Submitted by tallbriguy on Thu, 03/03/2011 - 18:38
Posted in
I put up an article on this topic, but wanted to make sure that those who might be looking for a pan and tilt solution in this forum know about eMotimo and eMotimo PT.
Here are some pictures of the rig:
Results of what it does can be seen on emotimo.com
Hope you enjoy!
Best regards,
Brian brian at emotimo dot com
Hi Brian, Very nice indeed.
Hi Brian,
Very nice indeed. Do you think you will do an adjustable nodal point version too? I am interested in this for doing HDR Panoramic stitches with this. But in your current design the axis's are not adjustable for the camera's nodal point.
hardware looks great and reasonably priced too!
Hey Dan, Thanks for taking
Hey Dan,
Thanks for taking and look and your comments.
You are correct - the current version is panning about 3 inches off node (for most DSLR's) and tilting at the base of the camera (probably a couple inches). To go on node, everything has to get bigger. I have built a larger version to see if this is feasible using similar manufacturing methods and things look promising. For the larger form factor, everything (bearings, shafts, gears and support structure) has to increase in size which also drives up expense. For those working out of a studio, the size, and weight increase probably wouldn't be an issue, but my initial target was to get something as small and light as possible.
I have also wanted to try stitched panoramas or "sphere-oramas". I haven't done that much research on the topic, but how much does being a few inches off node affect the result?
Are you looking for tilt functionality too, or would a single axis on node rig work for you?
Best regards,
Brian
Hey Brian, I am considering
Hey Brian,
I am considering your time lapse camera rig for a motion control pan and tilt shot. Seems like the emotimo PT is just what I am looking for...and the price is right. Are there any major features that you have omitted from this pan tilt moco rig? For $500 it seems like it should be missing something. Everything else I've look at, kessler etc... is like 10 times the price. I guess making my own motion control rig is an option, but again, for $500, this seems to be a no-brainer. I checked out your site at http://www.emotimo.com and I guess I just need a little more coaxing.
Nathan, Thanks for the
Nathan,
Thanks for the comments and the questions! I have omitted the espresso maker and the voice activated navigation system to save on cost. :)
In all seriousness, my goal with the rig was to make it feature rich for the price and do what the big boys (read big price tag) do for a much lower cost. I did this by using off the shelf parts where I could where it didn't compromise quality. This drives my costs for parts and assembly down. What you are missing from some of the expensive rigs is capacity for larger setups. eMotimo PT works great with most DSLR setups, but won't handle a fully kitted up rig with LCD's and Matt boxes or a Red or Panovision camera. If you have those sort of cameras - you probably aren't my target market anyway. I am creating for the common man, woman, and monkey who have some great cameras and want to extend their creative options. The rationale was to make:
1) An extremely portable rig that can be hiked anywhere (the unit without camera and battery is less than 3 lbs!)
2) An extremely easy to use rig. No laptop is required and reading the instruction manual is optional. Most people just follow the prompts from the LCD and use the Wii-Nunchuck to program their first move in a few minutes after opening the box! Really - it is that easy. You might have missed it but, check out the setup video here on the eMotimo site.
3) A feature rich motion control (MOCO) solution. Just one of the things eMotimo PT can do is moving timelapse. Beyond that, it is position sensitive so it allows you do quite a bit more than pan and tilt heads that are DC motor driven. While DC motors are powerful, without feedback they have no ability to repeat a shot. You can get close, but it won't be exact. eMotimo PT users steppers to keep the motion exact so you can repeat you shots to do overlay shots or even composites. Check out what Steven Poe from IzmoStock said about the eMotimo PT - you can also see some other Pan and Tilt solutions out there:
http://www.izmostock.com/2011/07/motion-control-time-lapse-equipment-review-2/
Give me a ring if you have any questions - you can find my contact information here:
http://www.emotimo.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=7
Best regards,
Brian