Monday, 16 September 2013

Review Digital Camera World 09-17-2013

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Best gimbal head: we review 6 top models to see which is best for your large lenses
Sep 16th 2013, 23:01, by jmeyer

Getting stability and freedom of movement when using large, heavy lenses is paramount. In our latest group test we’ve taken six of the top gimbal heads and alternatives on the market to find out which offers the best stability and ease of use.

Some of the telephoto lenses weigh up to 2kg, making handheld shooting a real strain. You can ease this by using a sturdy monopod or tripod, but there's a catch.

Even when using the mounting collar and foot typically supplied with heavy lenses, the weight is only centralised when you're shooting on the level.

If you need to tilt the camera and lens upwards or downwards, the weight shifts dramatically to the rear or front respectively. This can make the setup very unstable, as well as risking the camera and lens crashing to the ground.

Gimbal heads keep the weight of the camera and lens centralised when shooting upwards or downwards, while aiming to enable smooth, effort-free tilting and panning. They are particularly popular for shooting birds in flight, or aircraft being put through their paces at air displays, as well as a variety of other sports and wildlife photography.

Best gimbal head: 01 Benro GHA Gimbal Head

Best gimbal head: 01 Benro GHA Gimbal Head

Price: £155, $240
Not quite a full gimbal head, the GHA is designed to attach to a regular ball-and-socket head that features an Arca-Swiss mounting platform.

A likely candidate is the Benro BRN2 ball head, which has a maximum load rating of 12kg.

With the underlying ball head in portrait orientation, the GHA enables a tilt facility, while relying on the ball head for panning operation.
Light in weight at 470g, the GHA nevertheless has a maximum load rating of 15kg.

It comes with an 85mm Arca-Swiss quick-release mounting plate and has a single locking clamp for its tilt function.

However, the addition of a separate ball head compromises stability and the tilt action is a little lacking in smoothness.

Verdict

Pros… Relatively inexpensive, lightweight and very compact.
Cons… Requires an additional ball head with Arca-Swiss mounting platform.
WE say… A suitable ball head adds about Price: £80 to the overall cost, so it's not cheap.

Score: 3/5

PAGE 1 – Best gimbal head: 01 Benro GHA Gimbal Head
PAGE 2 – Best gimbal head: 02 Manfrotto 393 Long Lens Monopod Bracket
PAGE 3 – Best gimbal head: 03 Benro GH1 Gimbal Head
PAGE 4 – Best gimbal head: 04 Triopo DG-3 Gimbal Head
PAGE 5 – Best gimbal head: 05 Wimberley WH-200 Mk II
PAGE 6 – Best gimbal head: 06 Custom Brackets Gimbal LS Head
PAGE 7 – Five things to look for when choosing a gimbal head

READ MORE

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Panoramic photography: tips for making high-res images from multiple pictures
Sep 16th 2013, 10:12, by jmeyer

There's nothing new about panoramic photography: it's just that it's now easier than ever before. In this tutorial we’ll run through the basics of panoramic photography, offer some tips on how to shoot your scene and then show you an easy way to stitch them together.

Words and images by Mark Hamblin

 Panoramic photography: tips for making high-resolution panoramas from multiple images

Once the preserve of professional photographers with specialised hardware or expensive film cameras, shooting high-quality panoramic photography is now possible for anyone with a DSLR, or even a point and shoot, so long as you stick to the basic rules.

The technique involves taking a series of overlapping images, then blending them together with stitching software to create a seamless panoramic photograph.

There is no limit to the number of images that can be used to create the panorama, and you don't have to restrict yourself to a single sweep across the landscape: you can build up the image with two or three rows of images as long as you maintain a good overlap between them.

Panoramic photography: tips for shooting

The golden rule in panoramic photography is to keep the settings exactly the same for each shot. This involves doing things manually, so make sure you're familiar with working in Manual metering mode.

You also need to set the white balance manually, although you can sync this during processing if you shoot in raw. Wide-angle lenses are best avoided: they can cause problems with distortion that can't be fixed in software.

A focal length of between 35-80mm is usually about right. While a tripod isn't vital, it will help you frame successive images.

How to make a high-resolution panoramic landscape

Panoramic photography: tips for making a high-resolution landscape - step 1

01 Sync everything
Use Manual mode to set the exposure so it's the same in every shot. If the readings vary, use settings in the middle of the range. Take a test shot and evaluate the histogram. Set the white balance to 5600k and switch to manual focusing.

 

Panoramic photography: tips for making a high-resolution landscape - step 2

02 Overlap generously
With the camera on a level tripod, take the first shot on the far left and then take successive shots with a 30% overlap – don't re-focus. If necessary take more images below and above to include everything you want in the shot.

 

Panoramic photography: tips for making a high-resolution landscape - step 3

03 Stitch your images
Import the raw images for processing and make adjustments to one image, then sync with the others. Export files at full resolution and load them into stitching software such as Photomerge, PTGui or Hugin to generate a panorama.

 

Panoramic photography: tips for making a high-resolution landscape - step 4

04 Output the Panorama
The stitching software will automatically generate a composite image, but it may require cropping to remove blank canvas. After outputting, make any final adjustments to contrast and colour saturation in Photoshop.

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