What are the minimal increments in ° that the head can reliably do? I was wondering about using it for macropanography.

I meant what is the precision and minimal amount that the head can move by, e.g. 0.1°, 1°?

The electronic has a very high accuracy, but in practice, the mecanical accuracy is about 0.3° (due to backlash in the gearbox) for a brand new hardware; I guess that after some use, is will increase to 0.5° or more.

Hi Klaus,

what will the whole package cost? merlin and all the required soft and hardware? will it support a Canon 1-series camera? the 300mm lens you tested with, what f/ stop was it, I mean was it a f/2.8

thanks

Henrik

PS: is the mounting like the Arca Swiss?

tived wrote:

Hi Klaus,

what will the whole package cost? merlin and all the required soft and hardware? will it support a Canon 1-series camera? the 300mm lens you tested with, what f/ stop was it, I mean was it a f/2.8

thanks

Henrik

PS: is the mounting like the Arca Swiss?

Hello Henrik!

The Merlin itself comes for about 240.-€ from France and for about 160.-€ from Austria (without tripod, which you don´t need anyway).
Our controller will cost around 300.-€ because it´s manufactured by hand and also provides the interface to plug into the Merlin for Bluetooth-->serial adaption to the Merlin´s own serial protocol.

The camera is triggered by the head itself via it´s camera-remote jacket which adapts all cameras.
I´m just building a site with informations and pictures.

View the sites:

http://www.teleskop-austria.at/prod.php … amp;lng=de
http://www.astronome.fr/produit-monture … n-696.html

Last edited by klausesser (2008-09-29 11:47:32)

mediavets wrote:

I believe that only Canon DSLR cameras with connection for wired remote control can be controlled automatically - is that correct?

I´m not sure what you mean "automatically". The camera is triggered by a simple remote-release cable which is connected to the head.
The head is controlled via Bluetooth by the controller.
ANY camera which has a remote-cable option can be triggered.
We used DSLRs and compact-cameras with remote-cable-release with the head.

It´s exactly the same as if you connect a remote cable to the camera and push the button. You pre-set the camera
and release it.
Pre-set means you either use the automatic-funktions (a bad idea wit panos ) or you set time/app. manually and fire the camera remotely.
You also can use bracketing by setting the camera to bracket mode and you also can use mirror-lockup by setting the camera to it. and you can use the combination of mirror-lockup AND auto-bracketing by setting the controller to a mode that let it tell the head to fire the camera 6 times on one position: 1) mirror-up, 2) first bracket, 3) mirror-up, 4) second bracket, 5) mirror-up, 6) third bracket.

The time between EACH release can be varied to avoid vibrations.
So it goes: camera moves, steady-time, shot. Camera moves again . . and so on.

The controller tells the head how to fire the camera - no matter WHICH camera, if it has the option of being remote-released.

Last edited by klausesser (2008-09-29 13:18:03)

As your cam does not have a wire connector to release the shutter, you often will find an IR detector.

And than there is a way to fire the shutter via a LED.

Look for more infos on: http://www.gentles.ltd.uk/gentled/compatability.htm

Cheers
Paul

Last edited by Paul (2008-09-29 20:04:57)

klausesser wrote:

For the use of compact-cameras there still is the gigapan-bot with it´s mechanical shutter release arm . . .

The gigapan has a digital shutter option too. Set to this option the shutter can be released by wire.

Cheers
Paul

klausesser wrote:

You mean the gigapan fires the camera via a cable? I didn´t realise that option on the gigapans i saw.

The option digital puts 5V one second high instead of the PWM signal to move the servo forth and back.
To protect the cams electronic one should discouple this signal using f.e. a CNY17 and a resistor - parts less than 1 € and 2 min. to solder.

Than this signal could be used for one of this 5€ cable remotes.

Cheers
Paul

klausesser wrote:

mediavets wrote:

OK.

Sadly that appears to rule out use of the Nikon D40, D40X, and D60 lower end range Nikon DSLRs none of which AFAIK support a wired remote shutter release.

I think that would mean that of the recent Nikon DSLR range one would have to use the D70, D70s, D80, D90, D200, D300, D700 or D3. But I don't think single 'universal' remote cable would work with all of these since they do not all work with the same model of Nikon wired remote.

Not sure that any Nikon DSLR offers mirror lock-up quite like the Canons, except those that offer a live view mode, but some have a delayed exposure setting which is sort of similar.

Could you envisage a means of rigging and triggering an infrared remote shutter release? If so this might allow the use of rather more models of camera.

Which compacts currently offer a wired remote shutter release?

i can´t imagine a camera which doesn´t provide a remote-release.
Maybe you´ll need adapters to plug in at the camera´s individual jack - of course.
Some cameras have universal jack-plugs and others have specialized individual plugs. ALL are adaptable!
Some cameras just have IR remote release - in that case you´d have to plug an IR sender at the head´s remote-jack

I think there´s no item in the world which fits EVERY device. Usually you take an at least mid-class DSLR to make HighRez-shots wit a motorized head. For the use of compact-cameras there still is the gigapan-bot with it´s mechanical shutter release arm . . .

best, Klaus

Klaus,
My camera - Nikon D40 - has IR remote capability and no facility/connector for wired remote shutter release (except for Nikon Camera Control Pro software running over USB).

I may well be interested in the PanoControl controller and Merlin head combo IF there's a ready-to-go solution that includes ability to trigger the shutter via IR.

I'm not into electronics DIY so have no ability to fabricate an IR trigger controlled from the Merlin/PanoController myself.

Can you offer a ready-to-go solution with PanoControl?

Last edited by mediavets (2008-10-06 19:50:20)

klausesser wrote:

mediavets wrote:

Klaus,
My camera - Nikon D40 - has IR remote capability and no facility/connector for wired remote shutter release (except for Nikon Camera Control Pro software running over USB).

I may well be interested in the PanoControl controller and Merlin head combo IF there's a ready-to-go solution that includes ability to trigger the shutter via IR.

I'm not into electronics DIY so have no ability to fabricate an IR trigger controlled from the Merlin/PanoController myself.

Can you offer a ready-to-go solution with PanoControl?

There are several IR remote releases on the market. I´m sure i can get it for you and deliver a ready to go-solution.  To make that clear again:

The camera is released by the HEAD. The head provides a camera-release jacket for a 2,5mm jack.
No problem to connect a cable into this jacket to fire an IR remore release which triggers the camera.

This way there´s no need for electronical skills at all.

Regularly you connect a remote-cable to the head´s jacket and connect the cable´s other end to the camera. There are adapters for Canon, Nikon and others on the market.

PanoControl is the device to control the head´s functions - including to tell it how often and when to fire the camera via the remote connection. Cable or IR or wireless should not matter.

OK - sounds promising.

Perhaps FMA38 could tells us how to source or make an IR 'trigger'/transmitter that can be plugged into the remote relase cable socket on fired by the Merlin head, and fired under PanoControl or Papywizard control,  and that will work with Nikon D40, D40X and D60 which are the main recent Nikon DSLRs that do not have the ability to work with wired remote controls. I presume there's some sort of brand/model-specific comms/signal protocol involved between IR transmitter and camera receiver?

Is this useful:
http://www.hexpertsystems.com/prism/

I recently received a small unexpected 'windfall' and am tempted to blow it on a Merlin head with Panocontrol or Papywizard. Like I need more 'toys'? But not sure I'm up to fiddling with making electronic mods and sourcing an old Nokia smart phone and installing Papywizard so the 'ready-to-go Panocontrol system is more attractive for me.

Regards

Last edited by mediavets (2008-10-06 22:31:50)

Paul wrote:

mediavets wrote:

But not sure I'm up to fiddling with making electronic mods and sourcing an old Nokia smart phone and installing Papywizard so the 'ready-to-go Panocontrol system is more attractive for me.
Regards

Hi Andrew,

imho the Prism will not match the Merlin, as it fires the Led when a servo signal (PWM) is detected on the wire.

If you can't find a matching cable release for your cam just ask James from gentles, I am sure he will find a way to connect the signals from the merlin head to his LED-Shutters. James is very cooperative in adapting his LEDs to new devices.

www.gentles.ltd.uk/gentled/options.htm

cheers
Paul

Paul.

Thanks for that - I reckon this would perhaps work with Merlin head?:

http://www.gentles.ltd.uk/gentled/options.htm#IRshutter

What does the connector on the Merlin head for the camera cable look like?

Regards

Last edited by mediavets (2008-10-07 00:12:59)