Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
Thanks Mike
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a7R, Gigapans, Big panoramas, stitching software & more fun
- Thread starter MikeEvangelist
- Start date
V
Vivek
Guest
No stitch but the gear is ready.
Happy Halloween!
Sony A7r, Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 (hood shaved), ISO3200, f/5.6, 1/13s
My thanks to John here for the selling this gem.
Happy Halloween!
Sony A7r, Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 (hood shaved), ISO3200, f/5.6, 1/13s
My thanks to John here for the selling this gem.
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
Nice shot
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
Something different this year instead of candy. My wife decided to buy these really cool glow sticks that light light up all different colors. Now either they will love them or think we are nuts. Lol
Mike,
I have been searching for good information on using a Gigapan with a Sony a7R, and you seem to be the only person I can find with solid information on cabling the two together. So, thank you for posting this. I have rented a Gigapan EP in the past, but now I'm looking at purchasing one for a rather large job that is coming up. Before I take the plunge, I am wonder if I can inconvenience you with some questions.
-Now that you have had the Gigapan EP for a while, are you still happy with how it is working for you? Do you still think that it is the best affordable solution for shooting large stitched panos?
-I noticed that you have replaced the Gigapan rail with one from Really Right Stuff. Can you elaborate on how you did this? Is it a simple process to replace the original rail. I have the Really Right Stuff hardware that I have used for manual panos, so it would be great if I could easily replace the Gigapan rail with what I already own and create a more stable platform for my camera.
-Since you wrote the explanation on how to create a Sony cable, have you heard of anyone who is actually making and selling them? I have had little luck finding one online.
Any feedback that you can provide is greatly appreciated.
Thanks very much,
Phil Nelson
I have been searching for good information on using a Gigapan with a Sony a7R, and you seem to be the only person I can find with solid information on cabling the two together. So, thank you for posting this. I have rented a Gigapan EP in the past, but now I'm looking at purchasing one for a rather large job that is coming up. Before I take the plunge, I am wonder if I can inconvenience you with some questions.
-Now that you have had the Gigapan EP for a while, are you still happy with how it is working for you? Do you still think that it is the best affordable solution for shooting large stitched panos?
-I noticed that you have replaced the Gigapan rail with one from Really Right Stuff. Can you elaborate on how you did this? Is it a simple process to replace the original rail. I have the Really Right Stuff hardware that I have used for manual panos, so it would be great if I could easily replace the Gigapan rail with what I already own and create a more stable platform for my camera.
-Since you wrote the explanation on how to create a Sony cable, have you heard of anyone who is actually making and selling them? I have had little luck finding one online.
Any feedback that you can provide is greatly appreciated.
Thanks very much,
Phil Nelson
MikeEvangelist
Member
Yes, still happy with the gear. If you can find one to buy, I'm sure you'll like it.
The Gigapan company seems to have folded, and the products have been picked up by this place - Omega Brandess. Not sure if they're going to keep it going, or just sell out existing stock.
Yes, it's easy, RRS offers a kit - GigaPan Clamp Bar. A big improvement in solidity.
No, haven't seen anyone offering that sort of thing. Hopefully if the new company continues the products, they'll decide to make a Sony cable for it, eventually.
k-hawinkler
Well-known member
Anything you don't like about it?
MikeEvangelist
Member
The control interface is a little clunky, but it gets the job done. Mechanically, it's excellent.
GrahamWelland
Subscriber & Workshop Member
Mike
How have you got on with the Gigapan batteries? I've had an Epic Pro for a few years but the biggest problem is that I seldom use it and I ended up with three batteries that basically discharged and bit the dust.
I'll check out the Omega Brandes site to see if they have any batteries. I was tempted to abandon the battery route and just go with an external power source instead. As you know, those big panos can use up a lot of juice.
Highly recommend the RRS rail too. A world of difference to the std mount. I also use the RRS dovetail baseplate for the BH-55 on the base too so that it's easy to mount on an Arca compatible head.
How have you got on with the Gigapan batteries? I've had an Epic Pro for a few years but the biggest problem is that I seldom use it and I ended up with three batteries that basically discharged and bit the dust.
I'll check out the Omega Brandes site to see if they have any batteries. I was tempted to abandon the battery route and just go with an external power source instead. As you know, those big panos can use up a lot of juice.
Highly recommend the RRS rail too. A world of difference to the std mount. I also use the RRS dovetail baseplate for the BH-55 on the base too so that it's easy to mount on an Arca compatible head.
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MikeEvangelist
Member
So far my two batteries are holding up. But down the road it could get a little complicated if the product is orphaned.
Me too. It's excellent. Round-Dovetail-Plate.html
scho
Well-known member
Batteries are a real problem with the Epic Pro 100 that I have. It uses 6 AA batteries and they just don't have enough power to do more than one pano. I carry 3 sets on a multi pano shoot and usually use them all. If there is an alternative power supply available I would appreciate hearing about it.
MikeEvangelist
Member
Another thought on the Epic Pro batteries - although the outer plastic case for the battery pack is sealed shut, I managed to crack open a dead one to see what it's made of. The cells are standard C-size, so it shouldn't be too hard to re-cell once the need arises.
MikeEvangelist
Member
Wow, that's inconvenient. The special battery pack for the Epic Pro has c-size cells, so runs somewhat longer than that. My pans are typically under 40-50 shots, so I'm certainly not stressing the system. (and, I never leave home without at least two fully charged packs.)
Mike,
Thanks for the quick reply. I did not realize that it was going to be difficult, maybe impossible, to purchase a Gigapan Epic Pro. I ran down the list of Gigapan's North American retailers from their website, checking for availability, and not one of them has a unit available. I checked Omega Brandess as well and did not get a strong indication that this product is going to be continued.
I proceeded from there to search for other motorized systems and the only reasonably priced alternative I could find is the Kolor Panogear. From what I read at Kolor's web site and elsewhere, I am not confident that this is a strong alternative to the Gigapan. Other than renting a unit, I believe my only other course of action is with a manual solution like the Nodal Ninja.
If you, or anyone reading this, has knowledge of where to purchase a Gigapan Epic Pro, experience with the Panogear or Nodal Ninja, or thoughts on other reliable solutions, I would love to hear from you.
Thanks much,
Phil
Thanks for the quick reply. I did not realize that it was going to be difficult, maybe impossible, to purchase a Gigapan Epic Pro. I ran down the list of Gigapan's North American retailers from their website, checking for availability, and not one of them has a unit available. I checked Omega Brandess as well and did not get a strong indication that this product is going to be continued.
I proceeded from there to search for other motorized systems and the only reasonably priced alternative I could find is the Kolor Panogear. From what I read at Kolor's web site and elsewhere, I am not confident that this is a strong alternative to the Gigapan. Other than renting a unit, I believe my only other course of action is with a manual solution like the Nodal Ninja.
If you, or anyone reading this, has knowledge of where to purchase a Gigapan Epic Pro, experience with the Panogear or Nodal Ninja, or thoughts on other reliable solutions, I would love to hear from you.
Thanks much,
Phil
MikeEvangelist
Member
I haven't used the Panogear, but looking over the specs, etc, it seems like it might be a viable option. Kolor is a good company, and their Autopano Giga software is extremely capable (it's what I use to stitch my pans.)
That said, I'd probably still go for the Gigapan if you can find one.
That said, I'd probably still go for the Gigapan if you can find one.
Yeah, thanks. I might have to start looking outside North America. From what I have read of the Panogear, I would much prefer the Gigapan.
MikeEvangelist
Member
They show up occasionally on eBay, but that takes some patience.
Mike - I love your posts, would you mind if we used the pic of your Epic Pro in front of the library on the Gigapan Facebook page?
PNelson - Epic Pro's are back in stock, you can get them from OmegaBrandess Directly or B & H Photo to name a few. Send me a message if you need more information.
OmegaBrandess will in keep creating the products and continue to develop and evolve the product lineup as well. The Epic line of product and the accessories will continue to be available for a very long time.
I love all this discussion and passion for the products!
Jason Larson
PNelson - Epic Pro's are back in stock, you can get them from OmegaBrandess Directly or B & H Photo to name a few. Send me a message if you need more information.
OmegaBrandess will in keep creating the products and continue to develop and evolve the product lineup as well. The Epic line of product and the accessories will continue to be available for a very long time.
I love all this discussion and passion for the products!
Jason Larson
MikeEvangelist
Member
Feel free. Larger version here - https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeevangelist/17221468435/
MikeEvangelist
Member
(I shared this in the 'fun' thread earlier, but thought it should be in the pano thread as well.)
Shooting big panoramas handheld/freeform used to cause big stitching problems (at least for me), but the Autopano Giga software seems to handle nearly anything I throw at it.
For example, I shot this manually with the Tamron 150-600mm @ 300mm using a monopod and just 'eyeballing' a 4 x 24 matrix of shots. Autopano ended up using 68 of the shots for this result -
Click here for a 15,000 pixel version.
Shooting big panoramas handheld/freeform used to cause big stitching problems (at least for me), but the Autopano Giga software seems to handle nearly anything I throw at it.
For example, I shot this manually with the Tamron 150-600mm @ 300mm using a monopod and just 'eyeballing' a 4 x 24 matrix of shots. Autopano ended up using 68 of the shots for this result -
Click here for a 15,000 pixel version.