The_Fairy
Posts: 7
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Registered: 25 Feb 2010
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Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 25 Feb 2010 at 10:34 GMT
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I would like to PRECISELY calibrate the Really Right Stuff Omnipivot pro panoramic head. I would appreciate as much of in detail instructions that anyone can offer to help me perfectly calibrate this panoramic package. Thank you in advance.
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Smooth
Posts: 3729
Location: Mount Panorama, Australia
Registered: 21 Jul 2004
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TriggerHappY
Posts: 783
Location: vancouver, Canada
Registered: 21 Jul 2004
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 25 Feb 2010 at 14:32 GMT
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Smooth I just used your technique and wow that was the fastest I have ever found the entrance pupil!
Just bought a new body and was being lazy setting it up and tried your way, super cool. Who came up with that? Hey what happened to smooth360/com?
have fun
Dylan
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Smooth
Posts: 3729
Location: Mount Panorama, Australia
Registered: 21 Jul 2004
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 25 Feb 2010 at 15:40 GMT
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G'day Dylan,
TriggerHappY said: Smooth I just used your technique and wow that was the fastest I have ever found the entrance pupil!
Glad you liked it. Some people get easy, others struggle. But I know it's a winner. 
TriggerHappY said: Just bought a new body and was being lazy setting it up and tried your way, super cool. Who came up with that?
That would be me, a few years back. It is based on years of accumulated knowledge of course, a bit from here and bit from there a tad from frustration and perseverance etc.
TriggerHappY said: Hey what happened to smooth360/com?
Not much? That's the problem! LOL Nah, I have enough work on and most of my customers don't allow link backs so I just don't bother with it.
Regards, Smooth 
www.smooth360.info
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The_Fairy
Posts: 7
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Registered: 25 Feb 2010
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 25 Feb 2010 at 22:42 GMT
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I will give it a shot. In calibrating each arm of the rig is there any sequence that works best? Should I cal the bottom arm first for example? Also do the arms haveto be level? Does the camera haveto be level? There seems to be somewhat of a disagreement between my hotshue bubble level an the bubble level of the tripod head/arm.
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The_Fairy
Posts: 7
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Registered: 25 Feb 2010
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 26 Feb 2010 at 2:57 GMT
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Also is there distinct "distortions" that are seen for a single parameter that would enable tracking down of exactly which one of the arms or the camera plate are misaligned? If so are the "distortions" distinct only when the camera is level?
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The_Fairy
Posts: 7
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Registered: 25 Feb 2010
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 27 Feb 2010 at 4:13 GMT
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Which one looks best? I have a problem sorting this out because the entire head moves at the top. Because its a swiss arca c lamp it also is not round so I am having trouble figuring out the "round circle. It just does not appear to exist.
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Smooth
Posts: 3729
Location: Mount Panorama, Australia
Registered: 21 Jul 2004
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 27 Feb 2010 at 5:39 GMT
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The_Fairy said:
Which one looks best?
Potentially this one, but the camera needs to go back on the upper arm some more until the circle becomes round.
The_Fairy said: I have a problem sorting this out because the entire head moves at the top. Because its a swiss arca c lamp it also is not round so I am having trouble figuring out the "round circle.
What is moving at the top? What are you calling the top? The top is the upper arm? The_Fairy said: It just does not appear to exist.
I assure you it does!
What camera and lens are you using? Show me one picture as shot from the camera without stitching with the tilt showing the panohead.
Regards, Smooth
www.smooth360.info
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The_Fairy
Posts: 7
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Registered: 25 Feb 2010
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 27 Feb 2010 at 7:41 GMT
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I am using the nikon D200 with the 14-24mm nikon set at 24mm. The camera has a arca swiss L plate mounted onto it (BD200-L, reallyrightstuff.com/rrs/Itemdesc.asp?ic=BD200%2D...) and provides centering marks which I use to centre the camera on the MPR-CL II clamp (part of the omnipivot package.
reallyrightstuff.com/rrs/Itemdesc.asp?ic=MPR%2DCL...
Here is a single image shot from the above.
"What is moving at the top? What are you calling the top? The top is the upper arm?"
I mean the entire top platform of the panoramic head (ie the PCL-1 top half see below for more info).
I have the Omnipivot package, you can see it here.
reallyrightstuff.com/pano/04.html
There are two PCL-1 clamps, one on the bottom (part of the ballhead) and the second one mounted on the vertical arm.
The PCL-1 clamp
reallyrightstuff.com/rrs/Itemdesc.asp?ic=PCL%2D1&...
The entire top of the clamp spins so there is no stationary "circle" of the clamp you can reference the spin looking down as in the image I have shown.
Also the clamp is an arca-swiss quick release system, therefore when the coss-bar is mounted, the actual top of the PCL-1 clamp is not circular.
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The_Fairy
Posts: 7
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Registered: 25 Feb 2010
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 2 Mar 2010 at 11:22 GMT
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I am still very much in search for good instructions or advice on how I can perfectly calibrate my panoramic head. Any help would be great.
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mediavets
Posts: 1948
Location: Isleham, Cambs., United Kingdom
Registered: 8 Feb 2008
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 2 Mar 2010 at 12:14 GMT
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The_Fairy said: I am still very much in search for good instructions or advice on how I can perfectly calibrate my panoramic head. Any help would be great.
May I ask what possessed you to purchase this expensive niche pano head setup rather than a less expensive more mainstream alternative?
Andrew
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The_Fairy
Posts: 7
Location:
Registered: 25 Feb 2010
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 2 Mar 2010 at 14:06 GMT
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I already own some of their equipment and it's very Hugh quality that I have been quite happy with. It's also arca Swiss compatible and modular, so it just made sense.
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Smooth
Posts: 3729
Location: Mount Panorama, Australia
Registered: 21 Jul 2004
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 2 Mar 2010 at 14:18 GMT
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The_Fairy said: The entire top of the clamp spins so there is no stationary "circle" of the clamp you can reference the spin looking down as in the image I have shown.
Also the clamp is an arca-swiss quick release system, therefore when the coss-bar is mounted, the actual top of the PCL-1 clamp is not circular.
I own and use some RRS products and I know the product is of high quality. It is not though all that far advanced from the latest Nodal Ninja range. Regarding your "stationary" look of the top of the "bottom" of your panohead it is NOT relevent that it has a cross brace/bar or clamp. The main structure is round. Shooting the shots "correctly" will yield a round shape at the nadir just like your "attempts" shown in the images above in this thread.
You don't seem to have a grasp on what you are even meant to be doing even though you have been pointed to "3" different methods on how to find the No Parallax Point (NPP) with clear instructions.
Asking for further help isn't likely to get you any further on this matter. If you need something cleared up about any of the 3 tutorials shown, ask the question and we will attempt to make things clearer for you.
It's not rocket science, all you have to do is follow the instructions correctly.
Regards, Smooth
www.smooth360.info
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Smooth
Posts: 3729
Location: Mount Panorama, Australia
Registered: 21 Jul 2004
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 2 Mar 2010 at 14:46 GMT
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You should go to this page
reallyrightstuff.com/rrs/Customkititems.asp?kc=Ul...
Make sure you have assembled the "exact" same way as shown.
Once you have done this you will no longer get the tension knob of the clamp in shot.
You should NEVER re-level between shots in a single panorama set.
When following my tutorial you should tilt the camera/lens down using the upper arm until you can just see the round edge of the panohead and include enough to capture the tripod center line at the bottom of your "portrait" orientated image. Again, this is shown clearly in the tuition.
Once you think you are at this point, post forum sensible resized image of
1) You camera set up on the panohead so we can see if you have this right.
2) One image showing the amount of panohead you are capturing in the images to be stitched.
Regards, Smooth
www.smooth360.info
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Matthew Rogers
[360 Precision]
Posts: 283
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
Registered: 16 Jun 2005
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Re: Precise calibration of the Omnipivot Pro Package from Really Right Stuff.
Posted: 5 Mar 2010 at 19:32 GMT
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I'm sorry to say it but this technique of aligning the images in the nadir shot is stupid at best. Depending on the sensor offset of the camera you're using and the distortion of the lens you could go in circles forever and not arrive at the perfect circle. Whether or not the images align to create a perfect circle is almost the most nonsensical technique I've come across in over 15 years of shooting panoramic images.
This technique would only ever bear any relation to a proper set-up if and ONLY if your sensor offset values are both zero. Out of the HUNDREDS of PTGui templates I've calibrated for customers over the past 5 years I've never seen this happen. The sensor offset for a 24mp DSLR can be as high as 100 pixels. If you adjusted your rails to compensate for this your images would not stitch.
Smooth has just been lucky in the fact that his sensor's offset values must be very small.
What’s more important ? That your images always stitch perfectly or your nadir images create a perfect circular image ? Yeah, I thought so.
Follow this tutorial and you shouldn’t have any problems. OR just let me know what camera and lenses you want to use and I'll try and convert the values for you.
Looking at Smooths link on the other forum just has to make me laugh. What on earth does the tiles on the floor at that close distance have to do with the entrance pupil ? Parallax is only an issue when you have both foreground and background objects. The sample images posted don't have any parallax but simply mis-aligned rails, sheesh. This is mis-information at it's worse.
Matt
www.360precision.com
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