Why use a panoramic head?

Foreground objects can cause problems, which a panoramic head eliminates

The bridge we shot was a long way from the camera, so although the camera’s position changed from one shot to the next, this tiny shift had no effect. However, if you include objects close to the camera you can get parallax errors where the relative positions of objects in the frame change as you move the camera. This is where purists would swap to a panoramic tripod head.

Parallax problems

Here’s the problem. The same tree appears in two successive frames, but if you look closely at the roadside boxes behind it, you’ll see that their positions have changed relative to the trunk – the camera has moved slightly.

Nodal pointers

This is where you need a proper panoramic tripod head. These have sliding plates which enable you to position the optical centre of the lens directly above the panning axis. When you turn the camera, there’s no more parallax error.