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#1 2009-06-09 07:41:24

Jann Lipka
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From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: 2009-05-23
Posts: 22
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New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Got my Merlin from TA -
First impression - it is quite sturdy , the movement seems slow,
bubble leveler on the top is almost completely dried out ...
( air bubble is HUGE and useless ) .

BT Ursaminor , and PAPY WIZARD
( Thank you Frédéric for such a generosity with this neat program )

I*m "quick and dirty person " so I took BRANCH 1.x
install 1.6.1 on my XP, EeePC 1000H - a 1,3 kg netbook with very nice battery time ) .

( Now it seems that I should have taken v 2.0.0.1 .... )



Initially I got everything  to work , but after some minutes ,
There is  BT error coming up .
( some confusing USB conflict messages coming up , then BT goes completely off with lost connection to Ursaminor  )
Restart fixes this for a short while .....

I feel it is a WIn/ EeePC problem ....


I will be fighting this today.

( Said that I'm a Mac person so it could take a while )

Last edited by Jann Lipka (2009-06-09 07:42:18)

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#2 2009-06-09 08:02:47

fma38
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From: Grenoble, France
Registered: 2005-12-07
Posts: 6038
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Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

You should better use the latest dev release (2.1.9), which is almost the next stable version (2.2.0).

About bluetooth error, what are the messages?


Frédéric

Canon 20D + 17-40/f4 L USM + 70-200/f4 L USM + 50/f1.4 USM + Tokina 10-17 3.5-4.5 AF DX Fisheye
Merlin/Orion panohead + Papywizard on Nokia N800 and HP TC-1100

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#3 2009-06-09 08:12:44

mediavets
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From: Isleham, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Registered: 2007-11-14
Posts: 8067
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Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Jann Lipka wrote:

Got my Merlin from TA -
First impression - it is quite sturdy , the movement seems slow,
bubble leveler on the top is almost completely dried out ...
( air bubble is HUGE and useless ) .

Mine was the same from a different supplier - I think this is common.

Don't forget to put some opaque tape under the bubble level  - from the inside - to avoid bright sunlight from passing through and upsetting the operation of the optical encoders on the vertical axis motor.


Andrew Stephens
Nikon D40, Nikkor 10.5mm fisheye, Sigma 8mm f3.5 fisheye, Nikkor 18-55/50/35mm  lenses, Nodal Ninja 5 Lite, Agno's Mrotator TCSshort
Nikon P5100, CP5000, CP995, FC-E8, WC-E63,WC-E68, TC-E2, Kaidan Kiwi 995, Bophoto pano bracket
Merlin/Orion panohead + Papywizard on Nokia 770/N800 and Windows XP/2K

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#4 2009-06-09 21:09:58

Jann Lipka
Member
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: 2009-05-23
Posts: 22
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

FYI - We updated all possible BT drivers ( I know it was my EeePC, because it could not recognize MY cellphone BT either ... )
It works now and I made a 2x2 testshot with my Canon 5 D.
( re- installed PW  2.1.9 )



What a nice application .



I see clearly that I want to modify  the crown .
I would like to fit RRS clamp on the crown so I can keep my RRS L bracket on the camera .
I think it will be more sturdy too ...


I´ll try to make a  GigaPan of Stockholm  on Thursday .
( depending on weather )

Thanks again  for generosity of this forum .

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#5 2009-06-11 20:46:03

Jann Lipka
Member
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: 2009-05-23
Posts: 22
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Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

I shot my first  pano try today
( will stitch it soon )

I got a BT problem again on my XP EeeePC ( 1000H )
- with built in Bt - hopefully with latest drivers .
Resetting / reboot made it work again .



Her comes dialogs I got (probably not 100% correct  translated  into English )

- dialog -
USB device ( ! ) is not recognized

while clicking on this message i get dialog
USB Device cannot be recognized  and list saying:

USB root Hub ( 2 ports )

- unknwn device
-port not in use


That is exactly the same messages I was fighting with from the beginning ....

I got also some troubles with mirror lockup mode - it didn't work at all on my 5Dmark2

Teh workaround was setting up 2 image bracket
( the mirror goes up on first release- then exposure  )

I'll continue tomorrow .

Last edited by Jann Lipka (2009-06-12 06:15:30)

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#6 2009-06-12 06:50:01

Jann Lipka
Member
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: 2009-05-23
Posts: 22
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Unfortunately my first PW / MErlin shoot didn't work .
I made a 2 x 25 images slice of Stockholm view .

What happened is I got some missing frames .

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a3/Jann_Lipka/Merlin-misstakes.jpg



For some reason there were some exposure " repeats " in down row , but "holes " in the top row .



I chose to shoot in "pitch " priority ( shooting columns up and down )
( because in the urban scene there is much more risk for cars and street objects close to each other horisontally   beeing removed in some minutes )
I have noticed that this aproach is much more slow then taking first one lower row then upper row ......

I'm not sure what could be a reason for those " drop offs "

Anyone seen this kind of problem ?

Last edited by Jann Lipka (2009-06-12 06:50:37)

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#7 2009-06-12 07:53:35

fma38
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From: Grenoble, France
Registered: 2005-12-07
Posts: 6038
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Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Did you switch off the camera focus? If not, it may have failed to focus within the delay. But I don't understand why there where multiple shots at the same position... Did you check the logs?


Frédéric

Canon 20D + 17-40/f4 L USM + 70-200/f4 L USM + 50/f1.4 USM + Tokina 10-17 3.5-4.5 AF DX Fisheye
Merlin/Orion panohead + Papywizard on Nokia N800 and HP TC-1100

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#8 2009-06-12 08:07:37

mediavets
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From: Isleham, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Registered: 2007-11-14
Posts: 8067
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Did you put the tape under the bubble level?


Andrew Stephens
Nikon D40, Nikkor 10.5mm fisheye, Sigma 8mm f3.5 fisheye, Nikkor 18-55/50/35mm  lenses, Nodal Ninja 5 Lite, Agno's Mrotator TCSshort
Nikon P5100, CP5000, CP995, FC-E8, WC-E63,WC-E68, TC-E2, Kaidan Kiwi 995, Bophoto pano bracket
Merlin/Orion panohead + Papywizard on Nokia 770/N800 and Windows XP/2K

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#9 2009-06-12 08:29:11

Jann Lipka
Member
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: 2009-05-23
Posts: 22
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Obviously manual focus (AF off )  , yes I put BLACK tape under bubble level .

I'll see if I can retrieve some log .

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#10 2009-06-12 08:50:46

Jann Lipka
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From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: 2009-05-23
Posts: 22
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

3 minute video footage  from this location:

http://www.vimeo.com/5122999

( shot with my hangaround camera canon 500D )

I don't give up ...

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#11 2009-06-12 09:53:47

claudevh
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From: Mont-Saint-André (Belgium)
Registered: 2007-11-25
Posts: 1300
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Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Hi Jann,

I your place, I will remove the "hand controler" in order to avoid some possible interference with the BT module ... (possible glitch's), you can plug the BT module directly into the Hand Controler socket !
(normally both sockets , hand-controler and auxiliary connectors are wired in parallel ...)
You can allways command the Merlin via your PC !

I will also make a test without "external battery", in case of disturbancy during the Merlin moves (bad or poor connections ...)
The internal batteries can go "a long-long time" ...
In french, we say "Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien !" (rought translation : "The best is the ennemy of the good")

Have fun !

cool

Last edited by claudevh (2009-06-12 09:54:11)


cool Claude cool
Merlin + Papywizard on Windows 7 & Nokia 770 § N810 & Acer (Netbook) + PanoramaApp Androïd + Deltawave PapyMerlin BT + Autopano
Spherical Pano (180 x 360) with Canon 40D + Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 Zoom & Pôle Pano with Canon 5D MK2 and shaved Tokina 10-17 3.5-4.5 AF DX Fisheye
Gigapixel photography with Nikon D200 + Sigma 70-200 F 2.8 EX DG APO HSM

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#12 2009-06-12 11:14:02

fma38
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From: Grenoble, France
Registered: 2005-12-07
Posts: 6038
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Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

I agree with Claude: the original remote controller can cause issues (too much capacity for the serial µ-controller line).


Frédéric

Canon 20D + 17-40/f4 L USM + 70-200/f4 L USM + 50/f1.4 USM + Tokina 10-17 3.5-4.5 AF DX Fisheye
Merlin/Orion panohead + Papywizard on Nokia N800 and HP TC-1100

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#13 2009-06-17 08:16:53

Jann Lipka
Member
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: 2009-05-23
Posts: 22
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Yesterady , after like 5days of heavy raining I got my Merlin for a walk ...

Regular batteries, handcontrol removed black tape on the bubble triple checked.

Strange enough on 2 first panos ( 2 rows )  I got the same problem described above .
( It felt like the head was moving somewhat strange ups and downs  and I got missing images / and some erratic iamges much above my goal was shot .

On third time everything went better ( Three  and four rows ) , no strange unneeded extra " up and down - adjustments " plain action :-)


The friction mechanism specially on upper axis is too lose for my taste .
Any way to make it more difficult to move ?
Mounting Canon 5 D with 70-200 on the camera  without counterweight means camera simply fall down ..
I think it would also fall down with 24x70 lens .....




would tightening the large screw on the crown achieve that ?


I'll post my first Merlin pano ( 4 rows x24 images - total 800 MegaPix ) soon ...

( I shot it  10Pm , so the light is mooody ... )

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#14 2009-06-17 08:57:26

Paul
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From: Bonn, Germany
Registered: 2008-08-30
Posts: 846

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Hi Jann,

on my Merlin the crown was loose to. You need to dissamble the bottom plastic plate to get access to two screws, this two and the two on the arm you have to unscrew to get the arms housing off. The crowns counternut (other end of the axis) is behind the housing, then you can fasten the crown.


Paul

close, but no cigar ... ... ...

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#15 2009-06-17 11:07:34

Jann Lipka
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From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: 2009-05-23
Posts: 22
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Thanks Paul for your suggestion .
It was an easy task , and I can mount my canon 5D with 24- 70 without it dipping down ....
( I can still  force movement against friction clutch with 1 finger .. )

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#16 2009-06-17 11:33:16

Jann Lipka
Member
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: 2009-05-23
Posts: 22
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Here comes a view onto  Södermalm , from Centralbron , yesterday at 9.40PM

http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=26054

I'm so glad for " pause" button as there was a train running 2 m from me , and the bridge was shaking a lot....

I was watching out for train headlights and made a Merlin stop every time.

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#17 2009-06-17 16:05:49

tived
Member
From: Dane in Western Australia
Registered: 2008-07-11
Posts: 713

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

nice work Jann,

I am so looking forward to getting my own, but I am a bit concerned regarding the weight, as I intend to use a Canon 1D with the 70-200LIS or a 300f/2.8LIS that maybe it is not strong enough

Henrik

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#18 2009-06-26 01:16:47

Jann Lipka
Member
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: 2009-05-23
Posts: 22
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

recently I made two more Gigapixel images .
To start with I had some more issues with ( as it seems ) erratic movement of camera
( it is obviously sogftware related as I can see the cursor moving strange up and down acros PW window )
Anyway after a while , some BT restarts etc  I got it to work .

I made 2 images over 1 Giga !!
My assistant Tobias has done a 1,3 Giga with the same equipment .


That feels good . Run on rechargable batteries - around 300 exposures including mirror upp release on one charge .



Some observations .

Total exposures are VERY slow ...
4 by 45 images around 30 minutes with Mirror up function .

With 200 mm DOF is quite limited, I'm not sure if I dare using AF .

IMHO focus stacking would be painful .... ( amount of images and time )


Also I would get much larger images with even longer lens,
but already now working with 10Gig large PSB documents is no fun ...

I would like to hear what tricks other people use for proper levelling of the camera .

With gigapixel/ long lens  I find it critical to level within small margin  ....

I use combination / bubble level - on tripod / on Merlin

It feels like that is not enough .
Thank you for any suggestions .

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#19 2009-06-26 11:50:26

gkaefer
Member
From: Salzburg
Registered: 2009-06-09
Posts: 1694
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Jann Lipka wrote:

3 minute video footage  from this location:

http://www.vimeo.com/5122999

( shot with my hangaround camera canon 500D )

I don't give up ...

Hi Jaan,

where did you find this Spirit (? translation correct ? - the green cube filled with water....) on top of your Canon?
(because my "bubble" is also dry as sahara...;-)

Liebe Gruesse,
Georg

Last edited by gkaefer (2009-06-26 12:19:34)

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#20 2009-06-26 12:13:47

Paul
Member
From: Bonn, Germany
Registered: 2008-08-30
Posts: 846

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Hallo Georg,

in der Bucht nach spirit level suchen - bei Foto sonst bekommst du jede Menge Dessous ...

search in the bay for spirit level - filter on foto otherwise you get wonderbras ...


Paul

close, but no cigar ... ... ...

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#21 2009-06-26 12:27:59

gkaefer
Member
From: Salzburg
Registered: 2009-06-09
Posts: 1694
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

;-)
ok found.
as example: http://www.hama.de/produkte/fotokamera_ … /index.hsp

Herzlichsten Dank Paul!
Liebe Grüße,
Georg

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#22 2009-06-26 12:50:18

Jann Lipka
Member
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: 2009-05-23
Posts: 22
Website

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

Actually in my opinion those small Bubble cubes are not so accurate .
I try to use this fellow as much as I can ...
http://www.manufactum.de/Artikel/71494/.html?search

There is plenty of joints in a giga setup so most of the time I end up simply lookin at the horison , because
bubble levelling doesn't work so good ...

Any suggestions what workflow is the best ?

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#23 2009-06-27 23:39:37

bigwade
Member
From: NL
Registered: 2008-11-18
Posts: 302

Re: New Merlin owner - first 24H report from Stockholm

gkaefer wrote:

;-)
ok found.
as example: http://www.hama.de/produkte/fotokamera_ … /index.hsp

or http://www.digitalstreet.nl/product_inf … s_id=11922 also available at eBay but shipment is rather expensive

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