Panoramic tripod head

A panoramic tripod head is a piece of photographic equipment, mounting to a tripod, which allows photographers to shoot a sequence of images around the entrance pupil of a lens to produce a panorama. The primary function of the panoramic head is to precisely set the axis of rotation about the entrance pupil for a given lens or focal length, eliminating parallax error.

As the camera is rotated, a series of still images are acquired, that can then be assembled (stitched) using stitching software, which either automatically (using image analysis) or manually (with user supplied control points) allows the images to be aligned and combined into a single seamless panoramic image. The final panoramic image can then be viewed or printed as a flat image or viewed interactively using specific playback software.

Modern panoramic tripod heads typically accommodate many sizes of cameras, different camera mounting methods, and mount on many standard tripods. Professional models will include precision bearings, scales to allow the user to take photos at specific angles, detents to stop at common angles, integrated levels to aid in adjusting the tripod, and other features to maximize the quality of the acquired photos or the unit's ease of use.

External links

* [http://wiki.panotools.org/Heads Panoramic Head Comparison] article from PanoTools.org
* [http://www.chem.uky.edu/xray/people/Parkin/panohead/panohead.html How to make a Panoramic Head for Digital SLR cameras] - Contains a series of illustrations showing how to make a panoramic tripod head.
* [http://www.guyjbrown.com/technical.html Review of the Panosaurus panoramic tripod head] - Article from the Royal Photographic Society Journal, with links to full-screen QTVR panoramas.
* [http://www.worth1000.com/tutorial.asp?sid=161123&page=1 How to Build a Panoramic Tripod Head - Worth1000] .
* [http://www.peterloud.co.uk/nodalsamurai/nodalsamurai.html Nodal Samurai] A homemade panohead bracket for around $2.