360 Degree Panorama - The Non-Motorized Rig
The rig is shown below. On the left is the full Bogen tripod with the Nodal Ninja and the D300 attached. The horizontal and vertical alignments have been set to center the 18-200mm lens over its nodal point according to a settings chart. For the purpose of this exercise, the lens is set to 18mm so it is pulled out all the way. This is necessary to minimize the number of shots that need to be taken. Also, as the focal length is set longer, the nodal point moves. At some point, the Nodal Ninja is unable to accommodate the focal setting. On a good note, the Nodal Ninja allows the camera to be pivoted on its side as shown below. This allows for more resolution in the vertical direction and minimizes the number of rows which need to be taken.
Several examples of the final results can be see by clicking on the links below. Using the mouse and the left button, the viewer can pan horizontally and vertically around the nodal point. To zoom in or out, click the shift or the control key and use the left mouse button. Here are the low-resolution web-friendly versions of the panoramas.