Rollei Pano head (Tear Drop) version?

[ToddB]

Hey guys,

I've been eyeing a the tear drop version of the Rollei Pano Head to take on my trip. This version need any other support platforms to have it work straight on a travel tripod?

Todd

 

[ic-racer]

I have a very clean and little-used one. However it has just the slightest wobble on the spinning mechanism. Just enough that the camera rocks and it did blur the images (even with a cable release). I wound up using a strong rubber band to hold the camera steady. Eventually I just started using the marks on my tripod head (without the Panoramic adapter) which was much easer.

 

[BrianShaw]

Not sure which one you are calling "teardrop", the original or the second version. I don't have any wobble problems with mine (second version, that connects to camera solely by the tripod screw). It should work OK if you very carefully and very accurately level it. For convenience I generally use a Rolleifix between the panorama head and the camera.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I use a Rolleifix with mine and that makes a big difference in the stability. For whatever reason, without the Rolleifix it doesn't get quite tight enough and the camera wobbles. With the Rolleifix, it is much more stable and works just fine.

 

[ToddB]

Rolleifix??? what is that? I know a lot of inexpensive travel tripod do have a pano head ball joint. I'm just weighing all my options. We are visiting Santorini Island, and Diffently want to get a sunset shot with Rollei.

Todd

 

[BrianShaw]

Rolleifix??? what is that?

Quick release that is specifically designed for Rollei TLR. You MUST get one. It not only makes attaching Rollei to tripod easy but it reduces the chances of torqueing/bending the back.

https://www.google.com/search?q=rol...=wvdMVYDMFZKvogTDpICADg&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg

 

[pgomena]

I have a teardrop model and have not encountered any of the above-mentioned problems. I've used it with and without a Rolleifix. It is a little underbuilt for the purpose, but it works.

 

[ic-racer]

I guess I just got a wobbly one. Good to hear they are not all like that.

 

[Dan Fromm]

Todd, whatever you do, make sure that your head's pan axis is vertical. For most (all?) heads, this means that the tripod's platform must be level. If you don't do this the horizon will move up/down in the frame as you pan.

I encountered this problem when I was shooting movies, solved it with a Manfrotto 138 leveler. The 138 is long out of production but Manfrotto and other makers offer equivalent devices.

 

[dpurdy]

With the later version, the "tear drop" version, you have to use a rolleifix to get the proper alignment. With the older version the pano head rotates on the axis of the center of the lens rather than the center of the camera. With the newer version the turning axis is the tripod mount of the camera, the center of the camera, rather than the center of the lens. So it's function is much the same as if you just turned your tripod head without a pano head attached. If you attach a Rolleiflix to the top of the "tear drop" pano head the turning axis will be the center of the lens. This gives you an image alignment that is the same as a pano camera, so all said and done it is a true pano shot and your multiple images will line up more correctly (with the necessary overlap).