Testimonials

This is a *great* product.....well-made and well-though through. It makes installing and removing the camera from the pano head a breeze. This is especially helpful when wearing gloves.

Using Nodal Ninja pano heads since 2008. Still using my unbreakable NN5 and my R10 with lot of satisfaction. Keep up the good work guys! - Guillaume G - FRANCEPANORAMA

5 Stars - The M2 Giga is an excellent pano head for heavy cameras and larger telephotos. I bought it to shoot cylindrical and flat panos using focal lengths beginning at 35mm. When you mount a lens around 100mm or more, the features of the M2 really begin to stand out, including that it’s rock solid. For instance, with a 200mm lens mounted on a full frame Canon, I elevate 7.5 degrees and rotate 5 degrees, moves that are positive and easy with this head. I think the M2 is faster and easier to use than a robotic head, but I’m assuming the photog in question already has pano experience. For example, to shoot a flat pano that covers, say 120 degrees FOV, looking at the viewfinder, I figure out what exposure I should use by moving to different parts of the scene to double check my exposure estimations (easy and fast with a manual head). I then move the camera to the left, right, top, and bottom to figure out what the limits are for this picture–moves that are also fast and direct with a manual head. After focusing, depending on the DOF of the lens that’s being used, I set the scale on the rotator to 0 for left-most rotator position (this is a great feature of the M2 head). That way I only have to remember one number at my far-right stop point. Depending on the pano head you’re currently using, you may have to convert the A and B distances for this head, since the scales don’t start at 0, as they do with the NN3 or NN5. Here’s a specific example that might help. On a NN5, the correct settings for a Canon 5DS with a 24-105 lens at 105 would be: A = 58, B = 66.5. The values for the same camera and lens on the M2 Giga would be A = 128, B = 96.5. For my setup, I add 70 to convert A from NN5 to M2 Giga and add 30 to the NN5 B distance for the M2 setting (I have the upper rail of the M2 starting at the 30mm mark on the scale). Here’s an example of a 1.5 gigapixel pano taken with this head, Canon 5DS, 200mm. The panorama will auto play for a bit over 3 minutes. Furthermore, this was shot on a cloudy winter day–the subject is the new arena where the Detroit Red Wings & Pistons play and downtown Detroit. I don’t work for Nodal Ninja and would not recommend anything if I didn’t think it was good, even if I had been foolish enough to buy it. http://bigdogpanos.com/html/mtroof013018B-10.html Here’s another auto play but taken with a 105mm: http://themasonic.com/evgal_arena.php - Dave M.

5 Stars - I own several pano heads from Acratech to Really Right Stuff but out of all my favorites have to be the Nodal Ninjas very accurate mounts and consistent results each time the i have a few of there models and love them all there poles are also really good i just got the Travel Pole and been very satisfied it works great with my R1. I usually get my stuff from B&H but i recently order an R20 direct from Nodal Ninja and some how the package got lost by the mail and they send me another right away amazing service and very attentive in the phone great customer service highly recommended. - Joel E.

5 Stars - Had a problem with pano head that I had for over 4 years. They fixed it, and I am a very happy photographer. Kudos to Nodal Ninja. - Mark Z.

2 Stars - Nodal Ninja Ultimate M2 Panoramic Head With RD8-II Rotator. I have one problem with this head. The literature implies there are stops on both top and bottom rotators to set minimum and maximum rotation...ie 60 degrees or 90 degrees. There are no Stops, just indicators. This is a misrepresentation in my opinion. That said, the head is solid and well machined. Very usable, but be aware that there are no physical stops on the rotators. For their misrepresentation, I give Nodal Ninja only two stars.

Admin note: We apologize for the misinterpretation. When we say "click" stops our intention is not to imply "physical" stops. Also there are no stops on upper rotator which is stated on our website. You purchased from B&H which many times will shorten a product description leaving out valuable information to consumer. A quick call or email followup and we would have helped to you to better understand the product. And all pano heads come with a 30 day return policy.

I’ve shot Google Tour panoramas for each of AutoNations 300 car dealers one and a half times with a Nodal Ninja pano head. The old one still works, but I’m expanding the crew so we can do more simultaneously. Cheers - Ryan

5 Stars - Nodal Ninja R1 Adjustable Tilt Ring Clamp Style Panoramic Tripod Head - fits Sigma 8mm f/3.5 and/or 15mm Nikon Lens - Excellent product. After trying out 2 other pano heads, this one is the most convenient and produces flawless results. Everything seems to be made under very tight tolerances so it feels SOLID. I think the price is good for the quality. Quick to set up, easy to use. - A.H.

5 Stars NN3 MKII - Great pano head. Worth every penny! I tried creating my own pano head, but the amount of work and lack of features wasn't worth the effort. This really improved my panoramic and equirectangular photos in both quality and efficiency. It takes me so much less time to take a set of pictures for a scene, which is important for equirectangular because you don't want the sun to move to much while taking pictures of a scene and change the lighting. This can cause stitching problems in post processing. Overall definitely worth the money! 

IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DO IT RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THESE ARE THE BEST PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET! Use the Panorama heads and accessories from NODAL NINJA www.nodalninja.com. Simply put they are the highest quality and solve a myriad of problems. I use the M1 system. Nodal Ninja’s systems ( there are quite a few!) are specially designed panoramic tripod heads to meet specific needs of the panoramic photographer. With 4 basic series combined with a broader choice of base rotators they are able to configure pano heads that are just right for any need. Jack Graham http://jackgrahamphoto.com/

Meets expectations/Design/Functionality - 5 stars. I bought this after spending a couple of weeks trawling the internet for the best pano head I could afford, and all the time I kept coming back to the NN3. Very well made (I appreciate good engineering) and certainly strong enough for my camera, a Canon 5Dmiii. Really only 2 criticisms I have are firstly, a note or link in the box to set up/tutorial videos, as this was my first nodel point head would be useful, as I had to look up how to set it up for my camera/lens combination, and that took a while. Second is that if the arms were 1" longer, the range of cameras that would fit would be much greater, as the next size up for heavier, bulkier camera/lens setups is twice the price, putting it well out of my reach, so I have to put up with not taking the zenith point for a true 360pano. There is I note a T plate extension I can purchase, but I need to work out if the added dimension would be enough, so the above point is me being picky. Apart from that, I would recommend to anyone. - Duncan

5 stars - Nodal Ninja R1 Adjustable Tilt Ring Clamp Style Panoramic Tripod Head - Excellent product ByA.H. - After trying out 2 other pano heads, this one is the most convenient and produces flawless results. Everything seems to be made under very tight tolerances so it feels SOLID. I think the price is good for the quality. Quick to set up, easy to use.

5 stars - Nodal Ninja EZ-Leveler-II - Glad I bought this very helpful :) By Don VERIFIED BUYER Make leveling the Pano head EASY! A must have.

5 stars - NN M2 NO Rotator - Just Right For My Needs By rlstoz VERIFIED BUYER. The Ultimate M2 is a beautifully crafted piece of equipment and it's a joy to use. After shooting more than 100 panos and mosaics with this rig, under a variety of conditions, I am confident this is the right tool for my needs. Those needs mostly include shooting mosaics, using my best mid focal length lenses, to produce hi-res images suitable for large prints. The M2 makes that about as easy as possible. I bought the head without the RD8-II rotator because I wanted to use the RD16-II rotator instead. The RD16-II is better suited to the focal lengths I use. Shooting very long focal lengths to produce ultra hi-res images is not something I do often. I mostly use this rig for shooting mosaics using lenses in the 24mm to 100mm (EFL) range. These mosaics range from 4 shots up to 72 shots resulting in wide to ultra-wide images after stitching. Most of them stitch without problems in the most recent version of Lightroom - no need for dedicated pano software. This rig requires a solid tripod and it's quite heavy so it is not very portable (I use a much smaller pano head and tripod for the backcountry) but, once set up, it makes panos and mosaics easy to shoot. I chose the M2 specifically because it is very precise and, coupled with the rotator, allows me to shoot multi-shot images with a minimum of effort. Every adjustment on the M2 is precise and very solid. It is manufactured to extremely high standards. It is more than adequate in every way. If you are new to multi-shot panos and mosaics consider that to really take advantage of this rig you will need to make quite detailed setup notes specific to your equipment and situation. This takes more than a little time. You will need to note at least three positions on the scales of the M2 for each camera/lens combination. For zooms lenses you may want more details. If you are not willing to take the time to make and use accurate setup notes you will not gain much/any benefit from this head!

5 stars - NN M1L w/RD16-II - Finely crafted and versatile - a truly excellent head By R.L. This head's workmanship is about as good as it gets but, more importantly, it was designed to facilitate an efficient workflow for what is often a complicated process. There are less expensive options for similar heads, some which are quite well made, but this head's attention to operational detail sets it apart. It was clearly designed to actually shoot multi-shot images, rather than just sitting impressively atop a tripod. There are more expensive heads that are very well made but lack the practical functionality of this one. Short of a view camera, this head will hold about any camera you choose, but you'll need a solid tripod. Although it is possible to level the rotator with a ball head, its very awkward, especially with a camera mounted, so you'll want to add a leveling base (designs with three screws, like the Nodal Ninja one, make the process easier). The adjustable scales, with start and stop markers, allow precise setup and once everything is adjusted the actually process of shooting the photos is a no-brainer. I have used other heads where it's easy to lose track of where, in a multi-row sequence, you are. When you are shooting 3 or more rows, of 6 or more images each, it gets confusing, especially if each image is bracketed for HDR. This head all but eliminates that confusion. The RD-16 II rotator works very well for me, as I do not shoot many panos with very long lenses, and by adding an inexpensive dual ARCA clamp to the top rail you can go as wide as you like, including fisheye. After shooting hundreds of panos and mosaics I have found only two negatives with this head. First, it's expensive. Second, it's quite heavy. I don't see any way to avoid either. The weight of this head, plus the heavy tripod required to support it, precludes my carrying it on long hikes but I am willing to lug it a mile or two because it works so well. You will need to spend some time documenting setup positions for your specific body/lens combinations (I suggest carrying setup charts whenever you use this head) but once that's done setup is fast, easy and precise. If you are new to multi-shot images you'll need to invest considerable time in learning the various techniques and sadly, there is no single source that I know about for this. Reviewers often complain that pano heads don't include simple instructions (or any for that matter) for use. That's because use is NOT simple! If you are not mechanically inclined this stuff may be quite frustrating. It's not brain surgery but it requires specialized knowledge. In return, you can make high resolution images, independent of sensor and lens constraints, that can be printed huge.

Hi Anthony - I wanted to thank you most sincerely for going above and beyond in dealing with my EZ Leveller II issue. The replacement Leveller arrived last week, only a few days after I sent my old one off to you. This suggests you dealt with it pretty much as soon as it arrived on your doorstep - I appreciate the speedy service! I also wanted to acknowledge the fact that you were under no obligation to do so - so thanks again. The Nodal Ninja pano head, rotator and Leveller have served me flawlessly since I purchased them. I am very happy with the results I am getting (perfect stitching every time!) and recommend the Nodal Ninja system without reservation. The after sales service is icing on the cake! Cheers mate. - Richard F. Australia

Prompt shipping, recommended seller, AAA+++ Nodal Ninja EZ Leveler II w/ Case - DSLR panoramic photography travel pano head

Excellent pano head! Really sturdy and balanced. Nodal Ninja 5 Panoramic Spherical DSLR VR Tripod Head for Canon Nikon and more

Nodal Ninja QTVR Panoramic Compact Tripod Head - great deal received in 2 days

5 stars - Best affordable panoramic head on the market - By Lincoln TOP 500 REVIEWER on September 21, 2008 - I am a professional virtual tour photographer. I have shot over 1,300 virtual tours. I have tried numerous panoramic heads, including Bogen, Kaiden, and custom fabricated models. The Nodal Ninja performs better than the Bogen and nearly identical to the $900 Kaiden. However, the Nodal Ninja is about 1/4 the size and weight, and breaks down small enough to fit into your pocket.

Google R10 Pkg (F0001) - Great precise product and great customer service! I had a specific question about the Google Pano heads and they took the time to answer my questions and concerns. Really excellent customer service! - Larry C. USA

My shipment just arrived... as an engineer I love the design, fit/finish, robustness and packaging of the products. As a photographer I’ve made over 600 panoramas using Nodal Ninja gear: https://www.360cities.net/profile/johnwood Look forward to making pole panoramas, John.

R1 has been my pano head of choice for a few years, very compact, convenient, light and easy to carry good reproducibility. - Nick C. UK

I bought my pano head and tripod from Red Door in the UK and was very satisfied with it. - Anonymous UK