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Chapter 9
Using the QuickPan™
HOW DO I LOCATE MY CAMERA’S NODAL POINT?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to QTVR
panorama creation. Once you understand the basics, you’ll be able to easily
locate the nodal point for any camera and lens combination.
Simply put, the nodal point is the point inside your camera where the light
rays converge and flip over. When shooting a QTVR panorama It’s necessary
to rotate about this point to eliminate the image mismatch caused by paral-
lax error.
It’s also worth noting that the nodal point is not the same as the film plane,
which is often marked on the underneath side of many 35mm cameras. Gen-
erally, for most 35mm cameras and lenses, the nodal point is located some-
where 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 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
side-to-side motion that we will strive to eliminate when setting up a cam-
era for VR panoramas.