I just finished putting together something I've been working on for the last couple weeks, it's a spherical panorama tripod head to use with my Sigma 10-20mm lens.

It rotates it around the focal point and snaps the rotation every 30 degrees to space the exposures correctly.

It took me about a week to do the CAD design and around 20 hours to print all the parts plus some more time to clean them up and assemble everything.

Now I need to go out and test it....

Looks good but seems that the lens bayonet mount is taking all the load and could create future problems - maybe?

Looks good but seems that the lens bayonet mount is taking all the load and could create future problems - maybe?

Oh no, it's not holding the lens from the bayonet mount at the front, it grips it from the middle of the body, in between the focus and zoom rings.

Guess that'll work out well then. Bit similar to the Canon long lens tripod mounts.

Very innovative.

AleG...This head of yours interests me! Send me a PM when you can...heaps to discuss.

I'm in Burma at the moment..Rangoon...and the internet connection is good so I'll reply

to your PM quickly. Cheers...

Here's something else 3D printed and photography related, my CP filter got stuck and it was impossible to grip the thin screw ring to get it out... so, today I designed a simple tool for the task and it worked like a charm:

For my next project I'm going to make a shift-tilt adapter, but I have to wait until I come back from my holidays and I get some parts I ordered for it.

I uploaded an interactive spherical panorama here:

https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=0&with_photo_id=114493851&order=date_desc&user=8522613

I took it last week at Poon Hill in Nepal; this is a "little planet" done from the same panorama.

I think it works pretty well, even though I have to do a handheld shot for the bottom photograph.

^ cool !

A couple more spherical panoramas.

This one somewhere in between the tiny villages of Ghorepani and Tedapani in the Annapurna region of Nepal:

https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=0&with_photo_id=114526388&order=date_desc&user=8522613

This is one at the Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu, a bit tricky to do what with all the people walking around, there are a few dismembered feet and chopped off heads here and there...

https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=1&with_photo_id=114525573&order=date_desc&user=8522613

Playing a little with the HDR settings and some other stuff one of the panoramas came out in an interesting "artistic" way, I usually don't heavily process photos but this one I liked the results.

Some people are just born clever.

That is cool! Do you have your own 3D printer? I've been seeing the prices on those machines coming down rapidly.

Some people are just born clever.

And it's been all downhill ever since...

That is cool! Do you have your own 3D printer? I've been seeing the prices on those machines coming down rapidly.

Yes, I have one at home, I bought it last year for about 700 US Dollars from Malaysia, it's a Reprap type printer so it comes as a kit with many of it's parts having been printed by another printer.

I uploaded an interactive spherical panorama here:

https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=0&with_photo_id=114493851&order=date_desc&user=8522613

I took it last week at Poon Hill in Nepal; this is a "little planet" done from the same panorama.

I think it works pretty well, even though I have to do a handheld shot for the bottom photograph.

Whenever I do the little planets in CS6 I end up with a 12 o'clock marker.....do you clone them out or am I doing something wrong?

Certain shots are not easy to get rid of the line.

Some people are just born clever.

And it's been all downhill ever since...

That is cool! Do you have your own 3D printer? I've been seeing the prices on those machines coming down rapidly.

Yes, I have one at home, I bought it last year for about 700 US Dollars from Malaysia, it's a Reprap type printer so it comes as a kit with many of it's parts having been printed by another printer.

Impressive to see a more complex product out of an inexpensive machine. Have seen a lot of the RC car and RC plane hobbyists turning out piece parts but nothing as complex as yours. I've been using ViaCAD 3D to design some stuff and to think I could just (I know, with a little work!) print off that stuff is unreal.

Whenever I do the little planets in CS6 I end up with a 12 o'clock marker.....do you clone them out or am I doing something wrong?

Certain shots are not easy to get rid of the line.

I don't use Photoshop for that so I couldn't tell you, I use PTGUI instead.

Impressive to see a more complex product out of an inexpensive machine. Have seen a lot of the RC car and RC plane hobbyists turning out piece parts but nothing as complex as yours. I've been using ViaCAD 3D to design some stuff and to think I could just (I know, with a little work!) print off that stuff is unreal.

Have seen a lot of the RC car and RC plane hobbyists turning out piece parts...

Oh... I've done a bit more than just that.

That's a fully 3D printed RC plane.

I made it available for free to download and print from here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:272478

More on topic, the tripod head is also available for free to download and print here too: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:546213

For personal, non commercial use of course.

Alex, can you print me one of these?

Alex, can you print me one of these?

Sure can, 1:500 scale OK?

Whenever I do the little planets in CS6 I end up with a 12 o'clock marker.....do you clone them out or am I doing something wrong?

Certain shots are not easy to get rid of the line.

I don't use Photoshop for that so I couldn't tell you, I use PTGUI instead.

Cheers for the info I've got PTGUI just never used it. I normally use hugin for stitching, I'll have to take some shots on a frosty morning and try it out.