Loosen the upper rotator tension knob
slightly so that the rotator can be rotated
easily. Mount the lens (with camera attached)
in the rotator clamp via the collar. Slide the
lens back and forth to distribute the weight
evenly. The lens will feel balanced when the
load is evenly distributed. Lock the QR clamp.
Tighten the rotator tension knob.
UsingM2asaGimbalHead
Setup M2 as a pano head. Ignore the rail
settings. Upper rail is not needed if the lens is
collared. Install a lens plate on the collar.
Fanotec MFR-160/170/210 can also be used
as lens plate. Anti-twisting bar (sold
separately) is needed if the collar only has one
socket for mounting.
For fluid and effortless rotation of heavy lenses, the lens and camera must be rotated about
their center of gravity. For this reason, these lenses generally have lens collar tripod mount
near the center of gravity for direct mounting on tripod. M2 allows mounting lens via the
collar with an Arca Swiss compatible lens plate installed. M2 allows full adjustment of the
position of lens and camera relative to the axes of rotation. Its smooth upper rotator
movement with adjustable friction control makes it a great gimbal head.
While supporting the lens with one hand,
loosen the lower rotator clamp. Slide the
lower rail left or right so that the lens axis is
directly above the lower rotator. Lock the
clamp. Now the camera and lens will be
rotating about their center of gravity. The
rotation will be smooth and effortless. Use
upper rotator tension knob to adjust the
friction of upper rotator.
Slide to Balance the Weight
Slide to Balance
the Weight
AddingVerticalRailExtenderorNadirAdapter
The vertical rail is kept short to enhance stability of the setup for heavy lens and camera, and to
allow for using the nadir adapter. For some big lenses with entrance pupil far away from
camera, full rotation of camera on the upper rotator may not be possible. A optional vertical
extender is needed to overcome this limitation. This can be the light weight extender for M1/2
or the more versatile nadir adapter. Note that if the lens has a wide enough angle of view, it is
still possible to cover the full view of a spherical panorama without using the extender.
Both the extender and nadir adapter add
40mm to the vertical clearance, allowing full
rotation of most lenses used for making
spherical panoramas. See their (coming)
reference guides for installation.
SlidingCameraandLensonUpperRail
The camera is mounted to QRC-40A at the
end of upper rail. When a fisheye lens is
used, the upper rail may block significant
amount of angle of view of lens. To
overcome this issue, a lens ring mount,
which is mounted on the upper rotator QR
clamp directly, can be used. Alternatively a
spacer can be mounted to the QRC-40A to
allow it slide along the upper rail.
Nadir adapter allows user to quickly swing
out the lens and camera for an unobstructed
nadir view. See its (coming) reference
guides for instruction.
Upper Rail Too Long
for Fisheye Lenses
A QRC-40B mounted to QRC-40A. A
convenient way to slide the QRC back and
forth on the rail. See its (coming) reference
guide for installation.
A 6mm thick spacer mounted to QRC-40A.
A low cost solution to slide the QRC on the
rail. See its (coming) reference guide for
installation.
QRC-40B
6mm Spacer
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