For those who may not be familiar with the various panoramic heads available, the Nodal Ninja 3 is quite unique in many ways. It boasts of being one of the smallest heads available and connected with its two part design (which makes it easy and quick to assemble/disassembled and store), it is one of the lightest panoramic heads on the market. At the time of this review, it is also one of the cheapest too. In a world where panoramic heads regularly cost upwards of £500, and heads over £1000 are common, it is incredible that a product of this quality and specification costs just $199.
Compare with other---------Approx. Weight----Approx.Size Closed----Approx. Retail Price (US$)
All Metal Pano Heads:
Nodal Ninja 3----------------475 grams----------7” x 2” x 2”-----------$199.95
Peace RiverStudios 3Sixty-----3 lbs. 15oz.---------13" x 5" x 8"------------$1,236.00
360Precision (for D200)-------4lbs-----------------8.2" x 4" x 2.2”---------$990.00
Reallly Right Stuff-------------2 lbs . 9oz.----------12” x 6” x 4”------------$800
Kaidan QuickPan III------------4 lbs. 12oz.---------12" x 5.5" x 3"----------$628.90
Manfrotto 303SPH-------------4 lbs. 4 oz.----------11" x 7" x 6"-----------$517.95
Setting up and using the head
Once you know the correct settings required for the entry pupil of your camera and lens combination, setting up the Nodal Ninja 3 is a breeze. The base is designed so that both 3/8” and 1/4” screw thread tripod mounts can be used, this makes it compatible with the majority of tripod makes and models. The base plate which contains the levelling bubble, screws directly on to your trip legs (or ball mount), then on to that you attach the two piece upright section by means of a screw thread knob and finally you attach the camera on to the upper bar by means of another screw knob. All this can be done in just a few seconds and requires no tools whatsoever. All knobs are designed to be hand tightened and once in position, both the head itself and the camera are very solid and show no signs of play or movement. Once assembled and attached you simply adjust the tripod to ensure that the NN3 is perfectly level, something that can be easily achieved and confirmed with reference to the level bubble on the NN3. Then you are ready to begin your shoot.
Your chosen subject, the focal range of your lens and your desired end result, a horizontal or spherical panoramic for instance and whether it is to be say a 180/240 or even a 360 degree panorama will dictate the number of shots required and the amount of movement required along the axis between shots to cover the whole scene. For the best results it is recommended to allow 20-30% overlap between every image taken so that you can align them afterwards. This is where the different detent plates that I mentioned earlier come in to play. As you rotate the NN3 it clicks into position to confirm your settings. You take the photo and then move it to the next position and due to the detent plate and pressure pin design it ‘clicks’ into place, here you then take your next photo and again rotate the NN3 around the base until you have completed the full shoot. You can confirm the amount of rotation visually by referring to the accurate markings on the main rotator or trust to the very accurate ‘clicks’ as you go along. The various detent plates allow different amounts of rotation to be set in between clicks and you would select the one that matches up with your own camera/lens combination as well as your intended shoot of the scene. For a very wide lens you might be able to attain a full 360 panorama with just four frames but for this review I was using a Canon 17-40L at 17mm on a Canon 20D camera (1.6x crop factor) so I used the detent plate which gave me 12 stops/frames for the full scene.
Detent plates - note these are double sided
The flip side of the above detent plates
Changing the detent plates, like everything else on the NN3, is straightforward and quick. You simply unscrew the main knob and lift off the horizontal bar, this gives you access to the plate underneath. Each of the detent plates has a different range on each side and so it is either a case of flipping one over or replacing it with the correct one to select the different degrees of rotation between each shot. Re-assembly is the exact same process in reverse and the final steps involve adjustment of the resistance of the rotation friction to your desired amount while ensuring no play is introduced. The large knob tightens or reduces the resistance while the centre chrome slotted section acts as a locking device which locks the desired resistance. The whole process can be done (again with no tools) in just a couple of minutes. The NN3 even allows for the adjustment of the resistance from the pin that clicks into the ‘stops’ as you rotate it. For this adjustment you will need to utilise one of the supplied Hex keys although in my experience it only needs to be done once. Set it and leave it.