Approaching The Scene 304: New Advanced Panorama Tips & Tools + Cool Tripod Upgrades

What makes the acratech nodal rail better then the adjustable kirk rail?

If you are going to use the Acratech nodal rail all the time will it go straight on to the Manfrotto MV500AH or do you still need swap out the top plate for the Kirk bridge Part # : MVH500-BQRV2?

You are absolutely correct about the current versions of Photoshop and Lightroom rendering panoramas. Unless I am doing a multirow panorama or something with very close linear lines I just hand hold my camera in portrait mode and shoot away, as you demonstrated. On a recent trip I only had one panorama out of about 20 show parallax. Now my RRS multirow panorama gear stays in the car (or at home) unless I know I will need it. Saves the back. Enjoying your videos. Thanks.

This video came at the perfect time as I’m on a trip headed to the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon this weekend. Great info and you saved me some money as I was close to buying the gear for the complex panoramas. Thanks for the great videos and information

Hey Hudson, how does the Arcatech rail fit with a RRS lever clamp? I've had some trouble with interoperability between brands.

Great info Hudson. Have you looked at the Platyball by Platypod? I is an inverted ball head that rotates on top and may provide a relatively light weigh head option and provide pano use. I just received mine and am trying it out now.

Do you remove the long handle from the fluid head? I love my acratech Pano head, but need a second head, since I use the acratech for my star tracker base.

For those of us without the $250 for the Acratech adjustable nodal rail, there's a $35 Koolhaoda 240mm rail available that's functionally equivalent. I've been using one for years. Far from Acratech qualiity but does the job.

Thanks for this update. Now I don't feel so bad about not paying a lot of attention to nodal point concerns, even though I bought the gear to handle them. :-) It sounds like you use just LR and PS for your panorama work. I bought PTGui Pro a while back but haven't had time to focus on learning it. Maybe it's not even necessary after all at this point?

I ordered parts from Hudson and used his instructions (ATS 208) to build my own, except I used the fluid head on the medium size tripod to save a little weight and size. I am 6’2” and the medium Leophoto tripod is just about perfect height for me. Probably go with the large tripod if you have LARGE lenses or shoot on steep hillsides etc. But this “combo build” works great for me. It was really cool of him to share how he builds them for DIYers. Will order the new nodal rail. Just took my tripod to Costa Rica, and although I only used it a couple times, it worked great when I did….

Wow- times do change. I'm known as Mr. Tripod at my camera club thanks to all the nodal rails and fluid heads I have purchased over the years, thanks to your videos. Like you, the RRS pg-01, I seldom use, and don't know what I will do with it? Does anyone ever bring one to your workshop?

The majority of my photos are panoramic landscapes. I use the gimbal nodal slider and never had a problem with uploading images for printing. I have stitched a 15 single image of a landscape that includes a winding road. When I upload the lines in the road become spaced dashes. My camera is Nikon d850.
I have tried several photo shops and they all get the same results. Do you have an idea what may be causing this?

So you don't use the Kirk rail anymore?

Hudson, what are your views on shooting panoramas on a gear head?

Hello Hudson, Your so right about thoughs leveling adaptors making life so much simpler. I am now using them with both Arca-Swiss Cube and Nodal rails. Its just a dream to use.