Kaidan KiWi+, KiWi-L manual Taking the Photos

TAKING THE PHOTOS (CONTINUED).

You can use the level on your KiWi™ and observe it while you level the tripod. Of course, this task is much easier if your tri- pod also has a tilt head.

Once the tripod and KiWi™ are level, now is the time to double check to see if the camera is straight up and down. If it needs to be adjusted, loosen the Captive knob just a slight amount and tilt the camera accordingly. Be sure not to change the Fore- Aft dimension. Tighten the Captive knob.

If your using the KiWi-L rotate the camera so that the groove on the Horizontal Bracket aligns with the zero point on the circular barrel. Depending on whether the stitching software that you’re using prefers the having the photos taken in a clock- wise or counterclockwise sequence, you’ll have to either count down from 360 degrees or count-up from zero degrees.

NOTE: Starting with KiWi™-L units produced after July 1, 1997, we have added a bonus Label Sheet. This set contains self-adhesive labels with the popular degree increments. Since there are no other markings, the labels make it easy to rotate and stop at the correct position for your particular camera and lens combination.There is a “List of Lens FOV versus Number of Shots” chart and a “Degrees of Angle” chart in Appendix A.

As you shoot around the circle, try to avoid capturing any mov- ing objects that might come into your field of view. There is no harm in waiting, for example, while a person walks past before shooting the photo.

You may also want to check with the software developer of the stitching software that you’re using to get their recommenda- tions for exposure settings and other camera settings.

We hope you enjoy shooting your panoramas and if you have any questions or problems using our equipment, please let us know. We would also like to see the results of your work and would be glad to consider placing your work on our website, or to put a link to your website as well.

Thank you,

The Kaidan team.

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