Really Right Stuff Panorama and Gimbal Heads, Plus New “Shorty” Tripod
See also Really Right Stuff posts of all kinds.
I had a chance to visit the Really Right Stuff headquarters in San Luis Obispo last week where I got a most excellent tour including the huge automated machining systems which turn solid blocks of aluminum feedstock into gorgeous parts ready for anodization. It was informative and I had a good talk with the folks there about their gear, and what I’d like to see as well.
While my trip to Carrizo Plain was cut short by car failure and 3 days were spent fishing instead of shooting while waiting for car repair over a long weekend, some Really Right Stuff gear is shown below, in field use. I will put it to more use in the future.
I’m amazed at how sub-mediocre the iPhone 7 image quality can be, including these shots—smearing and noise in mid-day light—so disappointing. And yet sometimes the photos can be much better—a puzzler as to the variable quality. I may have to go back to shooting iPhone raw.
Really Right Stuff PG-02 LLR Pano-Gimbal Head
This is the cat’s meow for making panos. Determine the entrance pupil (“nodal point”) for your camera + lens combo, note the offset on the laser-engraved markings (for future instant setup), and then quickly pan for making multi-shot panos free of parallax. The PG-02 is a heavy duty rig that is rock solid and a joy to use for this type of work (though not something I want to lug on a 10 mile hike!).
Not shown here but critical for entrance pupil positioning front/back (for stitched images) is the Really Right Stuff MPR-CL: MPR with integral clamp and/or the Really Right Stuff MPR CL II.
Because the base pans and is level, but the camera can be angled any way one wishes, both single-row and multi-row stitched images of any desired aspect ratios are easily done. There are a number of variants of this rig.
Shown below, Really Right Stuff PG-02 LLR Pano-Gimbal Head with B2-LLR-II clamp, with the Hasselblad X1D clamped in place via an L-plate, the Really Right Stuff BX1D-L. I used it in conjunction with the Really Right Stuff Leveling Base TA-3 (essential in order to level the head easily) on the Really Right Stuff TVC-34L tripod.
See also all Really Right Stuff pano-gimbal gear.
Really Right Stuff PG-01 LLR Pano-Gimbal Head
While the PG-02 is heavy duty, the Really Right Stuff PG-01 Compact Pano-Gimbal Head is plenty sturdy for the Hasselblad X1D and certainly any Sony or Fujifilm mirrorless camera as well.
Like its PG-02 sibling, determine the entrance pupil (“nodal point”) for your camera + lens combo, note the offsets on the laser-engraved markings (for future instant setup), and then quickly pan for making multi-shot panos free of parallax.
Not shown here but critical for entrance pupil positioning front/back (for stitched images) is the Really Right Stuff MMPR-CL: MPR with integral clamp.
Here, the PG-01 is mounted on a new specialty 3-section tripod (not yet available), one that is ideally suited for making low and close images; see the next shot. The new offering is every bit as involved as the larger models, so cost will be similar to its larger siblings, but I really enjoyed the smaller form factor.
Shown below with the Hasselblad X1D clamped in place via the Really Right Stuff BX1D-L.
New shorty tripod
The new shorty tripod should be called the TFC-13S.
While the Really Right Stuff TFA-01 ULTRA Pocket Pod is superb for ultra-low shots, this new short tripod (model number TBD) is ideal for shots from about 8 inches to 2.5 feet off the ground.
The picture below shows why the new Really Right Stuff “shorty” model is so appealing for some kinds of work. The new shorty tripod is much faster and easier to get into the proper height and position versus a full-size tripod, particularly with the PG-01 Compact Pano-Gimbal Head. I just loved the time savings and ease of use! The 3 sections afford a working-height range that seems ideal for many types of shooting at close range, but it could also serve well set up on a table or rock, etc (for additional height). An optional integrated hand strap for carrying in the field was super handy also (and which I’d like to have on my larger tripods).