(click here for more info)
June 2010
If you have arrived at this page without seeing my previous attempts you may want to visit those pages to get a better understanding of what I have been building.
Increasing Resolution - where the whole
thing began for me.
Thoughts on a digital workflow -
this is a good description of the process of mosaics shot with a panorama head.
Original Panohead Design -
Building a Universal Panorama Head - my first
and very crude build of a general purpose panorama head.
Panohead Design Update - the design wich
immediately predates this one.
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| Latest Construction |
Previous Construction (click here for more info) |
Above (left) is the panohead I am currently using. This version was built for me by William Koenig. Bill found my last article Panorama Head Update on my website and we collaborated on some design refinements. Along with being a skilled photographer, Bill is a skilled machinist. After he constructed his panohead he was kind enough to execute one for me.
The refinements in this design include:
All rotating elements constructed of Aluminum.
Clutch Guard constructed of Delrin to act as a bearing surface - greatly improving the smoothness of rotation.
Clutch constructed of Stainless Steel to prevent gauling.
All rails are pinned in place making their alignment perfect.
Angle Bracket has a boss that keeps it centered in the groove of the rails.
All scales are printed with carbon pigments on waterproof vinyl and then laminated to be very tough and waterproof.
Vertical pivot locking screw was changed to 1/4 inch for more clamping force.
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CAD Drawings
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Future Improvements
I'm considering adding locking detents to the base assembly to make shooting a panorama a bit faster. Below are some quick renderings of how I think this might work. The idea is to attach a ring to the base that has notches cut at all the positions I would like the base to stop at. There is a spring loaded pin that fits into the notch. Conceptually pretty simple. I have yet to try executing it. My biggest problem is that I'm a complete hack at machining. I have no skills so anything I attempt is just winging it. (That's why Bill making me a panohead was such a gift.)
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As always I'm open to ideas and suggestions.