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Manfrotto 303SPH QTVR Spherical Panoramic Pro Head (Black)
 | Format: Electronics List Price: $658.00 Our Price: $595.00 Your Save: $ 63.00 ( 10% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Customer Rating:  |
Features: Specifically designed for multi row panoramic photography.
Sliding plate design gives precise alignment.
Index markers.
Editorial Reviews:
Further advances in software technology made it possible to stitch together photographs taken on more than one horizontal row, in order to create immersive 360° x 360° "cubic" or "spherical" panoramic VR environments. This in turn has led to demand from the market for a dedicated support system, capable of rotating ANY camera (traditional or digital) around its nodal point on both horizontal and vertical axes. The answer is the 303SPH Multi Row Pan Head. Taking advantage of the introduction of this new head, Bogen/Manfrotto has re-designed some of the key components of the existing range, starting from the heart... the 300N pan head (old code: 3414), which is used as the rotation unit for all models in the family, as well as being a stand-alone product. The 303SPH is a multi-row (spherical) panoramic photography head. It has sliding plates to position the camera over the panoramic axis of rotation, plus a sliding plate which rotates around the front/back tilt axis. This allows the camera to be rotated on both horizontal and vertical axes around the camera/lens nodal point, so multi-row panoramic photo sequences (cubic VR photos) can be taken accurately and easily. Using the 303SPH ensures that software used for photo stitching produces a precisely composed VR environment with minimum post-production intervention or software correction. The 303SPH's vertical bracket can be unlocked and rotated through 90° (then re-locked) so that the hea
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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Amazing panorama head
Comment: If you are looking for a perfect, sturdy panohead and if you don't mind about the weight 303sph is the best. I have both nodal ninja 3 and 303sph. I can definitely say that 303sph is much better than nn3.
PROS of 303SPH :
303sph is much more sturdier
You can easily set the click stops in 303sph with a single bolt
You can easily slide the rails back and forth.
Cons of 303sph :
Big and heavy
Pros of NN3 :
Light.
Perfect for compact cameras.
Cons of NN3 :
Doesn't feel sturdy
You have to disassemble the part at the bottom and put another plate inside to set different angles for click stops.
If you want to make fine adjustments it is impossible. Because, you tightly screw the knobs and after you unscrew it the camera mount stuck on to the rail because of the rubber part between the rail and the knob. So you have to push the camera really hard to make the rubber part detach from the rail.
Last knob that you screw the camera, it is so narrow and almost same size with the rail, so there is no way to screw it tightly, or unscrew it if you managed to screw it.
Ok, NN3 might not be the direct competitor of 303sph, may be NN5 is, but if you are planning to use your panohead with a DSLR like D3 or D300 with a battery grip, I will definitely recommend you to buy 303sph.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The right tool for the job
Comment: This panoramic head is sturdy and effective. The manufacturing is solid and Bogen provides the high quality that they are known for.
PROS: The right head for spherical Multi-row images.
CONS: For the price, it should include a leveling bubble. Luckily my Bogen 3021BPRO tripod has one so it is not really missed. The head is heavy and bulky. While this may not bother some, I tend to lug my equipment around on my back while walking around. The head folds up well for its design; however knobs still stick out awkwardly for packing in a camera bag.
Even though the CONS might seem to outweigh the PROS, they don't. This head is the right tool for the job.
Accessories:
Technical Details
Binding: ElectronicsBrand: Bogen
Color: Black
EAN: 0719821216216
Feature: Specifically designed for multi row panoramic photography.
Label: Manfrotto
Manufacturer: Manfrotto
Maximum Weight Recommendation: 880
Model: 303SPH
Publisher: Manfrotto
Studio: Manfrotto
