Kit Advice

[fogzo]

Hey all,

I'm a web developer just starting out on virtual tours for a personal project and I am looking for advice on what Kit to use, does anyone have any advice on what to look for? I've done quite a bit of research so far and was looking at purchasing the following:

Nikon D7100 with Sigma 8mm lense (has anyone had any experience with using this camera and what are your thoughts on the quality?)
Nodal Ninja R1 + Zenith / Nadir adapter
Tripod - Benro Tripod Classic A2580T Twist lock (would appreciate thoughts on any other reasonably priced tripods)

Also has anyone had any tried to create a tour which would work with the google cardboard?

Cheers in advance for the advice

[hum@no.id]

Nikon D7100 + Sigma 8mm = good solution
Nikon D7200 + Sigma 8mm = best solution

Nikon D7100 + Sigma 8mm
http://gumirj.com/index.php?fullarticle=7

[fogzo]

Thanks for the examples and love the tour!

Do you use the Nodal Ninja R1? and do you need the Zenith / Nadir adapter to capture both zenith & nadir?

Cheers

[cblane]

Choosing you first (or any) setup depends on many factors including how you plan on using the panoramas , what kind of panoramas, what else you intend to use the camera for, and budget. Some things to consider:

If you don't need very high resolution panoramas for a specific reason, 16MP sensors are fine. For websites, 360 panos can become very heavy and slow-loading so you'll find yourself downsizing to keep load times for users reasonable. I never post panoramas at full resolution on-line

If you are already invested in a Nikon system the D7100 is an excellent choice. If not, there are also many other options. If weight and size is a consideration, there are options such as Sony and Fujifilm mirrorless cameras that have excellent image quality and are much smaller and lighter than the D7100. They both can use fisheye lenses from Samyang which are excellent quality. They are manual focus only but autofocus is not something you use for 360s. I used to shoot my panos with a Nikon D300 and Nikon 10.5 fisheye. I now use a Fujifilm X-T1 with a Samyang 8mm and get results that are much better than I used to get with the D300/10.5 combination. You could pick up a Fujifilm X-E1 (same sensor as X-T1), for example, and a Samyang 8 for around $600-$700. The Sony Nex and Alpha series have excellent image quality. Their main drawback is that the ergonomics for manual operation can be a bit frustrating.

If you stay with a Nikon body, you can still save a lot by going with a Samyang 8mm Nikon mount. They go for about $300 vs $800-$900 for the Sigma.

Regarding the pano head, if you are primarily planing to do full 360º by 180º spherical panoramas, the R1 may not be your best choice since you will either need to get an adapter which also requires you to move your tripod to get your zenith and nadir shots or do them both handheld. In either case, your zenith shots may be trickier to stitch than if you use a head like a NN-3 or NN-4 which can point stright up while maintining the nodal point. If the compactness of the R1 is what attracts you, you may want to take a look at Bushman Gobi (They go for around $200). If you think you may want to get into pole panoramas, the R1 is a good choice.