Nodal Ninja EZ-Leveler II Fanotec User manual

EZ-Leveler II (EZ-L II) allows fine level adjustment of the mounted device. By simply
turning 3 rollers, adjustment of the level is easy and smooth. There are locking
knobs to cancel out backlash and prevent accidental change of level. It is
lightweight, compact, and smartly shaped to minimize the nadir footprint when
taking spherical panoramas. Its "Head Alignment Knob" allows a pano head with an
indexed rotator to point in any direction without moving the tripod. Alternatively, it
allows aligning of EZ-L II edges to the tripod legs to minimize the nadir footprint.
NOTE: EZ-L II does not incorporate its own bubble level. It requires the
mounted device to have a bubble level or other level reading capability.
Stand in a position so that 2 rollers (1
and 2) are horizontal in front of you.
Look at the bubble from vertically
above. Adjust the horizontal rollers to
center the bubble horizontally.
© 2012 Nodal Ninja
Quick Reference Guide
EZ-LevelerII
PackageContentsofEZ-LevelerII
Features
Support: www.nodalninja.com/forum
Tutorials: www.youtube.com/nodalninja
Store: store.nodalninja.com
3/8” Socket
Leveling
Roller
Level Lock
3/8” Thread
InstallationandLevelAdjustment
Head Alignment Knob
Install the 3/8” to 1/4” adapter if the
tripod has a 1/4” thread. If tripod top
plate has bare metal surface, consider
adding a friction material to prevent
loosening and/or scratching the base
of EZ-L II. An optional cork sheet like
t ha t o n E Z- L I I i s a v ai l ab l e f r om
Fanotec.
Place the tripod legs in their preferred
positions. Unlock the level locks. Turn
the rollers to roughly the middle of
their full adjustment range. Tighten the
“Head Alignment Knob” (HA Knob) of
EZ-L II to the base. Tighten EZ-L II to
tripod while holding the knob with
fingers.
Mount the tripod head or ball head on
EZ-L II. Mount the camera on tripod
head or ball head. Then roughly level
(bubble inside or on the circle line) the
t r i p o d h e a d u s i n g i t s o w n t i l t
adjustment or by adjusting the length
of tripod legs. This prevents EZ-L II
from going out of adjustment range.
1
2
4
Adjust roller 3 to center the bubble
vertically. If this fails due to poor initial
l e v e l i n g , a d j u s t r o l l e r s 1 a n d 2
s i m u l t a n e o u s l y t i l l t h e b ub bl e i s
centered horizontally and vertically.
Then lock the level locks to prevent
accidental change of level.
3
Install 3/8” to 1/4”
Adapter as Needed
Tighten HA KnobTighten HA Knob
to the Baseto the Base
Tighten HA Knob
to the Base
Lock
UnlockUnlockUnlock
Turn to
Adjust
Level
Spare Parts Qty
3/8" to 1/4" adapter 1
12
3
Horizontal to ViewerHorizontal to ViewerHorizontal to Viewer
Centered Vertically
12
3
Top View
22
3
Top View
Centered Horizontally
1
Level Level Roughly
by Adjusting
Tripod Legs
Level Roughly
by Adjusting
Tripod Legs
5

UsingtheHeadAlignmentKnob(HAKnob)
In panoramic photography, one may want to include a specific view into a single
image to reduce stitching errors. One may also want to set a specific viewpoint as
the initial displayed view, instead of in post processing. This can be achieved by
moving the tripod legs. Some situations may require the tripod legs be placed in
specific positions, e.g., in very crowded places. The indexed rotator in a pano head
may hinder rotation to the preferred angle. The HA Knob will allow the pano head
to point in any direction. Alternative, it allows EZ-L II to align its edges to the tripod
legs to minimize the nadir footprint.
Loosen EZ-L II a bit to help loosen HA
Knob. Gradually loosen HA Knob while
tightening EZ-L II, until the camera is
about to point at the desired direction.
Tighten EZ-L II fully. Then continue the
lev e li ng pro c es s des c ri be d in t h e
previous section.
Place the tripod legs in their preferred
positions. Tighten the HA Knob to the
base. Tighten EZ-L II to tripod while
holding the knob with fingers. Then
mount the pano head on top of EZ-L II.
Mount the camera on pano head.
1
Rotate EZ-L II
Clockwise to
Tighten
Loosen HA KnobLoosen HA KnobLoosen HA Knob
TipsforLevelingaPanoramicTripodHead
Many people new to panoramic photography have concerns about bubble
movements after rotating the pano head, and they try to re-level the pano head
after each rotation. DO NOT re-level the pano head! Re-leveling moves the lens
away from the No-Parallax Point and will cause stitching errors. For the bubble to
remain stationary and centered, it requires a level of perfect accuracy or very low
sensitivity. That is not the case for levels used in photography. It also requires a
t r ip od a nd a p an o h ea d o f p er fe ct ri gi di ty , w hi ch se ld om e xi st . T he
recommendation from experienced panoramic photographers is to level the first
shot and forget about leveling the remaining shots.
EZ-L II is designed to support 10kg (22 lb) vertical compressive loading, a typical
loading type for most equipment to be mounted on EZ-L II. For equipment with
center of gravity far away from the mounting point, the load rating is reduced due
to the much amplified bending torque. This is the case for long lenses and Nodal
Ninja with nadir adapter (or pano head with similar construction) in the swung out
position. We recommend maximum loading of 1.5kg (3.3lb) using a nadir adapter
on EZ-L II. There may be a slight lifting of level on the opposite side of load.
Vertical & Compressive
TipsforAccurateReadingofCircularBubbleLevel
With a properly leveled circular bubble
level, the bubble is positioned at the
ce n te r of t he v i al. T he bu b ble i s
horizontally centered when a viewer
looks at the center of the vial from any
direction. Therefore it suffices that the
viewer reads the bubble from any 2
perpendicular vertical planes
Top Left/Right
Top Front/Back
Le ve l t h e bu bbl e a s d e scr ibe d in
previous section. Confirm the accuracy
of reading by ensuring the bubble is
centered horizontally when viewed
from the top front/back as well as from
the top left/right. If not, re-adjust
roller(s) to center the bubble. Now the
bubble is leveled.
NoteAboutMaximumLoadingandOff-AxisLoading
Nadir Adapter
Swung Out
Position
Tighten HA Knob to the Base
Alternatively, HA Knob allows EZ-L II to
align its edges to the tripod legs to
minimize the nadir footprint. Loosen
EZ-L II a bit. Gradually loosen HA Knob
while tightening EZ-L II, until its edges
are about to align with the tripod legs.
Then tighten EZ-L II fully.
2A
2B
Edges Aligned to
the Tripod Legs
For accurate leveling, a circular bubble level must be read from vertically above.
Any viewing angle to the vertical will cause reading error. With a camera and lens
positioned at the No-Parallax Point on a pano head, it can be quite difficult to view
the bubble from vertically above. This tip will help you overcome this difficulty.
Bubble is Centered
in Any Direction