Kaidan QuickPan Panoramic Tripod Head User Manual

®
QuickPan
Panoramic Tripod Head
User’s Guide - V1.2 - 12 Jan 2005
QuickPan III / IV Panoramic Tripod Head Overview
Welcome to the Kaidan QuickPan III / IV and Panoramic Photography
Thank you for purchasing a Kaidan QuickPan III / IV Panoramic Tripod Head. This manual is designed to help you understand how to use your QuickPan III / IV to create quality panoramas. This document will be re­vised from time to time and updated versions can be downloaded from the QuickPan III / IV page on the Kaidan web site.
QuickPan III / IV Overview
The QuickPan III / IV family is built around a sturdy and precise Rotator Base with interchangable indexing ClickDiscs (or rings QP-III). There are several camera brackets that slide and lock onto the Rotator Base. The QuickPan IV rotator design super­sedes the QuickPan III rotator and uses a new flat detent disc design.
A panoramic tripod head makes it easy to capture a sequence of photos that are stitched to form a complete panoramic image. It holds the camera in the portrait orientation, positions the camera so that it rotates around the optical center or nodal point of the lens and provides a repeatable and adjustable click-stop indexing mechanism.
QuickPan IV Rotator with Optional Twin-Axis Adapter and Compact Camera Bracket
The QuickPan III / IV Family
Introducing the QuickPan III / IV Components
Rotator Base (QuickPan L, III & IV)
This heavy-duty design is lighter and more com­pact than previous models and the competition. The QuickPan bases employ interchangeable indexing ClickDiscs or rings that support various click-stop positions. These can be easily swapped at any time and contribute to the light weight. The indexing mechanism requires no lubrication or adjustments and has no loose parts. The base contains an integral circular bubble level and ac­commodates either 1/4” or 3/8” tripod threads. The latest QuickPan IV Rotator Base (Aug 04) will also accept older Kaidan camera brackets (i.e. KiWi+, QuickPan).
Twin-Axis Adapter
The Twin-Axis Adapter is designed to support most digital and film cameras that are equipped with fisheye lenses, or will appeal to those users who de­sire two independent axes of adjustment. It can be used with either the Standard Camera Bracket or with the Compact Camera Bracket. The two axes of adjustment positions the lens in such a manner so as not to capture any more of the Rotator Base than necessary. When a camera equipped with a circular fisheye lens is installed on the bracket, only a small segment of the Rotator Base will appear in the image. This feature makes the Twin-Axis Adapter ideal for those using iPIX software, Panoweaver and other software applications that use circular fisheye images. Both camera brackets support optional Quick Release Camera Plates.
Standard Camera Bracket
The Standard Camera Bracket is designed to support most digital and film cameras in a portrait orientation. Used primarily to shoot single-row cylindrical panoramas it is adjusted along the horizontal arm to locate the camera in the side-to-side orientation. There are three slots in the bracket, that when used with various positioning aids, provide the fore-aft adjustment of the camera's nodal point, over the rotational center of the tripod head. Earlier models used an aluminum bracket while recent models use a high-strength composite material (inset). A Quick Release Plate is optional.
Spherical Camera Bracket
The Spherical Camera Bracket is designed to support most digital and film cameras and to permit the angular up/down elevation for the capture of multirow spherical and QuickTime® VR Cubic panoramas. This bracket is ideal for those software applications that stitch multiple rows of images, including up/down "cap" shots such as REALVIZ Stitcher. The Spherical Camera Bracket can also be positioned at a level zero degrees, thus fulfilling the same functions as the Standard Camera Bracket. You can also use the Spherical Camera Bracket for shooting single­row cylinders as well. An optional Arca-Quick Release Camera Plate is also available.
QuickPan III Rotator Base
How to install and remove the indexing rings and adjusting the indexing force
Installing Indexing Rings
1) Slide the Indexing Ring onto
the Rotator Base from the bot­tom, keeping the portion of the Indexing Ring with the degree label facing up until it makes contact with the brass plunger. The brass plunger will eventu­ally snap into the hole that is in the side of the Indexing Ring.
2) Rotate the Indexing Ring
to line up the notch on the top of the Indexing Ring with the black slanted alignment pin at the top of the Rotator Base. The pin will eventually go into the notch.
3) Depress the brass plunger
and push up on the Indexing Ring until the brass plunger pops into the plunger hole and the pin slides into the notch.
Removing Indexing Rings
On the lower portion of the black Indexing Ring, there is gold colored pin visible through the hole in the side. Insert the tip of a ball point pen or a pa­per clip end into the hole and push the gold pin inward till the Indexing Ring drops down, then slide the Indexing Ring off the Rotator Base.
Adjusting the Force of the Spring Plunger
The screw, shown at left, can be used to position the spring plunger up and down. You can use a screwdriver (or a coin) to adjust the indexing or click-stop force. The spring plunger is set from the factory, but you may find that you prefer a harder click-stop action.
Be sure to not overtighten the plunger so that the metal body of the plunger would come in contact with the indexing ring. Also be sure that the plunger is not set deep enough as this will cause excessive play in the indexing action.
QuickPan IV Rotator Base
How to install and remove the indexing discs and adjusting the indexing force
Installing Detent Discs
1) To install or change the
Detent Discs simply loosen the silver thumbscrew on the side of the black Rotator Hub by turning it in a counter clockwise direction. Do not remove the screw, just turn several times. You do not need to remove the head from the tripod.
2) Once the thumbscrew is
loosened, pull the Horizontal Bracket Assembly upward out of the Rotator Hub. You may need to wiggle it a bit as you lift it out of the hub.
3) Once the Horizontal
Bracket Assembly is removed, the Detent Disc can be changed by grabbing the protruding tab on the detent ring and pulling it up out of the Rotator Housing.
Silver Thumbscrew
Note: The QuickPan IV rotator uses a stainless steel ball plunger that is different from the plastic nosed plunger on the QuickPan III. Be sure to use only the stainless steel ball plungers (available from Kaidan) on the QuickPan IV rotators.
4) The new Detent Disc is
installed by pushing it into the recessed area in the top of the Rotator Hub as shown at left.
5) Replace the Horizontal
Bracket Assembly into the Rotator Hub. Push the as­sembly down into the hub to fully engage and collapse the plunger, then tighten the thumbscrew.
Adjusting the Force of the Spring Plunger
The screw, shown at left, can be used to position the spring plunger up and down. You can use a screwdriver (or a thin coin) to adjust the indexing or click-stop force. The spring plunger is set from the factory, but you may find that you pre­fer a harder click-stop action.
Be sure to not overtighten the plunger so that the metal body of the plunger would come in contact with the indexing ring. Also be sure that the plunger is not set deep enough as this will cause excessive play in the indexing action.
QuickPan III / IV Rotator Base
Tripod threaded bushing adapter
The QuickPan III / IV Rotator Bases comes with a tripod adapter bushing which ac­commodates both 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch tripod mounts.
1/4 inch Tripod
If your tripod has a 1/4 inch threaded mount, leave the brass bushing in the center hole in the bottom of the rotator as shown at right.
3/8 inch Tripod
If your tripod has 3/8 inch threaded mount, remove the brass bushing by unscrewing it in a counterclockwise direction and screw­ing it into the adjacent hole in a clockwise direction using a coin (or large screwdriver) as shown at right.
Use the spare outer hole to store the brass bushing when you're using the 3/8 inch thread. That way, you won't lose the bushing!
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