Buy Manfrotto 303SPH Multi Row Panoramic HeadManfrotto 303SPH Multi Row Panoramic Head Product Description:
- The 303SPH is a multi-row panoramic photography head. It has sliding plates to locate the camera over the panoramic axis of rotation, plus a sliding plate which rotates around the front/back tilt axis.
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Product Description
Manfrotto 303SPH Multi Row Panoramic Head
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
For serious use.
By Paul
Let's not mess about, the cost of this head, the size of it, the purpose of it and the weight of it mean that this is highly unlikely to be used by anyone just dabbling in photography unless their wallet is superior to their common sense.My intentions were to take 360 degree panoramas, using a Nikon D700 and a 14-24mm F2.8 lens. A task that I used to achieve by rotating my camera on a normal tripod before wondering and learning about Nodal points which explained why my panoramas were bulgy and stitched in the oddest shapes. This is basically due to the existence of a sweet spot for every lens that when the camera is rotated around the axis of the sweet spot, you heavily reduce lens distortion and panoramas stitch together nicely without a lot of cropping of the original shots.This is why you need this gadget to allow you to find this point and rotate the camera perfectly around this point.When it arrived the packaging was great and the first thing I noticed was the weight, it is solid. Not a welcome addition to an already heavy set of equipment to carry into the field but reassuringly solid nonetheless. Initial assembly was easy, the bulk of the head was assembled and it just needed the slider plates slotted in and the camera mount attached. I used the D700 with battery grip attached and my 14-24mm which is a solid setup and everything went together really easy. I was really pleased to see that although this product comes assembled, there are parts that you will need to unscrew and adjust and these are all large high quality screws. On the upper part there are holes placed purely to insert these screws when not in use so you don't lose them. Also on the main pivot to collapse and extend the main arm, the screw is designed for finger tightening and is attached to a small cable so you can't drop or lose it. Excellent idea! This is also the same for the screw at the bottom to adjust the angles of rotation, another neat cable.Calibrating the camera was always going to be tricky when working with a point that could be thrown off by being a millimetre off on your assembly. I won't detail how to find the nodal point but the instruction manual covers this extremely well. I found the slider plates with the weight of the camera on them a little bit finicky as I'd attempt a small adjustment and the plate would feel tight and then come unstuck and move more than I wanted it too. I don't care too much about this as once you find the exact set up, all plates have ruler measurements and you can write these values down for that lens and use them in future as you only need to calibrate it once per lens/camera body setup.When the camera is set up and ready to shoot, you feel the reason for the high cost, all pivots move so smoothly. On the main pivot to move the camera up or down, when you loosen the lock, the camera doesn't just plummet down, theres enough resistance that it stays put until you slide it to the exact degree you need. For every adjustment you make, there is a scale in degrees or millimeters for perfect accuracy. No guesswork needed. A previous reviewer states that the camera is always in portrait position, this is intentional as the majority of panoramas are horizontal and by placing the camera in a portrait position, you maximise the vertical resolution and the horizontal resolution is as wide as you make your panorama.The bit that I love is the shaft at the bottom, which would be the main part that rotates the head around a 360 degree angle. Not only does it show you the angle, there's a locking screw that you can insert to cause the tripod to click around a set number of points in a full rotation. So if you do a 360 degree panorama you can set it to click in 10 different rotations from 72 pictures (Every 5 degrees) through to 4 pictures (Every 90 degrees) and I use mostly the 24 picture setting for every 15 degrees. Previously on a standard tripod, I had the degrees on the head and I would unlock it, move it 15 degrees, lock it and take a picture etc. It would take about 10 seconds to adjust, lock and shoot each picture. With this head I can keep my finger on the shutter and just turn until it clicks into place, shoot and move again. It's so much faster and precise.The end result is fast panoramas, great for when there are moving subjects. Also each panorama stitches nearly perfect and looks great. I have done 360 degree projections for web usage (those videos that hotels use that you can use your mouse to move and see around the room) the only drawback is that if you are doing truly 360 degree then you need to shoot a ground shot, where the head sits in the way. It's easy to photoshop it out or to remove the camera from the head and shoot it by hand roughly but I have a feeling I was told that some other heads are better for this job.Onto the disadvantages, the cost is very expensive. Look online and you can see people making home made versions out of wood etc. I have to say that I do not regret this purchase, it looks professional on the job, it's super sturdy and will survive a lot of abuse over time. It is heavy, but we photographers do know that often the best gear will be heavy. My only major gripe is that when using a heavy body and lens, there is a tiny bit of sag in the main arm. Just a degree, this can be fixed by using a piece of card etc or making your own shim.The main drawback is that although this looks like the complete solution, there is one more part that if you are serious, you will need. It's the Manfrotto levelling base which retails just under £100. The reason you need this is because unless your tripod is totally level, horizon lines won't be perfect in your shot when stitched. This can affect 360 degree virtual tours. You could adjust your tripod legs a tiny bit but it drove me mad and this additional part has a spirit bubble and allows for miniscule adjustments. It's a shame it wasn't part of this kit for the price.That being said, if you are considering purchasing this you are most likely very serious about panoramic photography, the price is not always the primary concern and if you can afford the levelling base and this product you have a truly serious piece of kit that will revolutionise your panoramas. 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.Nice panoramic head
By hhoa
The product was delivered extremely fast and I was very impressed (2 days) plus it was in a solid Manofrotto box.It's my first panoramic head and I wanted it to be efficient and long lasting.The whole body is quite heavy and all seems to be well made to last. The plate just under the camera is a tiny bit hard to immobilise at times but it doesn't affect much the use so far.The weight has to be taken into account for the tripod, so also ordered a Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 Carbon Fibre 3 Section Lightweight Tripod (can support up to 8kg, so I have a good margin to support the heavy panoramic head and a 5d Mark II with a 24-105mm lens) as I do landscape and a bit of architectural photography.It only set the camera on a portrait position.I would add to this a spirit level on the camera if your tripod doesn't have any.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.Get it bought!
By Chortonite
Very well thought out and engineered bit of kit, even down to retaining wires for essential bolts etc. Good range of adjustments!
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