Pete Loud
Posts: 397
Location: United Kingdom
Registered: 14 Oct 2006
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Nodal Samurai, home-made pano-head bracket.
Posted: 7 Mar 2009 at 20:51 GMT
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Hi Guys,
It is ages since I gave a plug for the Nodal Samurai, about making your own $2, home-made, pano head bracket, so here is the link.
www.peterloud.co.uk/nodalsamurai/nodalsamurai.html
When I say 'plug', don't think that I am trying to make money from you by selling you a Nodal Samurai. I am trying to make it easy for new guys to give panos a try without having to blow a lot of money up front. This shows you how to make a pano-head bracket that will allow you to position your camera correctly for taking panos, for next to nothing, and that doesn't require great engineering skills.
When I first posted this on internet a certain company pulled in their friends to undermine the home made Nodal Samurai. It got a bit personal at times  I smile when I see that my $2, home-made job often beats them in Google searches. Their strategy was a bad, if they had sent me one of their products I would have been perfectly happy to give it an objective review, which would have probably been positive, alongside the Nodal Samurai.
Now, it is a matter of pride that I still use my home-made pano-head bracket and can do just as good a job, (well almost). If you doubt me check out some of my panos at,
www.peterloud.co.uk/photos/SEAsia_07-08/BQ2.html
Please don't think that I am being smug, I am not. I am just saying you can produce panos like this, and all of my other panos, with a $2 bit of kit.
Cheers,
Pete
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Wayne
Posts: 97
Location: Derbyshire, United Kingdom
Registered: 5 May 2004
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Re: Nodal Samurai, home-made pano-head bracket.
Posted: 8 Mar 2009 at 0:30 GMT
updated: 8 Mar 2009 at 0:35 GMT
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Peter, you get a thumbs down from me "t'int clever or funny" for the name.... bit sad really, could you not call it the presise 320, kindin 360 etc etc, why "pick" on a decent co.? thumbs up for the build suggestions etc. I know you have used this "odd" contortion of a commercial product name for a couple of years and it made me annoyed from the first time I saw it.. 
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Nick Fan
[NodalNinja]
Posts: 710
Location: Hong Kong
Registered: 26 May 2006
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Re: Nodal Samurai, home-made pano-head bracket.
Posted: 8 Mar 2009 at 4:37 GMT
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Wayne said: Peter, you get a thumbs down from me "t'int clever or funny" for the name.... bit sad really, could you not call it the presise 320, kindin 360 etc etc, why "pick" on a decent co.?
Probably, because Nodal Ninja 3/3II has been the benchmark of value for money. Peter wants to prove Nodal Samurai can push this benchmark further.
So I would like to honor Nodal Samurai for being the new King of Value for Money. 
Peter, you did it! Congratulations!
Nick
Designer and Manufacturer of Nodal Ninja
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Wayne
Posts: 97
Location: Derbyshire, United Kingdom
Registered: 5 May 2004
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Re: Nodal Samurai, home-made pano-head bracket.
Posted: 8 Mar 2009 at 10:00 GMT
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Well Nick if your happy with it then I'm happy for you.
But please nobody who is less than 6ft 3" tall call themselves any combination of the letters eynwa on this forum!
BTW thankyou for NN3 , mine is still coming up with the goods (10xbetter than MY homemade Nodal Samurai)
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NYCreate
Posts: 496
Location: North Yorkshire & Northern England, United Kingdom
Registered: 21 Aug 2005
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Re: Nodal Samurai, home-made pano-head bracket.
Posted: 8 Mar 2009 at 10:34 GMT
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I made a 'nodal samurai' almost identical to yours pete but a but more substantial, over 5 years ago. It worked BUT.. I just couldnt use it for commercial shoots. Imagine turning up to a client with it lol. It would be like me telling a client I used microsoft publisher and paint to do their design work!
Had rock solid performance and usability from my NN3 since day 1. It has outlasted 3 SLR bodies.
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Pete Loud
Posts: 397
Location: United Kingdom
Registered: 14 Oct 2006
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Re: Nodal Samurai, home-made pano-head bracket.
Posted: 8 Mar 2009 at 11:29 GMT
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Wayne,
You needn't feel so so sad about the name of my pano-head bracket, no-one else does.
why "pick" on a decent co.?
It was a nameless home-made pano-head bracket until associates of a certain company launched an offensive personal attack on me on Panoguide. Yet apart from the cost, all of my opinions on NN3 were very positive.
However I'm not trying to rake over the past, just to help some new guys get an inexpensive start in panoramics. My Nodal Samurai website has had over 10,000 hits so I think that there are lots of people out there looking for a cheap entry model. Apart from people who are already into panoramics I guess that almost everyone who visits my website is interested in giving panos a try and wants a pano-head device. It is quite probable that many of the visitors go on to buy a commercial product. So for all the early aggro I suspect that I have helped the commercial guys.
Pete
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Rob25
Posts: 12
Location: Spain
Registered: 17 Mar 2009
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Re: Nodal Samurai, home-made pano-head bracket.
Posted: 17 Mar 2009 at 9:41 GMT
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Thanks Pete for sharing your knowledge in aid that the rest of us can benifit from it.
I am new to panos, stitching & Hdri, I am now learning these techniques in hopes to apply it commercialy to interiors & architecture.
I do find it a real piss take what these companies are charging for a bit of plastic, metal, nuts & bolts, they are asking for almost the same amount as my 11-16mm Tokina just cost me, NO_WAY.
So in the process of building my own I came across your project. The only thing I must say is that you appear to be considering the entrance lens the "nodal point" or "entrance pupil",when it appears to be somewhere in the center of the lens close to the aperture ring. there is a good article here in reference to that subject: www.vrphotography.com/data/pages/techtutorials/te...
Although I must say that having seen your panos you dont seem to have any problems with misalignment.
I think that anyone considering making their own should read this article though, I will try to keep you all posted when I finish my "Buddah Mk I", , just to keep in context.
Greetings you all!
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Hans Nyberg
Posts: 2791
Location: Denmark
Registered: 28 Aug 2005
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Re: Nodal Samurai, home-made pano-head bracket.
Posted: 17 Mar 2009 at 10:02 GMT
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Rob
The Nodalpoint-Entrance pupil or NPP / Non Parallax Point (which is the definition we use today) is almost always close to the front lens on most modern lenses.
Many lenses have a Golden Ring at the front and you can start your adjustments from this point.
Depending on the type of zoom lenses they may change NPP when you zoom.
Hans
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Pete Loud
Posts: 397
Location: United Kingdom
Registered: 14 Oct 2006
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Re: Nodal Samurai, home-made pano-head bracket.
Posted: 17 Mar 2009 at 11:23 GMT
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Welcome Rob,
I have read many articles on the position of the 'entrance pupil' and done quite a few tests and I don't think I am far out. I'm not claiming that I'm spot on, but I'm near enough, as you noticed. It gets a bit trickier with the Sigma 8mm as there is not a single for plane for the entrance pupil but there is enough info. around to be able to come up with a working solution.
I wish you success with yout "Buddah Mk 1" but I suggest that you rename it to "Buddha Mk 1", here is an article, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha
Cheers,
Pete
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Rob25
Posts: 12
Location: Spain
Registered: 17 Mar 2009
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Re: Nodal Samurai, home-made pano-head bracket.
Posted: 17 Mar 2009 at 11:31 GMT
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I have just used the technique to find the NPP idicated in the above link & it works fine.
1. you will need to create a slider that slides the camera back & forth over the center axis of the lens.
2. level the tripod & camera so that when you pan it remains level.
3. position the camera where you will have a near vertical line, about a foot or two away, & a distant vertical line , a building for example.
4. the aim is that when you pan left or right that the distance bettween these two lines remains consistent, if the foreground moves left(relative to the building.) when you pan left then you must slide the camera foreward & viceversa.
It takes a bit of playing around but it works.
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Rob25
Posts: 12
Location: Spain
Registered: 17 Mar 2009
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Re: Nodal Samurai, home-made pano-head bracket.
Posted: 17 Mar 2009 at 11:33 GMT
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 Thanks for the grammatical correction.....
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