{{unreferenced, date=July 2018
A panoramic tripod head is a piece of photographic equipment, mounted to a
tripod
A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...
, which allows photographers to shoot a sequence of images around the
entrance pupil
In an optical system, the entrance pupil is the optical image of the physical aperture stop, as 'seen' through the optical elements in front of the stop. The corresponding image of the aperture stop as seen through the optical elements behin ...
of a
lens
A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'') ...
that can be used to produce a
panorama
A panorama (formed from Greek language, Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any Obtuse angle, wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography (panoramic photography), film, seismic image ...
. The primary function of the panoramic head is to precisely set the point of rotation about the entrance pupil for a given lens and
focal length
The focal length of an Optics, optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light; it is the Multiplicative inverse, inverse of the system's optical power. A positive focal length indicates that a system Converge ...
, eliminating
parallax
Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different sightline, lines of sight and is measured by the angle or half-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to perspective (graphica ...
error.
To take a panorama, the camera is rotated at fixed angular increments, taking an image at each point. These images can then be assembled ( stitched) using stitching software, which allows the images to be aligned and combined into a single seamless panoramic image, either automatically (using image analysis) or manually (with user supplied control points). The final panoramic image can then be viewed or printed as a flat image or viewed interactively using specific playback software.
Professional models include precision bearings, scales to allow the user to take photos at specific angles, detents to stop at common angles and integrated
level
Level or levels may refer to:
Engineering
*Level (optical instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights
* Spirit level or bubble level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical
*C ...
s to aid in adjusting the tripod.
Robotic panoramic heads are also available. The robotic head performs the rotation and image capture functions automatically under computer control. Robotic heads can also be used with time-lapse photography.
External links
Panoramic Head Comparison list and short description of both commercial and self-made heads from PanoTools.org
Build your own Panoramic Head nbsp;— Contains a series of illustrations showing how to make a simple panoramic tripod head.
nbsp;— Contains a series of illustrations showing how to make a panoramic tripod head.
nbsp;— One of the most popular panoramic heads.
Panohero panoramic tripod head — One of the smallest panoramic heads — for action cameras. Nodal Samurai A homemade panoramic tripod head bracket for around $2. Panoramic Tripod Head setup guide Guide on YouTube: How to find the Nodal Point (no parallax point) of your lens...
Panorama photography