hello all,

I realize this may be the most incredibly simple question you have ever answered, but I honestly cannot figure it out.  I have a manfrotto (bogen) 3001BN tripod, a 3265 ball head, a CP 5000, and a recent addition of a 0-360 One Shot Optic.  I need to have the camera lens point vertically to use the optic.  I cannot figure it out for the life of me how to do this??  I've looked everywhere and can't find how to do this, but most likely that is because it is so simple.  Can anybody tell me how to do this?

Thanks so much,

Steve

Hi Steve,

Not usre if you have the Kaidan VR360 type but normally you'd need a tripod with a tilt head  that puts the camera on the side of the tripod.

With a tilt head, you can have the camera facing up and then the 360 one shot device on the lens.

If you have a video camcorder tripod, notice that you can move tilt it up and down.  That's the kind of movement you need for you digital camera.

I'm not sure where or how the 3265 would fit in the equation since that is primarily for upright positions only.

r,
eagle

thanks for getting back to me eagle. A buddy stopped by and showed me how to flip the 3265 vertically.  It's not the stablest setup out there, but for now, it'll serve the purpose.

best,
steve

Hi Steve,

Considering the cost of your gear, you may want to get a real tilt head to prevent any possible mishaps and unfortunate damage to your equipment.

You can probably get one cheaper than the 3265.

r,
eagle 

its probably an ackward set up since the 5000 doesn't have a swiveling body.

if you mount the 5000 on the 3265 head, then press the trigger and on the head and bring the head paralle to the floor.

the nikon 5k should be pointing to the ceiling now. you can now mount the 360 lens on it.

the problem i see with this set up is the difficulty of playing with your camera buttons and the weight is hangin on side.

best to ya.

Luckily the Coolpix 5000 has a swivel screen and "some" menu buttons are on the screen. The 5000 is very suitable to use with the 0-360 lens. That said the CP4500 with twist body will also be a great choice.

Tripod and head are critical and you should buy wisely. Strength and weight should be considered.

Regards, Smooth

Steve,

The One Shot lenses are not all that easy to use (although they would have you believe so!) Once you have worked out the best possible combination is when you will save time. Learning how to use your camera in "manual" mode and after a lot of experimenting you should get reasonable results.

BUT! These will never rival that of "Stitched" images.

If you do decide to dump your One Shot lens please contact me as I have a friend in need of one.

Regards, Smooth

Thanks for the heads up smooth, I'm going to experiment with it a little bit more, but I may be in touch with you soon.  The settings that came with the optic and are supposed to be cp5000 specific really yield a very *rough* result, we'll see what we can do on our own.