than one) from the list you configured at home - let´s say "85mm".

2) After that you select "sphere", "angle" or "mosaic". In "sphere" mode you have nothing to do but to level your camera and hit "start" after choosing from the menue 5D2, 15mm "fisheye" for example.
(in sphere mode the TC calculates the smaler size of the sphere-segments in the upper and lower rows so you keep a more or less constant overlap)

3)   in "angle" mode you type in a vertical and a horizontal angle which you want to cover - let´s say 90° and 45° and the head moves from the center position of this fov left and right. That gives you the opportunity to visualize your fov before shooting - using a viewfinder which covers that fov or just a frame. I sometimes put a variable viewfinder from my LF camera onto the 5D2 to get a feeling what over-all fov the camera sees when it shoots a mosaic.

3a) in "mosaic" mode you move the head/camera to a point low right and a point up left by using the arrows on the touchscreen. The rest the TC calculates.

4) other items to choose (or not) are: mirror up, amount of shots (for bracketing), "dead time" before each shot to let the vibrations go, and the overall time to expose which means that the head waits before it moves the next point.

All this is done in seconds - just like you use a pocket-calculator with "hard-wired" funktions . . which matches quite exactly what the TC is. No software but ROM-stored functions which you can configure ONCE on your PC or Mac (using Windows on it).

Back at home you connect the TC via USB to your computer and download the xml files it wrote from the positions into APG.

After all it´s a device which is completely independent from the user´s skills to deal with dedicated software like Linux, Phyton or just to install it onto the device you use and time after time have to update when the developers
decide to do smething different than last month.

The TC´s firmware you can update when Josef implements new or changes exisiting features - you get an email from Josef, connect the TC to your PC, hit one key and it´s done. No knowledge needed beyond that.

In my eyes the TC is - sorry, Frédéric - the ideal choice . . btw. it´s powered by the head and indicates the power-status of the batteries which lasts about 3000 moves/shots using Josef´s rechargables in his batt. holders.

All in all: best choice to shoot outdoors. Fast to handle and reliable working imho. The display is well readable under all circumstances i had so far. I use it on a 5cm cable hanging on the Merlin - the cable can be 100m afaik and BT or IR can be used also used to fire the camera - there´s a 3,5mm jack and an usb port besides the Merlin-serial port.

Maybe i forgot a funtion . . i´ll check that and correct it here

best, Klaus

P.S.: see here the TC hanging on the Merlin

Last edited by klausesser (2010-10-08 13:50:52)

panoli wrote:

Any link to the T&C-Controller available?

http://www.kolor.com/buy/photo-hardware … onome.html

http://www.typeandcolour.de/index.php?t … mp;up=cont

http://www.typeandcolour.de/PDFs/EN_Manual.pdf

Hi,

I've just received the T&C-Controller, but there is no software with it. ¿Where I can download it?


Regards,

Guillermo

Klaus didn't you also have the Promote? which of the two are the better option - I am struggling to get my Nokia N900 to work (most likely a user problem ;-) )

Henrik

PS: there are two prices on the Kolor site for the t&C - 250 and 299....so for us who do not reside in the EU which price do we pay?

tived wrote:

Klaus didn't you also have the Promote? which of the two are the better option - I am struggling to get my Nokia N900 to work (most likely a user problem ;-) )

Henrik

PS: there are two prices on the Kolor site for the t&C - 250 and 299....so for us who do not reside in the EU which price do we pay?

You would pay the ex-tax price of 250 Euros I think.

tived wrote:

I am struggling to get my Nokia N900 to work (most likely a user problem ;-) )

Some months ago i saw a N900 work with Papy - so i thought that would be no proplem. I was wrong obviously . .
I suggest to get a N800 for that - or a Netbook. N800 and PW is a widely spread combination and works fine. A Netbook is less comfortable but provides more features - depends on what is most relevant for you. Using DSLR Remote Pro via a Netbook should be great for having much wider HDR features even on cameras which provide just 3 steps natively. The Promote does exactly the same - it expands bracketing to more than 20 steps and provides good time-lapse features for firing the camera.

I use the TC handheld and Promote Control combined - both are very small and very simple to use. Plug´n play. That´s what i like - i want to concentrate on what i want to photograph and don´t want to deal with tons of settings first.

best, Klaus

Last edited by klausesser (2011-03-11 12:43:33)

tived wrote:

the combination of the TC and Promote is very appealing, compact. Netbook with DSLR RP is very versetile and one can shoot to the netbooks hdd and store the shots there as backup.

That´s the old problem: people always want more . Ideally you get a netbook which also has an integratred espressomachine . . Even shooting Gigapixels i don´t use a Net-/Notebook - some 16GB or 32GB Cards do fine. I hate fumbeling through several windows on a net-/notebook just to start the Merlin´s settings and get it run.
You have to connect via a long cable and need to find a place for the net-/notebook - shooting spheres you´d need to fix it tight to the tripod for not seeing it in the pictures.
I´d like a dedicated solution like with the Spheron very much - it´s very comfortable - but alone the notebook-mount to the tripod costs around 1500.-€ . . .
And: there is no other way to control the camera.

Ideally you should not need more than an iPhone: http://www.lizardq.com/ - or a Nokia tablet.

Btw.: tablets are the future under this aspects!

best, Klaus

panoramoz wrote:

Can the TC work with BlueTooth or only wired ? If only wired what sort of cable ? Ethernet specific cable ( heavy ) or a more friendly , light weight field cable ? Thanks ! Jacob

It´s a kind of serial telephone-cable. Very rigid. Usually the TC hangs on a piece of 5 - 10cm on the head. That´s pretty comfortable. But it can also have a length of 20 meters.
It´s also possible to get it Bluetooth-linked - but i prefer the direct plugin via the short piece of cable. It´s kind of "fire and forget" . . .

best, Klaus

panoramoz wrote:

Hi Klauss , thanks must h've been quite early in good old Germany when you replied :-)
I have to mount he Merlin on a mast of 7 meters so a long cable ... or BlueTooth. Where can I find out how to Bluetooth it ?
Cheers from Australia
Jacob

Hey Jacob!

A 7 m telephone-wire - is cheap and safe. I´d prefer it over BT. The cable´s jacks is called RJ11 or RJ45 see here:

http://www.google.de/products/catalog?q … d=0CBUQrhI

best, Klaus