How can I find the no-parallax point for panorama shooting, especially on a zoom lens?
Asked 1/24/2014
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When shooting panoramas, I want to rotate the camera/lens around the correct point to minimize parallax errors between frames. I have a nodal slider, but I still need a practical way to locate that point on each lens. For prime lenses I can mark it once, but for zoom lenses the position may change with focal length. What is a good method to find and repeat this setting in the field?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
5
There is a nice video explaining how to do it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0HaRZi-FWs. The procedure is the same with primes and zoom lenses and it works in the field as long as you have two vertical reference lines to work with.
I'm not really sure what method you're looking for for the zooms though. You can always set the lens to a certain focal length in the field and then calibrate it. If you want something quicker you simply have to calibrate it for some different focal lengths that you think you will be using and mark them. The movement of the nodal point (as a function of the present focal length) of the zoom lens does not have to be linear. It's not even certain that it will move at all, even though this is unlikely.
In short, perform some measurements at home and mark up the different focal lengths you think you will be using. If you in the field realise that you need another focal length you could either calibrate it in the field as shown in the video or perform some crude interpolation from the data you've already got.
God luck!
Originally by user21986. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user21986
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Use a simple parallax test. Set up two vertical reference objects at different distances so they overlap from your camera position. Mount the camera on the nodal slider and rotate left/right slightly while watching whether the near object shifts relative to the far object. Slide the camera forward or backward until that relative movement disappears. That position is the no-parallax point (often called the nodal point in panorama use).
This works for both primes and zooms. For a prime, find it once and mark the slider position. For a zoom, repeat the test at the focal lengths you actually use and mark those positions too. Don’t assume the position changes linearly with focal length—and in some lenses it may change very little.
For field use, the practical approach is to calibrate at home for several focal lengths, record or mark the slider positions, and then set the lens to the chosen focal length and use the corresponding mark when shooting panoramas.
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