Nodal Ninja 5 Full Spherical Multirow Panoramic QTVR Tripod Head

by Fanotec

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 15 pounds
• ASIN: B001K38Y5O
• Item model number: NN5-PKG
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 20, 2009

Product Description

Fits almost all DSLR including Nikon D3, Canon MKIII, etc) and even many medium format cameras and supports DSLR's with optional battery grips. At 850 grams it is still lighter and more compact than comparable pano heads. Reversible detent rings (click stops) available = 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 30, 36 click stops around. This pano head is an excellent choice when using heavier gear and longer focal length lenses. Used by amateurs and professionals alike this pano head is easy to setup and use. It is extremely versatile with it's universal design.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want the highest quality pano head, look no further, August 18, 2009

By 

Justin Call (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nodal Ninja 5 Full Spherical Multirow Panoramic QTVR Tripod Head (Electronics)

I bought this panoramic tripod head after reading a very favorable review in Digital Photographer Magazine (UK). After having used it for a few months, I can say with assurance that this is an amazing product. Here's why:

Pros:
-Small and portable. Comes in a semi-ridgid case that is relatively small (about the size of a large paperback). Many other tripod heads are very large and difficult to transport. I've carried this on many hikes with negligible trouble.
-High quality craftsmanship. Metal frame with durable plastic knobs and rubber grips. I've beat this up and it hasn't shown any signs of decresed performance. Comes with extra stoppers, gaskets, etc.
-Easy to use (except at first, see cons). Once you get the hang of it, it's very easy to set up and start shooting. Panoramas are a long process, don't expect to make one in just a few seconds though.
-Great product support from company and community. Check out the Nodal Ninja website at [...].
-Allows you to make multirow panoramas with perfect alignment.

Cons:
-Confusing at first. There's a learning curve here, don't expect the wordless "setup manual" to help much. Download the full guide from their website (free).
-Price. Expensive, you get what you pay for.

Things to be aware of:
-Don't expect to be able to stitch the photos together without some proper stitching software. I recommend Autopano Pro, reasonalbly priced, easy to use, and very effective.
-As I said before, making panoramic photos is a long process. Use the gear correctly and you'll get some great results.
-You have to find the entrance pupil (aka nodal point) for you camera/lens combonation manually. There are vaious guides on how to do this on the web.

The Nodal Ninja 5 is a great tripod head and, as you can see from the cons, there's very little you can say bad about it. I highly recommend it to those who are looking to take some serious panoramic photographs.