Multi-row Pano Gear I Use

If you are interested in how to create multi-row panos, click here:
• How to Create a Multi ...
If you want to know how to determine the nodal point for your camera/lens combinations:
• How to determine lens ...
Really Right Stuff Compact Pano
amzn.to/3sWJP9v
The Gear I Use:
I use Really Right Stuff gear from 10 years ago that you saw in the video. Since then the RRS product line has changed. Some of the gear I use is no longer available. The equivalent gear to what I have and that is available NOW includes:
192 MPP (rail and mini clamps)
PG-02 Pano Gimbal head (no longer available)
To the Gimbal Head you will need to decide on a clamp that will hold your camera. RRS offers several options, so choose the one you want.
#pano #panorama photography #tips #techniques

[@thomastuorto9929]

Nice honest review. With that long rail, I believe you need that piece you turned when you loosened the socket head screw. RRS is expensive but, not to many other manufactures compare. And those that do cost just as much. I picked up their TVC 34L MK2 tripod. Solid as a rock. The salesman at B&H disassembled the legs & other parts at my request on RRS & 2 other top brands & I garantee you the craftsmanship on RRS ! Can’t wait to go back & get the BH-55 ball head & the PG-02 Pano Gimbal. I’ll check out your pano vids. Thanks in advance.

[@qassemaleid9774]

i met this guy in egypt back in early 1980s 😇 happy to see him really

[@lespicker]

Qassem: Sabah el kheer, sadiki! How are you? I hope all is well. It has been far too long. What are you doing now? Please go to my website and send me an email from there.

[@balacv02]

I strictly followed your instructions on finding the nodal/Parallax point of the Camera. I used a Nikor 24-120mm f/4 @ 24, 50 and 70mm on Nikon D850. I found I didn't have to change the setting at, all these focal lengths. How do we explain this. Every time I repeated, I found the same result. What could be the reason?

[@JaredDoyle76]

The rear lens element doesn't move in your zoom lens, thus the nodal point isn't changing.

[@isaiahmacadam]

Excellent, thank you Lester

[@lespicker]

Thanks, Isaiah!

[@FrankFiorentino]

Great video. I just bought the RRS PG-01 to use with my A7RIII. I shoot small manual primes so the small gimbal seemed to make more sense and easier to travel with.

[@lespicker]

Frank: Sounds like a wise decision. Travel has become such a pain, anything to lessen the weight helps.

[@ПЕТРТРОЦЕНКО-й5н]

Hello!, iShoot Collar Lens Tripod Mount Ring for Sigma,apply instead of panoramic head 360 Swivel panoramic shooting, to avoid parallax,adjusted fixed.Not used?

[@JohnAvantiBK]

Very good explanation. Have you used the fuji 50 to do panos?

[@lespicker]

Hi Johnny. Yes I aha used it for panos and will post some in a future blog on my website. Stay tuned.

[@seabreezeof]

Thanks Lester. can you use a BH 55 ball head, attach a RRS PC -LR round lever release panning clamp, a rail, with the tripod level, to do rows instead of your set up.

[@lespicker]

Not quite sure what you are asking. Feel free to send me an explanation to my website email address.

[@Bowriverguy]

Hi Les, Could you do a video on just shooting a regular panorama, and not a multi-row one. Thanks.

[@lespicker]

I just put it on the agenda. Thanks for the suggestion. As soon as it warms a bit more we will record it.

[@gosman949]

@@lespicker you never did the video!

[@girliedog]

Curious if you have recommendations on the exact position to start of with. For instance what measurement to place the rail, the vertical, and then the tilt clamp. Not sure if I'm making sense.

[@lespicker]

Hi Virginia. Good question, but unfortunately it would be difficult for me to give you the precise numbers you want without seeing your setup. It so much depends on what equipment you are using and what camera and lens combination. Having said that, please don't be concerned. There is nothing that you can mess up, except for your time. Follow the directions I gave in my nodal point video and you should be good to go. While some people seem to be able to nail the nodal points easily, for most of use it's a combination of determination and patience. If you'd like private instruction, please feel free to email me through my website. I can guide you through the process via Zoom. Best of luck!

[@itstimetogo49]

Hi Lester...thanks for your tutorials. A quick question...could I use a Canon tilt shift lens on my Fuji cameras to do basically the same thing ? (I don't own any multi-row pano gear). I could mount the camera, tilt the lens down for a shot, then to the middle position, then to the highest position....then move the camera 15° and do another set of three...etc. Then stitch it all together in Lightroom. I suppose if I wanted a megapixel shot, I could do another row. Make sense?

[@joshmcdzz6925]

Can I use a Gimbal head for multi-row pano?

[@lespicker]

Hi Josh. Yes, a gimbal head can work. In fact, while my setup from Really Right Stuff is specifically for panos, I use it also as a gimbal when shooting wildlife. Saves me packing room and weight by not having to carry two setups. Works flawlessly for both.

[@konukuauleki]

Is ballhead better than a fluid head?

[@lespicker]

No, not necessarily.

[@digitalnomadmarketing9930]

Hi Les ~ Patrick here. I have watched all your videos on creating panos. I much appreciate your thorough explanations. I am very new to looking into this area of photography and am wondering if it's worth looking into robotic pano heads at all?

[@Chris_Wolfgram]

I've always wondered why so many pano setups use the camera in a portrait position ? That always bugged me. Although your setup is way more precision, lighter, and smoother than mine, at least mine holds the camera in a landscape position, which I greatly prefer. Great video though. TY :)

[@jesmor3]

There’s no wrong way, but basically it’s easier to add shots to the side in portrait mode, than to add a row in landscape orientation to get the same final image. It’s usually since you are moving from side to side, a portrait orientation gives you much more height. For example, if you took three landscape-oriented shots, you would have a very wide pano. But if you use portrait orientation, you could get the same width with maybe 4-5 shots, but get a lot more height as well. In the first example, you would need to readjust your equipment to get a second row above or below the first one to get the same image. Cheers!

[@timknowles3214]

Would a fluid head be ok for doing panoramic pictures?

[@lespicker]

Tim: Theoretically, a fluid head would be fine. However, you would want to be sure that you have graduated marks on the tripod and head that would allow you to accurately advance the setup as you pan. Of course you could just estimate overlap and that works fine, too.

[@MrPhilbautista]

@@lespicker Another negative would be figuring out the nodal point using a fluid head.

[@AR-vf7vg]

To put this ballhead on its head would make sens so to have the rotating plate on top. Beats me why on earth he does not point that out, instead of saying that "of course; the tripod first has to be perfectly leveled". He who took many years to think about, does not teach this...

[@lespicker]

Thanks for taking the time to comment, but I’m not understanding what you mean. Would you kindly explain your criticism more fully?

[@sheldonspock5566]

@@lespicker he pointed about a major flaw of your setup which is that in order to rotate the whole pano setup horizontally, you have to have your tripod perfectly leveled as well as your BH-55 which is a convoluted way to do so. You should have a panning clamp on top of the BH-55 in order to accomplish the same thing as the PG-02 HB (Horizontal Bar) bundled in the package setup sold by RRS

[@sheldonspock5566]

In other words, the PG-02 package sold by RRS consists of the same PG-02 VA you have which allows to rotate for vertical multirow, but also of the PG-02 HB Horizontal Bar which allows to pan horizontally. Since you don't have this last part because you built your own kit, you have the CB-10 10 inch bar clamped to the BH-55 ballhead. So in order to pan horizontally, you have to level both your tripod AND the ballhead independently. So what the person commenting above was saying, is that if you were to mount in some way your BH-55 upside-down, you would find yourself with a leveled panning clamp on top, allowing you to pan horizontally. Does this make sense?

[@AR-vf7vg]

In other words : When only Horizontal Pano are the goals (for correct panos; producing to stich strait continuous band already before any cropping - vs when un-levelled : stepped band producing lots of unusable "dents') and one has a ballhead, then use it "instead" of a leveling plate, or instead of (painstakingly) leveling a naked tripod. Since ballhead typically come with a rotating base (actually to be able to orient the nobs to where it feels best), this can / should be flipped so to be on top. So the ball is (ONLY) used to level (to your liking ! - here no need for buble-leveling). You dont need to worry (at all!) about putting up the tripod strait in the first place (other than hight and stability). And now since the pano-plate is on top (You can still orient the ball locking mechanism in your most convenient position!) put the camera on it (vertically in portrait orientation), but best on a nodal rail), and swing along. (Or; leave the ballhead as they are sold, in a mean way: made for you to buy an extra rotating solution to add on top of it, or worse; buy an extra entirely new device (business!).

[@yusuihang]

For a multi-row pano, MUST the camera be tilted up and down to compose each row? It is not possible to just move the center column of the tripod up and down, for each row? Obviously, I am a newbie!

[@easy56wedge]

Curious if you use a leveling base before you attached the ballhead? Thanks Les!

[@lespicker]

Yes, I use a leveling base on my tripod. It saves a lot of time and frustration and I recommend them in my pano workshops.

[@djpodesta]

Thank you sir... Your videos are extremely insightful.

[@lespicker]

Thanks, David. My pleasure.

[@larsv9907]

Les, great video thanks for making and posting. Not sure why you are dissing unspecified competitors to RRS though - do you have experience with all of them? My bag contains a wide variety of Arca dovetail-compatible tools, rails and devices, from Arca-Swiss, RRS, Kirk, Acractech as well as several Chinese manufacturers. RRS has the highest polish for sure, but in terms of functionality there is often zero or little difference. Also, consider that fact that RRS was founded on the concept of knockoffs.

[@lespicker]

Lars: Thanks for writing. Your point is well taken. In fact, like you, my students/clients and I have tried many different setups. Functionality does differ in some cases, in our experience. Some are good, others not so much. The thing with RRS is that you can be guaranteed to get perfect machining every time. I sometimes resent having to spend so much on their equipment, but as a professional I just do not want to take chances.

[@guffygolfer]

Hi Lester, Excellent tutorial, Are you by chance related to Fred Picker who I believe had the Zone 6 Tutorials back in the 80's?

[@lespicker]

Jim, I'm told that I am distantly related, but I never met the man, although I was heavily influenced by his work in my early years.

[@sheldonspock5566]

Hi Les great video! So did you assemble this kit picking each part separately instead of buying the PG-02 kit? I see you have the PG-02 VA (Vertical Arm) but I wasn't even aware they sold this separately.

[@lespicker]

Sheldon, my RRS pano gear is old, which is actually a testament to their quality. I have used it all over the world for at least the last 15 years. I bought the pieces when they were sold separately, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy one of their pano kits. I teach a workshop on pano photography and we exclusively use RRS gear.

[@sheldonspock5566]

Thanks for replying, I appreciate you coming back and taking the time to answer every comment individually :) Good job at picking the right parts, suits your name well! (See what I did there?)

[@gosman949]

Your Amazon link goes to the RRS PG-01 Compact Pano head. Not the PG-02 that you have. A considerable cost difference.

[@lespicker]

Sorry, Jay. I had not realized that. But you were astute enough to figure that out, so thanks for the heads up.

[@gosman949]

@@lespicker I have a Nikon Z6 and I think the PG-01 might be a better fit and much lighter than the PG-02. Have you gone mirrorless yet?

[@lespicker]

@@gosman949 I am mirrorless, but I happily use the Fujifilm GFX medium format system now, after 50 years with Nikon (and Hasselblad digital).

[@femiog]

Would it not be easier to just raise the camera on your extendable tripod head, shoot a row of panos , then lower it , then shoot another row. ????

[@lespicker]

Good question. The issue is that if you simply raise or lower the entire tripod mount, while still keeping the tripod aiming straight ahead, there may not be enough overlap for a good multi row pano. There just isn't enough up and down movement. Tilting it up or down does cover more territory with each row.

[@nasershahin2277]

Very help full, thank you Mr. Pecker. I am looking forward your other videos.

[@jinyingzhan927]

this video does not have sound.

[@lespicker]

Sorry Jinying, but the sound works fine for me and other viewers. Please try again.

[@andrewnichols8169]

very boring ramble about nothing

[@lespicker]

Thanks, Andrew. Next time tell me what you really think about the video! Kidding aside, no instructional video is for everyone. Sorry it didn't work for you. Judging by the comments, it was helpful to hundreds of others. Out of 5,000 views yours was one of only 4 negatives. Different strokes for different folks. Anyway, thanks for watching.