QuickPan™Magnum
User’sGuide
Photographic VR
Panoramic Tripod Head
( QPX-2 )
The professional’s choice in Photographic
VR tripod heads.
Chapter1
UnpackingyourQuickPan™
UNPACKING THE BOX
This manual covers the QuickPan Magnum QPX-2. See the figure below. De-
pending on howyou purchased your QuickPan, it might have shipped with a
camerabracket,suchasourQPU-2,orit might haveshippedwithout abracket
and then onlythe indexing basewould be in the box.Ifyour unit camewith a
camera bracket, such as the QPU-2, then you’ll want to refer to the separate
manual for that unit to make sure that all the components are included.
TheQuickPan Magnum baseisdetailedbelow.Pleasemakesurethat allparts
areincluded.Examinethepartsforanysignsofshippingdamage.Intheevent
of shipping damage, immediately contact Kaidan to process claims.
Ifanyitems are missing or you notice anydamage,call Kaidan at 215-364-1778,
between the hours of 10:00 am and 6:00 PM, Mon-Fri, EST.
LevelAdjustment Screw(1of3)
QPX-2 (Micro-Tilt Base)
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Chapter 2
AssemblingtheQuickPan™
ATTACHING THE BASE TO YOUR TRIPOD
The QuickPan Magnum base has a 1/4-20 threaded hole in the bottom of the
base. This will accomodate the 1/4-20 threaded posts found on most tripods. If
yourtripodhasalargerthreadedpost,thenit ismost likelya3/8-16thread,which
ismorecommon in Europe.Contact Kaidan for moreinformation on obtaining
a base plate that has the 3/8-16 thread.
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Chapter 3
UsingtheQuickPan™
CHANGING THE INCREMENT ROTATION ANGLE
The QPX-2 uses a spring-loaded plunger indexing mechanism. A spring-loaded
brass plunger is located on the underneath side ofthe QuickPan.To remove the
plunger, simply unscrew the unit from the base. When removing or replacing
the plunger, be sure to hold on to the brass housing and not the dark colored
adjusting screwwhich protrudes from the end of the plunger.
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Chapter 4
UsingtheQuickPan™
ADJUSTING THE SPRING FORCE OF THE PLUNGER
The dark colored adjusting screw which protrudes from the end of the
plunger is used to vary the force of the spring plunger. This adjustment is
typicallyusedtoprovidemoreforcewhen theplunger ismovedtowardsthe
center of the detent. In general, the closer the plunger is to the center of the
wheel, the more force is required in order to achieve a satisfactory detent
action. You can also adjust the force simply to correspond to your personal
preference.
You can tighten or loosen the adjusting screwwhen the plunger is installed
or removed from the unit,as shown below.
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Chapter 5
UsingtheQuickPan™
WHICH HOLE SHOULD I USE?
The number of click-stop positions is determined bywhich hole the plunger
isthreadedinto.It isalsoafunction ofwhich detent wheelismountedon the
base.Thestandardwheel,QPD-1,isgoldcoloredandhas8,12,16,20and36posi-
tions. These positions correspond to the five threaded holes on the under-
neath ofthebase,with the8position location beingclosest tothecenter and
the 36 position location being furthest from the center.
You may also have (or wish to obtain) our QPDD-2 detent wheel. It is a light
purple color and has 10, 14, 18, 24 and 30 positions. In this case, the 10 position
location is closest to the center and the 30 position location is furthest.
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Chapter 6
UsingtheQuickPan™
STORING THE PLUNGER AND FREE ROTATION
You may find that you don’t want or need to use the click-stops. In this case,
you can remove the spring plunger.When the plunger is removed it does not
engage the holes on the detent wheel.
In this configuration, the detent wheel will spin freely, and it can be locked
into any desired position by use of the Clamp knob, which protrudes from
the side of the base as shown below (lower).
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Chapter 7
UsingtheQuickPan™
ATTACHING THE CAMERA BRACKET
Thecamerabracket (i.e.QPU-2)simplyscrewsontothetopofthedetent wheel
of the QuickPan.You don’t need to tighten the bracket excessively. Most pan-
oramas are produced by rotating the bracket in a clockwise direction (as
viewed from above), and this action normally tightens the bracket.
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Chapter 8
UsingtheQuickPan™
FINAL
ThecompletedQuickPan Magnum,with thecamerabracket isshown below.
Under normalusage,yourQuickPan shouldlast foryears.Youcan clean it with
a damp rag. Avoid soaking the rubberized cork faces of the camera bracket.
In time, you may need a replacement spring plunger tip - simply contact
Kaidan and we’ll send you a replacement at a nominal cost.
Every so often you should remove the detent wheel and plunger assembly
and clean these“hidden”areas.
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Chapter 9
UsingtheQuickPan™
HOW DO ILOCATE MY CAMERA’S NODAL POINT?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to QTVR
panorama creation. Once you understand the basics, you’ll be able to easily
locate the nodal point for any camera and lens combination.
Simply put, the nodal point is the point inside your camera where the light
rays converge and flip over.When shooting a QTVR panorama It’s necessary
to rotate about this point to eliminate the image mismatch caused byparal-
laxerror.
It’s also worth noting that the nodal point is not the same as the film plane,
which isoften markedon theunderneath sideofmany35mm cameras.Gen-
erally, for most 35mm cameras and lenses, the nodal point is located some-
where towards the center of the lens barrel.
Parallax error can be easily demonstrated by this simple experiment. Close
one eye and hold your index finger upright about six inches away from your
open eye. Rock your head from side to side. Notice how your finger moves
with respect to the background. This relative movement is due to the fact
that you’re not rotating your head around your eye’s nodal point, which is
somewhere in the center of your eyeball. Instead, you’re rotating about your
spine which is several inches to the rear and off to one side. It is this relative
side-to-side motion that we will strive to eliminate when setting up a cam-
era for VR panoramas.
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STEP 1:THE EASY PART -THE SIDE-TO-SIDE ADJUSTMENT
Onceyour camera is fastened toyour pan head,move to the front ofthe unit
so you’re looking into the lens. The center of the lens should be directly over
the pivot axis ofthe pan head.Adjust the side-to-side adjustment so the lens
is centered over the pivot.With the QuickPan™you can also measure (in milli-
meters) the distance from the camera’s mounting surface to the center of
the lens. Then, slide the bracket until the out-
side edge of the bottom of the vertical bracket
,(the sidewith the bubble level),alignswith the
appropriate number on the scale. (See Fig. to
right)
STEP 2:THE SLIGHTLY HARDER PART -
FORE-AFT ADJUSTMENT
This step is most easily accomplished out of
doors. Find a vertical edge or line, such as a doorway or edge of a building.
Position your camera and tripod about two feet away, or as close as possible
with the edge still in focus when you look through the viewfinder.
Looking through the camera’s viewfinder, find another vertical edge or line
that is far away, such as another building or telephone pole. Align the two
objects and rotate the pan head so they are in the left hand side of the
viewfinder.
Rotate the pan head so the two objects move over to the right hand side of
the viewfinder. Unless you’ve managed to unwittingly locate the right posi-
tion,you should notice the two objects will move with respect to each other
asyou rotate the pan from left to right.Slide the camera to the front or rear
as required to eliminate this relative movement.
It mayhelptofirst locatethecameraallthewaytothefront or rear andthen
move it a little bit at a time. This way you’ll more readily see the parallax ef-
fect and notice how it improves as you slide the bracket.
STEP 3:LEVEL THE CAMERA
Onceyouhavelocatedthefore-aft position,younowmust levelthecamera.If
your camera has a flash hot shoe,you can use a bubble level designed to slide
into the shoe. You should be able get these at a good photographic supply
store. Kaidan also has these levels for sale at competitive prices.
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Ifyour camera does not have a hot shoe, then you’ll need to level the camera
another way.Ifthe camera has a flat,level surface,then you can use a bubble
level. You should be able to locate a small level at a hardware store. If your
Looking through the
viewfinder align a
close object (brick
wall) with a faraway
object (telephone
pole).As you rotate
the camera from
side-to-side there
should be no relat ive
movement between
the two objects as
shown to the right .
there are no level surfaces, then you may have to resort to“eyeballing”.
If, as shown to the
right , the two objects
move with respect to
one and another in
the viewinder, slide
the camera fore or
aft in order to elimi-
nate this movement .
Here, the telephone
pole has moved be-
hind the brick wall.
STEP 4:RECORD YOUR RESULTS
After you’ve discovered the two location dimensions, be sure to record the
settings.The QuickPan camera bracket has a convenient indicator scales for
thispurpose.Thesenumbersrepresent thenodalpoint for thisgiven camera
and lens combination. If you change cameras or lenses, this procedure may
have to be repeated.
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STEP 5:HOW ABOUT RANGEFINDER CAMERAS?
A rangefinder camera is a camera where you look through a separate
viewfinder andnot throughtheactuallens. Theprocessisbasicallythesame.
Locate the Side-to-Side adjustment as discussed in Step 1. When it comes to
the Fore-Aft adjustment,youwon’t be able to lookthrough theviewfinder to
determine the proper setting since theviewfinder is a separate optical path
that doesn’t really“see” the same image as the film.
Instead,you’ll have to start with the bracket all thewayto the front and take
pairs oftest shots.Each pair will have theverticallyaligned objects in the left
and then the right side of the viewfinder.After each pair of photos, slide the
bracket rearward and repeat the process. Slide the bracket the same incre-
ment each time(i.e.10mm).Besuretorecordthescalesettingfor each pair of
images. Process the film, or in the case of digital cameras, download the im-
ages to your computer.
At the end of this process you will be able locate the pair of images with the
least relative movement. If no single image is optimum,you may need to in-
terpolate between two images to find the closest value.
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Chapter 10
TakingPhotoswiththe
QuickPan™
HOW MUCH OVERLAP?
The amount you turn the camera for each shot varies. It is dependent on a
number of factors such as the field of view (the angle) of your camera and
lens, as well as which program you intend to use. For example, Apple recom-
mends that the images should overlap by anywhere from one-third to one-
half. You should checkwith the recommendations of the software that you
intend to use in order to determine overlap requirements.
HOW MANY SHOTS?
Once you’ve determined the overlap, you’ll be able to figure out how many
shots.Theeasiest waytodothisistosimplylookthrough theviewfinder and
turn the camera to achieve the desired amount of overlap. You then check
the angle readout to see how far you turned the camera. Round the angular
value to the nearest convenient value.For most stitching programs, it is gen-
erally not that important to use a precise overlap value.
However, it should be noted that some programs are more sensitive to an
overlap value that constantly repeats from shot to shot. You may need to
experiment somewhat to obtain the best results.
TAKING THE PHOTOS
When you’re ready to shoot, make sure that the camera and QuickPan™ are
securelyattached.You should use a tripod that is sturdy, ideallyone that has
a center support system of braces to help keep the camera and QuickPan™
from excessive flexing. Some tripods have built-in bubble levels which make
it easy to level the unit.
Proper levelingisimportant.Wediscussedearlier,theprocessfor levelingthe
camera in elevation (looking up and down on theVertical Bracket),nowthat
you’re readyto shoot,it is important that the rotation plane ofthe camera is
level as well.
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TAKING THE PHOTOS (CONTINUED)
Using the twin-axis bubble level on the bottom of the Vertical Bracket, ob-
serve it while you level the tripod. Of course, this task is much easier if your
tripod also has a tilt head.
Once the tripod and QuickPan™ are level, now is the time to double check to
see if the camera is level in elevation. If it needs to be adjusted, loosen the
Captive knob just a slight amount and tilt the camera accordingly. Be sure
not to change the Fore-Aft dimension.Tighten the Captive knob.
Rotate the camera so that the lens is facing the direction you want to take
your first shot. Depending on whether the stitching software that you’re us-
ing prefers having the photos taken in a clockwise or counterclockwise se-
quence,you’llhavetoeithercount thenumber ofshotsbeingtakenfromyour
start position.
At thispoint,you’rereadytoshoot thephotos.Asyoushoot aroundthecircle,
tryto avoid capturing anymoving objects that might come intoyour field of
view. There is no harm in waiting, for example, while a person walks past
before shooting the photo.
Youmayalsowant tocheckwiththesoftwaredeveloperofthestitchingsoft-
ware that you’re using to get their recommendations for exposure settings
and other camera settings.
We hope you enjoy shooting your panoramas and if you have any questions
or problems using our equipment, please let us know. We would also like to
see the results ofyour workandwould be glad to consider placingyour work
on our website, or to put a linkto your website as well.
Thankyou,
The Kaidan team.
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