Nodal Point
What is it and how do I find it?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to
Simply put, the nodal point is the point inside your camera where the light rays converge and flip over.When shooting a panorama it’s necessary to rotate about this point to eliminate the image mismatch caused by parallax error.
It’s also worth noting that the nodal point is not the same as the fi lm plane, which is often marked on the underneath side of many 35mm cameras. Generally, for most 35mm cameras and lenses, the nodal point is located somewhere towards the center of the lens barrel.
Parallax error can be easily demonstrated by this simple experiment. Close one eye and hold your index finger upright
Parallax error can be easily demonstrated. It’s the relative move- ment caused by a shifting point of view. In this example, you eye is moving with respect to your hand and the background.
about six inches away from your open eye. Rock your head from side to side. Notice how your
finger moves with respect to the background.This relative movement is due to the fact that you’re not rotating your head around your eye’s nodal point, which is somewhere in the center of your eyeball. Instead, you’re rotating about your spine which is several inches to the rear and off to one side. It is this relative
Step 1:The side-to-side adjustment
Once your camera is fastened to your camera bracket, move to the front of the tripod head so you’re looking into the lens.Adjust the camera bracket so that the center of the lens is directly over the pivot axis of the tripod head.Try to be as accurate as possible.You should strive to get this adjust- ment within plus/minus a 1/16th of an inch.
