Kaidan QPX 2 User Manual

QuickPanMagnum  
UsersGuide  
Photographic VR  
Panoramic Tripod Head  
( QPX-2 )  
The professionals choice in Photographic  
VR tripod heads.  
Chapter1  
UnpackingyourQuickPan™  
UNPACKING THE BOX  
This manual covers the QuickPan Magnum QPX-2. See the figure below. De-  
pending on howyou purchased your QuickPan, it might have shipped with a  
camerabracket,suchasourQPU-2,orit might haveshippedwithout abracket  
and then onlythe indexing basewould be in the box.Ifyour unit camewith a  
camera bracket, such as the QPU-2, then youll want to refer to the separate  
manual for that unit to make sure that all the components are included.  
TheQuickPan Magnum baseisdetailedbelow.Pleasemakesurethat allparts  
areincluded.Examinethepartsforanysignsofshippingdamage.Intheevent  
of shipping damage, immediately contact Kaidan to process claims.  
Ifanyitems are missing or you notice anydamage,call Kaidan at 215-364-1778,  
between the hours of 10:00 am and 6:00 PM, Mon-Fri, EST.  
LevelAdjustment Screw(1of3)  
QPX-2 (Micro-Tilt Base)  
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Chapter 2  
AssemblingtheQuickPan™  
ATTACHING THE BASE TO YOUR TRIPOD  
The QuickPan Magnum base has a 1/4-20 threaded hole in the bottom of the  
base. This will accomodate the 1/4-20 threaded posts found on most tripods. If  
yourtripodhasalargerthreadedpost,thenit ismost likelya3/8-16thread,which  
ismorecommon in Europe.Contact Kaidan for moreinformation on obtaining  
a base plate that has the 3/8-16 thread.  
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Chapter 3  
UsingtheQuickPan™  
CHANGING THE INCREMENT ROTATION ANGLE  
The QPX-2 uses a spring-loaded plunger indexing mechanism. A spring-loaded  
brass plunger is located on the underneath side ofthe QuickPan.To remove the  
plunger, simply unscrew the unit from the base. When removing or replacing  
the plunger, be sure to hold on to the brass housing and not the dark colored  
adjusting screwwhich protrudes from the end of the plunger.  
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Chapter 4  
UsingtheQuickPan™  
ADJUSTING THE SPRING FORCE OF THE PLUNGER  
The dark colored adjusting screw which protrudes from the end of the  
plunger is used to vary the force of the spring plunger. This adjustment is  
typicallyusedtoprovidemoreforcewhen theplunger ismovedtowardsthe  
center of the detent. In general, the closer the plunger is to the center of the  
wheel, the more force is required in order to achieve a satisfactory detent  
action. You can also adjust the force simply to correspond to your personal  
preference.  
You can tighten or loosen the adjusting screwwhen the plunger is installed  
or removed from the unit,as shown below.  
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Chapter 5  
UsingtheQuickPan™  
WHICH HOLE SHOULD I USE?  
The number of click-stop positions is determined bywhich hole the plunger  
isthreadedinto.It isalsoafunction ofwhich detent wheelismountedon the  
base.Thestandardwheel,QPD-1,isgoldcoloredandhas8,12,16,20and36posi-  
tions. These positions correspond to the five threaded holes on the under-  
neath ofthebase,with the8position location beingclosest tothecenter and  
the 36 position location being furthest from the center.  
You may also have (or wish to obtain) our QPDD-2 detent wheel. It is a light  
purple color and has 10, 14, 18, 24 and 30 positions. In this case, the 10 position  
location is closest to the center and the 30 position location is furthest.  
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Chapter 6  
UsingtheQuickPan™  
STORING THE PLUNGER AND FREE ROTATION  
You may find that you dont want or need to use the click-stops. In this case,  
you can remove the spring plunger.When the plunger is removed it does not  
engage the holes on the detent wheel.  
In this configuration, the detent wheel will spin freely, and it can be locked  
into any desired position by use of the Clamp knob, which protrudes from  
the side of the base as shown below (lower).  
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Chapter 7  
UsingtheQuickPan™  
ATTACHING THE CAMERA BRACKET  
Thecamerabracket (i.e.QPU-2)simplyscrewsontothetopofthedetent wheel  
of the QuickPan.You dont need to tighten the bracket excessively. Most pan-  
oramas are produced by rotating the bracket in a clockwise direction (as  
viewed from above), and this action normally tightens the bracket.  
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Chapter 8  
UsingtheQuickPan™  
FINAL  
ThecompletedQuickPan Magnum,with thecamerabracket isshown below.  
Under normalusage,yourQuickPan shouldlast foryears.Youcan clean it with  
a damp rag. Avoid soaking the rubberized cork faces of the camera bracket.  
In time, you may need a replacement spring plunger tip - simply contact  
Kaidan and well send you a replacement at a nominal cost.  
Every so often you should remove the detent wheel and plunger assembly  
and clean thesehiddenareas.  
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Chapter 9  
UsingtheQuickPan™  
HOW DO ILOCATE MY CAMERAS NODAL POINT?  
This is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to QTVR  
panorama creation. Once you understand the basics, youll be able to easily  
locate the nodal point for any camera and lens combination.  
Simply put, the nodal point is the point inside your camera where the light  
rays converge and flip over.When shooting a QTVR panorama Its necessary  
to rotate about this point to eliminate the image mismatch caused byparal-  
laxerror.  
Its also worth noting that the nodal point is not the same as the film plane,  
which isoften markedon theunderneath sideofmany35mm cameras.Gen-  
erally, for most 35mm cameras and lenses, the nodal point is located some-  
where towards the center of the lens barrel.  
Parallax error can be easily demonstrated by this simple experiment. Close  
one eye and hold your index finger upright about six inches away from your  
open eye. Rock your head from side to side. Notice how your finger moves  
with respect to the background. This relative movement is due to the fact  
that youre not rotating your head around your eyes nodal point, which is  
somewhere in the center of your eyeball. Instead, youre rotating about your  
spine which is several inches to the rear and off to one side. It is this relative  
side-to-side motion that we will strive to eliminate when setting up a cam-  
era for VR panoramas.  
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STEP 1:THE EASY PART -THE SIDE-TO-SIDE ADJUSTMENT  
Onceyour camera is fastened toyour pan head,move to the front ofthe unit  
so youre looking into the lens. The center of the lens should be directly over  
the pivot axis ofthe pan head.Adjust the side-to-side adjustment so the lens  
is centered over the pivot.With the QuickPanyou can also measure (in milli-  
meters) the distance from the cameras mounting surface to the center of  
the lens. Then, slide the bracket until the out-  
side edge of the bottom of the vertical bracket  
,(the sidewith the bubble level),alignswith the  
appropriate number on the scale. (See Fig. to  
right)  
STEP 2:THE SLIGHTLY HARDER PART -  
FORE-AFT ADJUSTMENT  
This step is most easily accomplished out of  
doors. Find a vertical edge or line, such as a doorway or edge of a building.  
Position your camera and tripod about two feet away, or as close as possible  
with the edge still in focus when you look through the viewfinder.  
Looking through the cameras viewfinder, find another vertical edge or line  
that is far away, such as another building or telephone pole. Align the two  
objects and rotate the pan head so they are in the left hand side of the  
viewfinder.  
Rotate the pan head so the two objects move over to the right hand side of  
the viewfinder. Unless youve managed to unwittingly locate the right posi-  
tion,you should notice the two objects will move with respect to each other  
asyou rotate the pan from left to right.Slide the camera to the front or rear  
as required to eliminate this relative movement.  
It mayhelptofirst locatethecameraallthewaytothefront or rear andthen  
move it a little bit at a time. This way youll more readily see the parallax ef-  
fect and notice how it improves as you slide the bracket.  
STEP 3:LEVEL THE CAMERA  
Onceyouhavelocatedthefore-aft position,younowmust levelthecamera.If  
your camera has a flash hot shoe,you can use a bubble level designed to slide  
into the shoe. You should be able get these at a good photographic supply  
store. Kaidan also has these levels for sale at competitive prices.  
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Ifyour camera does not have a hot shoe, then youll need to level the camera  
another way.Ifthe camera has a flat,level surface,then you can use a bubble  
level. You should be able to locate a small level at a hardware store. If your  
Looking through the  
viewfinder align a  
close object (brick  
wall) with a faraway  
object (telephone  
pole).As you rotate  
the camera from  
side-to-side there  
should be no relat ive  
movement between  
the two objects as  
shown to the right .  
there are no level surfaces, then you may have to resort toeyeballing.  
If, as shown to the  
right , the two objects  
move with respect to  
one and another in  
the viewinder, slide  
the camera fore or  
aft in order to elimi-  
nate this movement .  
Here, the telephone  
pole has moved be-  
hind the brick wall.  
STEP 4:RECORD YOUR RESULTS  
After youve discovered the two location dimensions, be sure to record the  
settings.The QuickPan camera bracket has a convenient indicator scales for  
thispurpose.Thesenumbersrepresent thenodalpoint for thisgiven camera  
and lens combination. If you change cameras or lenses, this procedure may  
have to be repeated.  
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STEP 5:HOW ABOUT RANGEFINDER CAMERAS?  
A rangefinder camera is a camera where you look through a separate  
viewfinder andnot throughtheactuallens. Theprocessisbasicallythesame.  
Locate the Side-to-Side adjustment as discussed in Step 1. When it comes to  
the Fore-Aft adjustment,youwont be able to lookthrough theviewfinder to  
determine the proper setting since theviewfinder is a separate optical path  
that doesnt reallysee” the same image as the film.  
Instead,youll have to start with the bracket all thewayto the front and take  
pairs oftest shots.Each pair will have theverticallyaligned objects in the left  
and then the right side of the viewfinder.After each pair of photos, slide the  
bracket rearward and repeat the process. Slide the bracket the same incre-  
ment each time(i.e.10mm).Besuretorecordthescalesettingfor each pair of  
images. Process the film, or in the case of digital cameras, download the im-  
ages to your computer.  
At the end of this process you will be able locate the pair of images with the  
least relative movement. If no single image is optimum,you may need to in-  
terpolate between two images to find the closest value.  
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Chapter 10  
TakingPhotoswiththe  
QuickPan™  
HOW MUCH OVERLAP?  
The amount you turn the camera for each shot varies. It is dependent on a  
number of factors such as the field of view (the angle) of your camera and  
lens, as well as which program you intend to use. For example, Apple recom-  
mends that the images should overlap by anywhere from one-third to one-  
half. You should checkwith the recommendations of the software that you  
intend to use in order to determine overlap requirements.  
HOW MANY SHOTS?  
Once youve determined the overlap, youll be able to figure out how many  
shots.Theeasiest waytodothisistosimplylookthrough theviewfinder and  
turn the camera to achieve the desired amount of overlap. You then check  
the angle readout to see how far you turned the camera. Round the angular  
value to the nearest convenient value.For most stitching programs, it is gen-  
erally not that important to use a precise overlap value.  
However, it should be noted that some programs are more sensitive to an  
overlap value that constantly repeats from shot to shot. You may need to  
experiment somewhat to obtain the best results.  
TAKING THE PHOTOS  
When youre ready to shoot, make sure that the camera and QuickPan™ are  
securelyattached.You should use a tripod that is sturdy, ideallyone that has  
a center support system of braces to help keep the camera and QuickPan™  
from excessive flexing. Some tripods have built-in bubble levels which make  
it easy to level the unit.  
Proper levelingisimportant.Wediscussedearlier,theprocessfor levelingthe  
camera in elevation (looking up and down on theVertical Bracket),nowthat  
youre readyto shoot,it is important that the rotation plane ofthe camera is  
level as well.  
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TAKING THE PHOTOS (CONTINUED)  
Using the twin-axis bubble level on the bottom of the Vertical Bracket, ob-  
serve it while you level the tripod. Of course, this task is much easier if your  
tripod also has a tilt head.  
Once the tripod and QuickPan™ are level, now is the time to double check to  
see if the camera is level in elevation. If it needs to be adjusted, loosen the  
Captive knob just a slight amount and tilt the camera accordingly. Be sure  
not to change the Fore-Aft dimension.Tighten the Captive knob.  
Rotate the camera so that the lens is facing the direction you want to take  
your first shot. Depending on whether the stitching software that youre us-  
ing prefers having the photos taken in a clockwise or counterclockwise se-  
quence,youllhavetoeithercount thenumber ofshotsbeingtakenfromyour  
start position.  
At thispoint,yourereadytoshoot thephotos.Asyoushoot aroundthecircle,  
tryto avoid capturing anymoving objects that might come intoyour field of  
view. There is no harm in waiting, for example, while a person walks past  
before shooting the photo.  
Youmayalsowant tocheckwiththesoftwaredeveloperofthestitchingsoft-  
ware that youre using to get their recommendations for exposure settings  
and other camera settings.  
We hope you enjoy shooting your panoramas and if you have any questions  
or problems using our equipment, please let us know. We would also like to  
see the results ofyour workandwould be glad to consider placingyour work  
on our website, or to put a linkto your website as well.  
Thankyou,  
The Kaidan team.  
Page - 16  

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