Merlin measure, crown modification, axis movement speed increasing

[peperoncino]

Merlin measure, crown modification, axis movement speed increasing

by peperoncino » Tue Sep 04, 2012 3:54 pm

Hello,

I am new to this forum. First, thanks to all community to sea of information that have helped me to form my set.

For spherical panoramas I was plan to use:
Canon 5DmkII + shaved Samyang 8mm/f3.5 + Magic Lantern 2.3
Manfrotto 055PRO (+ planning 555b leveling center column)
Merlin pano head (fw 020A84) + BT Ursa Minor module (+ planning crown modification)
Lenovo Think Pad x100e + win 7 + Papywizard 2.1.21

Post: PS CS5 / PTGui Pro 9.0 / Panotour Pro 1.8

I was made temporary camera bracket from wood to testing equipment. Although the extent of the crown / bracket are not exact, I am satisfied the first result:

http://trapan.hr/vt/virtualtour.html

I was find many answers on this forum. Please help me to find main of the rest:

1. which I have 5dmkII with 38.5mm thickness (center lens to bottom), i was plan to made combination of some quick release plate + alu camera bracket. To calculate exact thickness for modification crown, first I have be sure in to distance from crown base to the center of axis. I wasn't find this information. My measurement says 52mm. It's hard to measure. Did any know exact measure?

2. For experimental set, I figurate that 6 photo give good results: 4@-15dg every 90dg + 2@40 at 180dg opposite. I am finding best and easiest way to made nodir photo without removing the camera from Merlin. Because shooting in dark areas and long exposure can not use hand-held shooting. Any idea?

Thanks!

3. It's too slow! I was see, somewhere on Youtube, more speedy movements. In Papywizard I can not find place to increase speed. It's even possible?

[gkaefer]

by gkaefer » Tue Sep 04, 2012 4:43 pm

ad 2... nadir image:
I use this ballhead so I can move my Canon look to horizon on my merlin, than I turn the merlin with the cam 90 degrees to earth (with the ballhead) so the camera is exaxply looking to ground. Than I pull up my tripod exactly the heigth of my merlin. On nadir I place a stone or whatever than I move this setup so the middle of my image is over this stone... to be on save side I do 2 images and place the tripod with the above setup and the second one I change the tripod on opposite side 180 degrees so the legs are out of sight... in one image on left side and in other image on right side... than I just take the 2 additional images and load them to autopano... anti ghost masking tool with autopano 3.0 alpha version is doing the rest...


ballhead I use:
German: http://www.foto-tip.pl/sklep/triopo_b_4_kugelkopf-p-2117.html
English: http://www.foto-tip.pl/sklep/product_info.php?products_id=2117&language=en

Georg

Last edited by gkaefer on Tue Sep 04, 2012 4:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[peperoncino]

by peperoncino » Tue Sep 04, 2012 5:13 pm

Georg, thanks for idea! I already have a very good Manfrotto 486 Ball Head (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manfrotto-486RC2-Ball-Head-Plate/dp/B000186QHM). I will try.
Thanks a lot!
Zoran

[klausesser]

by klausesser » Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:00 pm

Than I pull up my tripod exactly the heigth of my merlin.

Shouldn't you add the distance center of vertical rotation to camera base to that distance.....you would have shot the nadir with a camere raised about 10 cm's above the merlin if the camera base was invisible (now that would be something the Kolor boys should come up with ).

Greets, Ed

Tilting the pano-adapter to 90° for shooting the Nadir means that the center of rotation lowers. So you must rise the head to meet the center of rotation you had before.
And not only rise the head but pull it to the side the amount of it´s height for to meet the point of rotation you had shooting the sphere.

So it goes:
1) shooting the sphere,
2) tilt the head @90° to have a free downlook,
3) pull aside the tripod the amount of the head´s height and
4) rise the head the amount of the head´s height because you lowered it before by tilting 90°.

This way you can meet the point of rotation you had in th beginning when shooting the sphere and you´ll get a correct Nadir shot.

Klaus

Last edited by klausesser on Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Mateusz Malinowski]

by Mateusz Malinowski » Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:38 am

3. It's too slow! I was see, somewhere on Youtube, more speedy movements. In Papywizard I can not find place to increase speed. It's even possible?

Check here speed test
http://www.kolor.com/forum/t14421-panogear-merlin-speed-test

[peperoncino]

by peperoncino » Fri Sep 07, 2012 8:00 am

Thanks everybody for answering!

About dimensions:
I finally find information about Merlin dimensions .
http://www.kolor.com/forum/showimage.php?pid=19337&filename=01A.jpg
http://www.kolor.com/forum/p19302-2008-01-03-20-10-51?pid=19302#p202

I measured the original Merlin crown. I hope that these measures will ease the decision of those who are moving into this adventure.


About speed (axis movement), if I understood correctly:
1. Speed depends on the power source. More voltage (until 15V) - more speed;
2. Papywizard use GoTo functions instead Touch controller and it's impossible increase speed (@fma38).

In testing, it's take 3min 6sec from start to the last shoot for 4@-15+2@40 90dg op

About nodir:
Thanks to the Georg (@gkaefer) idea an later Ed's (Artisan S.) and Klaus (@klausesser) posts, I made set with Manfrotto tripod 055PROB + Manfrotto 486 Ball Head without quick mount + Merlin mount.

Now I have exactly 100cm from ground to the head ball centre and 127 cm from ground to the lens centre. When I want to take nadir picture I must:
1. using ball head, put down whole Merlin to the 90dg.
2. pull up centre column for 27cm (I use label on column for sign)
3. move tripod 27cm back (+ 27cm forward if I need 2 nadir's)

Zoran

Last edited by peperoncino on Fri Sep 07, 2012 8:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

[mediavets]

by mediavets » Fri Sep 07, 2012 9:45 am

About speed (axis movement), if I understood correctly:
1. Speed depends on the power source. More voltage (until 15V) - more speed;
2. Papywizard use GoTo functions instead Touch controller and it's impossible increase speed (@fma38).

My understand, and I may be mistaken, is that none of these is going to make the mount very significantly faster.

If you want a significantly faster robotic pano head for shooting spherical panos you need to spend much more - the most versatile faster alternatives are probably the upcoming Panoneed from T&C and the Seitz VRDive 2.

In testing, it's take 3min 6sec from start to the last shoot for 4@-15+2@40 90dg op

That sounds like a long time - perhaps I haven't undertood your shooting pattern and number of shots - can you spell it out in more detail?

It sounds like rather more images that I would have expected to be required shooting witha Canon 5DMkII with a shaved 8mm Samyang fisheye lens.

I'm also wondering why you chose a robotic pano head gfor shooting spehrical panos with such equipment?

A manual pano head would have provided a much smaller nadir foiotprint and been quite fast to operate. Robotic pano heads provide most advantage when shooting higher res. (typically partial) panos with longer focal length lenses where many tens or hundreds of shots are required to cover the scene.

[peperoncino]

by peperoncino » Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:32 am

About speed (axis movement), if I understood correctly:
1. Speed depends on the power source. More voltage (until 15V) - more speed;
2. Papywizard use GoTo functions instead Touch controller and it's impossible increase speed (@fma38).

My understand, and I may be mistaken, is that none of these is going to make the mount very significantly faster.

If you want a significantly faster robotic pano head for shooting spherical panos you need to spend much more - the most versatile faster alternatives are probably the upcoming Panoneed from T&C and the Seitz VRDive 2.

In testing, it's take 3min 6sec from start to the last shoot for 4@-15+2@40 90dg op

That sounds like a long time - perhaps I haven't undertood your shooting pattern and number of shots - can you spell it out in more detail?

It sounds like rather more images that I would have expected to be required shooting witha Canon 5DMkII with a shaved 8mm Samyang fisheye lens.

I'm also wondering why you chose a robotic pano head gfor shooting spehrical panos with such equipment?

A manual pano head would have provided a much smaller nadir foiotprint and been quite fast to operate. Robotic pano heads provide most advantage when shooting higher res. (typically partial) panos with longer focal length lenses where many tens or hundreds of shots are required to cover the scene.

There are for main reasons why I want to use Merlin robotic head:
1. Great price-performance index + challenge
2. I wonder how it works. I love the 'smart' things...
3. It looks impressive to my clients and it can be better to charge. (this is written by someone else on this forum too.)
4. Opens up new possibilities in the Gigapix panoramic photography that I have not tried to do, and I'd love to if / when I have free time.


My temporary preset for Papywizard is 6 photo: 4 every 90dg pitch on -15dg yaw + two 'semi zenit' at 40dg yaw on pitch 0 and 180dg. I was try combinations with 3 shots at 0dg, 4 shots at 0dg... There is problem with zenith (small black hole). So I was experiment with few combinations. Since I could not make with the Merlin zenit photo (mechanical limitations), I decided to do 2 'semi zenit' phots.

I own Manfrotto 303PLUS panoramic head to, which I used for cylindrical panoramas. The plan is to get a light Nodal Ninja 3 or 4 head and replace heavy, accurate but impractical Manfrotto.

Last edited by peperoncino on Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

[mediavets]

by mediavets » Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:01 pm

My temporary preset for Papywizard is 6 photo: 4 every 90dg pitch on -15dg yaw + two 'semi zenit' at 40dg yaw on pitch 0 and 180dg. I was try combinations with 3 shots at 0dg, 4 shots at 0dg... There is problem with zenith (small black hole). So I was experiment with few combinations. Since I could not make with the Merlin zenit photo (mechanical limitations), I decided to do 2 'semi zenit' phots.

Did you try 3 or 4 around with small positive pitch say +5 or +7 (experiment for a good result) so you get cover at the zenith? This will leave a 'hole' at the nadir but you have to handle that anyway because the Panogear mount has such alarge nadir footprint.

I own Manfrotto 303PLUS panoramic head to, which I used for cylindrical panoramas. The plan is to get a light Nodal Ninja 3 or 4 head and replace heavy, accurate but impractical Manfrotto.

I think that the NN4 would probably be a better match for your equipment.