Latest News

* NEW Rotator R1/R10 Mini Pkg's
NEW
NN Rental Store
* NEW Nodal Ninja 4!
* NEW Nodal Ninja Product Selector
* Ultimate Modular Heads
* Photography Pole Rotators & Accessories
* Photography Poles
* Fanotec, Nodal Ninja and iPanoramic donate $5000 to flood victims in Queensland.
Other News:
* Nodal Ninja 5 discontinued
* Facebook Friends max out at 5000
*Twitter followers exceed 1400.
* Adobe uses Nodal Ninja for testing.
* Leica Geosystems uses Nodal Ninja with its high precision Geo-System Laser Scanner workflow.

Awards and Reviews


Digital Photographer Magazine
Editor's Choice Award 2010/2011

DP Award
#1 selling photo mag. in the UK awards NN3 the “DP Gold Award”. Nov. 08
Features Build 5/5
Performance 5/5
Value for Money 5/5
Overall 5/5

Magazine reviews

Nodal Ninja showcased in magazines.

Pixelmania AwardPixelmania Award
NN3MKII + NN5 w/RD16


NN5 Scores 5 of 5
NN5 Scores 5 of 5
IT Enquirer

apple award
NN3 Scores 5 of 5
Applelinks


Sponsorships:

IVRPA - NYC2012
Palmela 2011
Photokina 2010
Tucson 2010 Pano Conference

Anza-Borrego Foundation
Anza-Borrego Institute of Photography

IVRPA

IAPP
IAPP

hugin
Goggle Summer of Code '08/09
more...

Local Sponsorship:
US Route 89
Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens


Save money on software when buying with a pano head.:
Pano2VR
Kolor
PTGui

see also Flashificator
(panorama creation software)


Recommended e-book

123di
Vincent Bockaert teaches how to take panoramas using the Nodal Ninja in his
123di v5 Interactive Suite






DUNS #: 003741801

 

Fanotec manufactures exclusively panoramic photography equipment. This includes panoramic tripod heads, photography aerial poles, levelers, turntables, rotators, and many other accessories. What also makes us unique to other companies is that our products are further refined over the years from feedback from photographers working in this genre. We continue to refine and build newer products to meet the growing needs of the end user. Even cinematographers are using mirrorless Micro Four-Thirds cameras and DSLR's to create ObjectVR's which we provide solutions to. Bill Bailey L.L.C. dba (doing business as) Nodal Ninja is proud to be exclusive partner to Fanotec International for the marketing and distribution of the product line.

Large Companies and Corporate Clients:
3M Company (MN)
3rdTech INC (NC)
A.F.B. media GmbH (Germany)
Adair Productions (NY)
Adidas
Autodesk
Axtell Ventures LLC
Bassmat Holding (Saudi Arabia)
BCT Consulting, Inc. (CA)
Bjerking AB
Bohannan Huston Inc.
Bose Corporation (MA)
C.R. Kennedy & Company Pty Ltd (AU)
Carson Productions, Inc. (TX)
Centre Hospitalier Vétérinaire (Saint-Martin)
CH2M Hill (CO)
Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CA)
Chopper Shoot (United Arab Emirates)
Coast to Coast International (PA)
Compudyne (MN)
Couwels Ltd.
Cudmore Holdings Ltd (Canada)
David Masterson Productions (TX)
Disney Studios
DLZ Industrial, LLC
Echelon Productions, Inc. (D.C)
Ed Holmes & Associates
Eisenbraun & Associates
Enrich Media Inc. (OR)
Enterprise General Contractors Co., Inc. (GA)
Everyscape (MA)
Fi Companies (GA)
Final Cut Limited (CA)
Fotocopter SL (Spain)
Glahe & Associates Inc
Globe Shanghai
Google
Grahek Technology (SD)
Grenland Asis Global AS
Gridpoint Solutions LTD
Grupo Nacion GN, S.A.
Halliburton (NJ)
Houpla, Inc. (MD)
Homestar Systems, Inc
Intermountain Healthcare (UT)
J.G. Liebrand
JEM Productions (Finland)
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Kelby Media Group, Training
KFOR Television (OK)
Kuker-Ranken Inc.
L3 Communications
Laser Technology (CO)
Lockheed Martin
Los Angeles Times (CA)
Lucas Digital
Lucas Films ILM
MAJA Consulting Group
Mal LTD
McNeil Group, Inc.
Mendoza Entertainment (CA)
Mentor Graphics Corp. (WA)
Microsoft Contract Services
The Moving Picture Company (UK)
NAIK Consulting Group, PC
NASATech
Netbox Corp. (FL)
National Geographic Adventure
Natural Resources Canada
Newland Group LLC
Nolte Associates, Inc.
Nugent and Associates Inc. (CA)
Optira Building Information Modeling
PASCO Geospatial (Japan)
Panometrics Technical Imaging
Point2 Technologies Inc. (Canada)
Portside Promotions (OR)
Prestige Vision (BC Canada)
Private Property Holdings (PTY) LTD (South Africa)
PSI Practical Software Innovations (Finland)
PSN (Aberdeen) Ltd
REMAX
REM Communications LLC. (NJ)
SB & O, Inc
Scoundrel Inc. (CA)
Simon Barron Productions (CA)
Showtime Pictures (UT)
Smart GeoMetrics (TX)
Smart MultiMedia, Inc
Spark Mobile LLC (FL)
TD Ameritrade
TeleStory Pictures, LLC (NY)
THE Ebeling Group TEG (NY)
The RLS Group
The Tuscaloosa News (AL)
The Evidence Store (NJ)
The New York Times (NY)
Tour Wrist (FL)
TSBD productions (LA)
Unravel Films & Advertising Pvt. Ltd. (UK)
USA TODAY
VFM Leonardo Inc. (Canada)
Virtual Tours (South Africa)
Voyager360 (NM)
VR National, Inc. (OR)
Woolpert, Inc.
Workstream
xRez Studio (CA)
Zones Inc. (WA)

Educational Institutions:
Autodesk University
Binghampton University (NY)
Brooks Institute of Photography (CA)
Brown University (RI)
California Lutheran University (CA)
Carleton University (Canada)
Clark County School District (NV)
Clemson University (SC)
Colorado State University (CO)
Concordia University (Quebec Canada)
Cornell University (NY)
East Carolina University (NC)
Fort Collins Museum & Discovery Science (CO)
Fox Valley Technical College(WI)
Harvard University (MA)
Indiana University-Purdue at Indianapolis (MN)
Kaetsu University (Japan)
Kansas State University (KS)
Kasetsart University (Thailand)
Keio University Dept. of SD (Japan)
Linkoping University (Sweden)
Loyola Marymount University (CA)
Middlesex County College (NJ)
Monash University (AU-Vic)
Mount Holyoke College (MA)
MSU School of Film & Photography (MO)
Murray State University (KY)
New Brunswick College of Craft & Design
New Mexico State University Dept. of Economics (NM)
New Mexico State University Dept. of Art (NM)
Nord-Trondelag University College (Norway)
North Dakota State University (ND)
Northeastern State University (OK)
Northwestern University Dept. of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (IL)
Ohio University GRID Lab (OH)
Pacific University (OR)
Princeton University Dept. of Physics (NJ)
Purdue University (IN)
Seattle University (WA)
Southern Adventist University (TN)
Stevenson University (MD)
Stockholm Environment Institute (Thailand)
Syracuse University (NY)
Texas Woman's University (TX)
The Bronx High School of Science (NY)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC)
UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest (Canada)
UC Davis MAE Dept. (CA)
Università Politecnica Marche (Italy)
University at Albany (NY)
University Health System (TX)
University Karlsruhe (Germany)
University of Alabama(AL)
University of Alaska Fairbanks (AK)
University of Alberta Dept. Civil Engineering (Canada)
University of Applied Sciences FHNW (Switzerland)
University of Arizona (AZ)
The University of Auckland (NZ)
University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)
University of Colorado Denver (CO)
University of Connecticut (CT)
University of Delaware (DE)
University of Georgia (GA)
University of Houston (TX)
University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)
University of Maine (ME)
University of Miami, School of Communication (FL)
University of Michigan (MI)
University of Nevada, Reno (NV)
University of Rochester Medical(NY)
University of Strathclyde Dept. of Physics (UK)
University of St. Thomas (MN)
University of St. Thomas, Psychology (MN)
University of Sydney (AU-NSW)
University of Tasmania (AU)
University of Texas at Austin (TX)
University of Tsukuba, Dept. of History and Anthropology (Japan)
University of Virginia Athletics (VA)
University of Western Australia (AU-WA)
Utah Valley University (UT)
Wheeling Jesuit University (WV)
Wyndham Pittsburgh University (PA)

Media/Production Companies:
Alastair Macleod Productions (BC Canada)
Blizzard Entertainment (CA)
Encore Hollywood.com (CA)
Medialand Productions LLC (NJ)
Ohio City Productions, Inc. (OH)
Wingnut Films Productions (New Zealand)
SilverSun Pictures (ACT AU)

Engineering & Survey:
3D TARGET SRL
3D verifier AS
AAllen Precision
Advanced Simtech (UK)
Aerogroup (Russia)
African Conservation Trust
African Consulting Surveyors
Allen Precision
American Institute of Aeronautics (CA)
Architectural Resource Consultants (CA)
Art Engineers (NJ)
Asphar Survey
Bechtel National, Inc. (WA)
Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)
CBC Surveys
Coast 2 Coast Surveys
Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory (NY)
COWI Consultancy within Engineering
CPH Engineers Inc
DeBruin Geomatics (NY)
DLZ Industrial, LLC
Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd
Downer EDI Engineering (Australia)
E.L. Robinson Engineering Co.
Earth Watch Corp.
Enterprise General Contractors Co., Inc. (GA)
Finley Engineering Co., Inc.
Geod Corp.
Geoplan 3D AS
Geospatial Solutions
Geosynchronous satellite (GEOSAT)
Glenn Associates Surveying, Inc. (SC)
Greenscan 3D
Grenland Asis Global AS
Horizon Surveys
Hydro-Quebec
Industrivisualisering AS
Kiewit Power Engineers
Land Solutions
LandMarker Geospatial
Langan Engineering
Laser Technology Inc (CO)
Leica Geosystems
Lloyd & Hill Inc (South Africa)
LODAHL Engineering Co. (Denmark)
Merrick & Company (CO)
M.J. Engineering and Land Surveying (NY)
Marshall Survey Associates
MMM Group Engineering (Canada)
Monashee 3D Scanning
Morel Mapping Workshop
NAIK Consulting Group, PC
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Navigator BMS (New Zealand)
Optimizing Performance (Saudi Arabia)
Orion GPS, Inc
Pacific Geomatic Services, Inc.
PC Construction Company (VT)
Precision Civil Engineering
Proimage Engineering & Communication Co.Ltd. (Thailand)
Quest Engineering
Rick Engineering
Sanmix International Co.,Ltd (China)
SCDS PRO Inc. (Canada)
Sistemas y Servicios para Topografía, S.A. de C.V (Mexico)
SolvoTek Engineering Ltd. (Turkey)
Smart GeoMetrics (TX)
Spillman Technologies (UT)
Star Net Geomatics (UK)
Sunrise Engineering
Sweco Infrastructure AB
Topographic Engineering Center
Topomar Topografos (Spain)
Tronnes Surveys
US Bureau of Land Management
USGS Landslide Hazards Program
Water Controls (Hawaii)

Governmental Agencies:
African Conservation Trust (South Africa)
ARMY Magazine (VA)
Bandelier National Monument (NM)
Canadian Coast Guard, Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada)
Danforth Plant Science Center (MO)
Denali National Park and Preserve (AK)
Dept. of Commerce (AU-NSW)
Dept. of Transportation California
Dept. of Transportation Michigan
District of Columbia Dept. of Real Estate Services (DC)
Ellis Island National Park Service (NJ)
Fairbanks National Park Service (AK)
Fort Collins Museum & Discovery Science Center (CO)
Glacier National Park (MT)
Grand Canyon National Parks Service (AZ)
Hillsborough County Parks (FL)
John Muir National Historical Park (CA)
Kenai Fjords Natrional Park (AK)
Keweenaw National Historical Park (MI)
NASA
NASA Ames Research
Naval Air Warfare Center (FL)
National Museum of Ethnology (Japan)
Nilma Quiros National Park Service (NY)
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument National Park Service (AZ)
Philadelphia National Park Service (PA)
Puerto Rico National Parks Service
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (WA)
Saaint-Gaudens National Historical Park (NH)
Santa Maria Air Force Base Operations (CA)
Smithsonian (D.C.)
Texas General Land Office (TX)
Today Art Museum (China)
United States AREVA (VA)
United States Army Air Traffic Control (MD)
United States BAE Engineering Systems (VA)
United States Bureau of Reclamation
United States Geological Survey Alaska Science Center (AK)
United States Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program (CO)
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (WI)
Washington, District of Columbia National Park Service (DC)
Zion National Park (UT)

Law Enforcement:
Albuquerque Police Dept.
Arlington County Fire Department (TX)
Aurora Police Dept (Illinois)
Champaign Police Department (IL)
Chicago Police Department (IL)
Cincinnati Police Department
Federal Bureau of Investigation (Quantico, VA)
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center TOD (GA)
Fresno County Sheriff Forensic Lab
Homicide Bureau San Dimas (CA)
LA County Sheriffs Department
Monterey Park Sheriff's Dept. (CA)
Naval Criminal Investigative Service (MD)
New York Forensic Imaging (NY)
Ocean County Sheriff's Dept.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Dept. (FL)
Pinellas County Forensic Science Dept. (FL)
Pinellas County Sheriff's Dept. (FL)
Redlands Police Department (CA)
Texas Rangers Co.D
Thomas County Sheriff's Dept.
Thomasville Police Department (GA)
York Regional Police (Canada)
 

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NEW

Photography Poles from 3ft to as high as 18ft. Take your photography to new heights - learn more about the new Fanotec Carbon Fiber "modular" photography poles click here.




NEW

Also just released - Nodal Ninja Ultimate "M" Series Panoramic Tripod Heads. Modular in design, CNC machined with incredible precision. Also includes rotator stops as small as 3.75 degree stops AND upper rotator with 7.5 degree "positive" stops - learn more - click here





Nodal Ninja

Nodal Ninja's 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 we are able to configure pano heads that are just right for you. Nodal Ninja is also the name of our company.

If you are looking to seamlessly stitch panoramas free of parallax while simplifying your workflow then you've come to the right place. Our award winning lightweight panoramic tripod heads are precision built to do just that. And being universal they will work with just about any camera and lens. We offer exceptional value without compromising quality that's backed by industry leading support. Explore our products and see why "we are turning heads".

 

What's the purpose of a Nodal Ninja pano head?
Once a camera is properly mounted on a pano head the photographer is able to take multiple images, horizontally and/or vertically, without any subsequent parallax error. Parallax, simply put, is the apparent shifting of objects in the foreground to the background. There is a point inside every lens called the No Parallax Point (NPP). The proper technical term is "entrance pupil" but many refer the NPP as the nodal point, hence Nodal Ninja.

Eliminating parallax is key when needing to "seamlessly" stitch adjoining images together to form a single composite. From as little as 2 shots across the horizon, to dozens or hundreds of multi image shots, photographers are able to produce stunning mosaics and full 360 x 180 degree interactive panoramas. Nodal Ninja is a valuable tool for any photographer's camera bag.
Learn more about panoramic photography.

Which pano head is best for me?

This is a frequently asked question and depends on many factors such as type of panoramas you are taking to the equipment you use and even the software you will use, these all weigh in on selecting the right product for you.
Visit our products selector page to help you pick the right head with the right rotator. And if you have difficulty sorting it out just give us call 480-659-9899 (see hours below) or use our contact page and a friendly representative will assist you usually within hours.

Fanotec continues to meet the growing demand for greater precision.
Fanotec's slogan is "We Listen, We Try Harder". Fanotec listens to the needs of the end user. With new CNC machining processes, items like the new Ultimate M (modular) series and highly advanced rotators with internal ball bearings now being manufactured to even higher tolerances yielding greater precision. The Fanotec RD16 advanced rotator for example currently has the option of selecting click stops as small as 3.75 degrees - that's 96 click stops in a 360 degree circle. Fanotec and Nodal Ninja are both committed to customer satisfaction while continually seeking to refine their products. We feel we set the bar when it comes to commitment to our customers for products and service.

EZ-Leveler-II

What are the advantages of Nodal Ninja over the competition?
We want our products to stand for themselves. One reason we win over the critics is because our pano heads are extremely well built, durable, versatile, universal and precision built. Being produced in Asia Fanotec has its own manufacturing plant which allows total quality control over the entire production phase. We are not a large company but we are able to meet consumer needs and generally have good stock levels to allow for fast delivery. Our panoramic tripod heads have been built from the ground up based on needs from actual end users. The Fanotec product line has grown from one product (NN-1 pano head) to 7 model series with various rotator configurations. And now we have introduced new carbon fiber modular photography poles and accessories. All in all we have over 100 products available with more coming later this year. And I almost forgot to mention we also make the EZ-Leveler-II (shown) for quick and easy leveling of your pano head.

Large Companies, Engineering Firms, Educational Institutions, Law Enforcement and more...
Our growing clientele base of industry giants include Google, NASA, JPL, as well as dozens of production companies like Lucas Industrial Light and Magic and Disney. With dozens of product reviews and 100's of testimonials Nodal Ninja stands strong in the industry. Just look at the list to the right of this page to review some the companies that trust Nodal Ninja - you might recognize a few names.

Workshops
Tim Vollmer Photography Workshops
click here to learn more

We Give Back
No other company in this field gives back to the community like we do. Over the last 3 years we have donated and given away close to $100,000 in cash and products. Just in the first quarter of 2011 already we have given close to $20,000 in contribution to include:
$5,000 to the Australian flood victims.
$2,800 to support the travels of a photojournalist (Akia Ninomiya) documenting the Earthquake region in efforts to raise money for those affected.
$8,300 to a non-profit project dedicated to documenting every stage of NASA's final shuttle mission.
And we support many other non-profits with smaller contributions such as museums and research centers, Animal Rescue, and the Arthritis Foundation. Worth mentioning too is we also sponsor non-profits that promote this genre of photography including the IVRPA and IAPP. But wait - there's more - we've given out over $3,500 in prizes, mostly through Facebook, thus far in 2011. And if you haven't yet entered we're offering up $2500 in prizes in the Epson International Photographic Pano Awards.
At times we think we are giving too much away but our hearts genuinely go out to these affected people, animals in need, and worthy organizations while mixing it up with fun contests. If you have bought any our products, or decide to buy, rest assured you are helping us to help others.


Before you buy from us - look around and compare.
In these economic challenging times it's worth doing a little detective work so you're more secure in your purchasing decision. Here are some tips when shopping and researching hardware manufacturers:
* Are they members of the Better Business Bureau or have a positive rating in the community?
* Read unbiased product reviews - companies would proudly display reviews on their website.
* Contact companies directly and ask questions about what model best suits your needs.
* Ask about product availability and delivery times, especially if being custom built.
* If a company requires payment first so to allow them to manufacturer your hardware what assurances do you have that your money is not at risk. Just because a business may have been around for many years does not necessarily ensure its stability. Many countries allow public review of a company's financials for this reason.
* When speaking to companies realize they are obviously biased about their products and will boost best support or having great products (ourselves included). So it pays to also "ask others" in the industry for more unbiased opinions based off personal experiences. One of the world's largest un-biased platforms on panoramic photography is www.PanoGuide.com

Compare the competition and avoid falling into the red.
Below are some full spherical panoramic tripod heads that achieve very similar functions.
(below prices may not reflect current pricing)
Model Approx.
Weight
Approx.
Size Closed
Approx.
Retail Price
Nodal Ninja 3 MKII 1lb 1oz. 7"x2"x2" $209.95
Nodal Ninja 4 1lb 15oz. 8"x3"x2" $349.95
Manfrotto 303SPH 4lbs 4oz 11x7x6 $517.95
MK Panohead-II 2lbs 4oz 10"x4" $780.00
Really Right Stuff (no click stops) 2lbs 9oz 12"x6"x4" $800.00
Kaidan QuickPan Pro
(OUT OF BUSINESS)
4lbs 12oz 12"x5.5"x3" $849.95
360Precision Adjuste 2lbs 4oz 8.2"x4"x2.2" $1,175.00


Nodal Ninja compared with other panoheads

Don't be fooled by size. Our panoramic heads will support from small point and shoot cameras to most pro level cameras and telephoto lenses as well as many medium format cameras and some large format cameras.

What about support?support team
Support is paramount to us and we take great pride in our products.
"Product is one thing but support is everything".
We offer phone, forum, chat, and email support. We have set the bar with industry leading support. Read a few of the thank you's and testimonials from our end users that continue to come in. And if you're in the Phoenix area stop by and see our lineup.
testimonials



-------------------------------------------------------

Our products not only are bought by photographers but also by educational institutions, engineers, law enforcement personnel, architects, governmental agencies and larger corporations. We believe the answer can be summed up in a few words - precision, reliability, durability, quality, support and very importantly price.
Here is a partial list of some the larger companies and corporations that buy our products:



Reviews:
Max Lyons (NN5 RD16) /Digital Photo Magazine (NN5 RD12) / Pixelmania (NN5RD16) / Chasseur d’ Images issue #312 (French) /Pruvodce fotografa (Czech Mag) / Digital Photo Magazine / Mac User (NN5 w/RD12) / IT Enquirer / Max Lyons (early NN5) / Digital Magasinet (Danish) / VRMag.org / Applelinks / Pixalo Photography Resource / Digital Photographer Magazine / Josh Korwin of XYZ Computing / Rosauro Ona (NN3) / Rosauro Ona (NN5) / J. Hughes SIXFEETDEEP / Panoguide Forum / Eric Rougier / 360 Rage / Thierry Rebours (1) (2) (French) / Pixelmania (Dutch) / NN5 w/RD16 + NN3 MKII by Joergen Geerds / Nodal Ninja: Good as Gold by Andrew Jorgensen / Nodal Ninja Ultimate by Freddy Stapersma / 500+ Testimonials

  Carel Struycken

Endorsed by Carel Struycken
Professional Actor
Professional VR Photographer

 

pano girl talks about our tripod heads Google Reseller Map
To play our greeting click on Leanna above Support your local reseller - find one near you.

NOW AVAILABLE - "Nodal Ninja Smart Phone Application" for Android.
COMING SOON: Soon we will allow you to post your non-commercial panoramas for
viewing on iPhone, iPad with our iOS app.
Cost to our customers? FREE!!

         

Nodal Ninja Panoramis Tripod Heads and Photography Poles
Nodal Ninja®
"turning heads - expanding horizons"