First impressions
As someone venturing in to serious panoramic photography for the first time this all looked a bit daunting, so I turned to the quick reference guide looking for instructions, unfortunately I was left a little disappointed. The quick reference guide consists of one folded A4 sheet with printed diagrams on both sides. The 7 diagrams show the Nodal Ninja 3 and the various adaptors in several of their many configuration options but there are no instructions to indicate how to assemble or achieve the best settings. The instructions on the guide state that
‘For the complete Manual, tutorials, videos, and settings visit the Nodal ninja website’ and to be fair, once I did, I found everything I needed to set it up really quickly and with no trouble at all. It is actually very easy to set up (you just attach the vertical arm to the horizontal base by means of the already attached screw). I feel that a simple one page text/diagram document would have been beneficial and more than capable of guiding me through that process without the need to access the web. Many of the parts included in the package are FREE extras or ‘spares’ and they are not required unless you are using certain camera equipment, or until you wish to replace worn or damaged parts. Without knowing that, at the time of unpacking they only served to confuse things. A simple text note in the package explaining this, would have prevented me feeling a little overwhelmed by the perceived complexity of it all while at the same time, reducing the confusion.
Build quality and guarantee.
The first thing you notice as you unpack the Nodal Ninja 3 is how well it is made. The main components are made from precision machined metal, painted matt black and finished to an excellent standard. There are no rough edges, everything is smooth and fits together accurately and securely. The main knobs are either made from metal (with machined knurled edges for additional grip) or what I assume is plastic finished with a quality anti-slip type rubber (again well made). Where parts are made to glide, slide or rotate they do so smoothly and with no play. Where metal surfaces meet, there are rubber protection pads or Teflon washers. The measurement markings are all accurate and the whole product screams of quality. It is not surprising that with build and construction quality this high the Nodal Ninja comes with a full 2 year guarantee plus a 30 day money back offer in the unlikely event that you should be unhappy with it after it first arrives. As already mentioned, supplied free within the package are several ‘spares’ but after inspecting and using the product, I doubt that you will find much use for them, such is the build quality. They are still a nice addition to have though.