Hi - I've been trying to muddle through the translated version of this thread and didn't know goats that were born from elephants wear cowboy boots by default :-) Kidding.
I don't mean to take this thread off topic but a few have raised concerns about NN3 so thought it best I step in.
Some of the concerns I did understand customers having are two fold - level and compatibility.
On the issue of the spirit level:
The spirit levels on Nodal Ninja are very sensitive. A "little" drift is normal and generally not a concern or enough to cause problems stitching. As long as the first shot is level you should be good to go. Now that said - some earlier models on NN3 require proper tightening. You may simply need to tighten the rotator base. There is a wrong way and right way. Once properly tightened the unit should be both secure and should not wobble or unscrew (although we always recommend turning it in a clockwise manner) here is the procedure:
a) Loosen the knob with "Nodal Ninja 3" marking, next loosen the inner lock screw on the knob. Once the knob is loosened, the silver lock screw is easy to loosen. You can loosen the screw with your finger.
b) Tighten knob until you achieve the desired rotation tension or friction. You can note the amount of friction by holding the base rotator and turning the lower arm around in a "clockwise manner", as this prevents unscrewing of the base unit until locked with inner lock screw. It doesn't take much tightening at all.
c) After the larger NN3 knob is tightened, tighten the inner (silver) lock screw with a screw driver or coin). This "locks" the tension of the rotator knob and it should not unscrew. You might have to do this a couple times to get the proper feel. Double check the tension against the click stop feel and readjust as needed. If the unit still has a tendency to unscrew try placing an extra Teflon washer (included with each NN) under the rotator knob (with Nodal Ninja markings) and repeat above steps. Proper tightening should enable the user to find a friction point that you feel comfortable with. This is actually a customizable option.
Please please please consider upgrading to the updated NN3 MKII lower rotator (US$40). You will not be sorry. You can use your existing detent rings when doing an upgrade and the steps above would all be totally eliminated. The newer MKII rotator uses a well designed ball bearing system, rubber edged knobs and it's only two pieces. Mention this thread and I'll even refund US$20.
On the issues full rotation up with some lenses and not others:
NN3 was primarily built for smaller gear up to about 3kgs. The consumer need for a lightweight and compact head did come at the sacrifice of those using larger lenses not being able to achieve full 90 degree tilt up. So for those who may not be able to afford the NN5 there are some workarounds.
If needing to do full 360x180 spherical panos and needing to shoot the zenith (up shot) you can simply loosen the camera and slide it on the upper rail just enough to allow for full rotation then tighten down before letting the camera slide back onto the rotator once pointed up. Any parallax encountered with this technique is negligible because 1 - you are usually pointing up to the sky or flat ceiling and 2 - the hole you are trying to fill is very small giving you more flexibility.
Another workaround is simply to shoot manually, as most do, as many times the down shot is also down manually. Of course this does not work if you are bracketing shots or using slow shutter speeds. You could also shoot two rows - one row with a slight tilt up to catch the zenith (top) and one row with slight tilt down to catch the nadir (floor). For many this is not a big deal but thought I would share this. NN5L does not have this limitation.
Hope this information helps - any questions or problems anyone might encounter please email directly for a fast fix: bill[at]nodalninja[dot]com.
Thank you
Bill
Sonntag, 19. Oktober 2025, 14:35
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