iSTAR

[Hugh]

I am delighted to see that Nodal Ninja is promoting the iSTAR.
I think that this is a major step in the world of panoramic photography and it is good to see that Nodal Ninja is adding another quality product to its range, especially as there is no conflict between this and the existing products.
I know that Cameron and Neil have worked hard on bringing their ideas to the market and congratulate them on this achievement.
It is one thing to have an idea and even to get it patented, bur quite another to make it work!
I would like to wish success to all involved in this venture.

[Terrywoodenpic]

Hi

what is NN's involvement in iSTAR... is ist just a regional distributer?

[Vincèn]

what is NN's involvement in iSTAR... is ist just a regional distributer?

You are right :) Distributor for US Market !

[Seacat]

The iSTAR was today in action at the Panotools-meeting The Hague, The Netherlands:





(iPhone 4 picture quality )


Johan Boom

[DennisS]

I have had much discussion with Bill about this product.

It has a very specific purpose in mind. Panoramic photogrpahy is not one of them. They sell out each production run as soon as they can finish the product. For the intended market, it is a god send.

This is NOT the right tool for our job of producting high quality 360x180 panoramas. It was never intended to be.

[Hugh]

Hi

what is NN's involvement in iSTAR... is it just a regional distributer?

You are right :) Distributor for US Market !

What I see is a quality British product being promoted in the US (and world wide due the Nodal Ninja web site) by a distributor with a great reputation for quality, excellent engineering and support.
The product does not conflict with the current Nodal Ninja products because it is aimed at different markets as is evident by the price tag which reflects the development and construction of the camera.
There are many applications where taking individual images and stitching them is not practical, possible, desirable or safe and this is where a single shot device like this comes into its own.
The other single shot option (i.e. parabolic reflector) simply does not have the resolution we expect these days and there is the very real problem of the resolution deteriorating rapidly toward the bottom as the recorded image tends to the centre.
There are also situations where taking individual images and stitching them is practical, but involves a lot of work, such as in a crowded room (e.g. hospitality suit, restaurant) with people moving and moving around close to the camera (i.e. covering a lot of the image area) and this product will certainly be invaluable in these situations.

I have had much discussion with Bill about this product.

It has a very specific purpose in mind. Panoramic photography is not one of them. They sell out each production run as soon as they can finish the product. For the intended market, it is a god send.

This is NOT the right tool for our job of producting high quality 360x180 panoramas. It was never intended to be.

Sorry Denis, but panoramic photography is definitely one of them, but perhaps not in your environment.
Sure, it will not produce 360° x 180° panoramas and is not designed to, but there are many situations where the "hole" in the nadir is not a problem, such as adding colour to HDS Point Clouds where the scanner has a similar "hole", and there are situations where it is not desirable to have full 360° x 180° because the floor and ceiling are of no interest and actually detract from the reason for the panorama in the first place, such as hospitality suits where the roof space is filed with exposed pipes and cables and there are food stains on the carpet.
There are many facets to the world of panoramic photography!
As far as production is concerned, the iSTAR is not made on a production line as such, but each is individually created and, as far as I am aware, the first production run is due out any day now, and it is true that they are all spoken for.
So, I reiterate that I am delighted to see that Nodal Ninja is promoting the iSTAR as I think that this is a major step in the world of panoramic photography and I would like to wish success to all involved in this venture.

[Terrywoodenpic]

It would seem that there is a vast potential market for a product like this, Most requiring a ruggedised product like the military, police, intelligence, surveillance, land survey, industrial and site control. I suspect there will be a need for an even higher definition product as well as a real time 360 video.

It would also seems that production is very hand to mouth, I wonder if the intention is to subcontract this or expand locally.

[DennisS]

Sorry Denis, but panoramic photography is definitely one of them, but perhaps not in your environment.

Sorry Hugh, but this device is NOT designed for what we do here. This comes from Bill. That is why he has not promoted it to this crowd. There has not been a grand announcement of this product. It is not designed to take high resolution 360x180 panoramas, which is what most of the people here try to do. If you are happy with a Grand Canyon size Nadir hole, then it will work in your environment. There is definitely a market for it. The users of this forum are not the intended market. It does panoramas, just not the type people here try to create.

If you want to do 360x100 panoramas, this device is perfect.

[DennisS]

The 100 degrees goes from just below the horizon straight up. The Zenith is included. In the examples shown on the web site you can tilt down just a few degrees before the large "black hole of death" appears. You do not have 50 degrees up and 50 down. It is more like 90 up and 10 down. These numbers are just estimates. I have not measured them.

[Hugh]

It would seem that there is a vast potential market for a product like this, Most requiring a ruggedised product like the military, police, intelligence, surveillance, land survey, industrial and site control. I suspect there will be a need for an even higher definition product as well as a real time 360 video.

It would also seems that production is very hand to mouth, I wonder if the intention is to subcontract this or expand locally.

Yes, there is a vast potential market in the applications you mention.

As far as production goes I don't think that there is an intention to subcontract the construction.
NCTech do not of course make everything and outsource many of the components, but have been very selective in their suppliers and the shell and such are machined on a CNC machine.
There has been a great deal of interest from the Military, Police, Survey, etc. and especially those using HDS, so I think the reality is that demand is exceeding their initial estimates.

Specifications can be found at:
http://www.nctech.co.uk/downloads/NC...Fusion_web.pdf
http://www.nctech.co.uk/downloads/NC...Pulsar_web.pdf

[Terrywoodenpic]

Yes, there is a vast potential market in the applications you mention.

As far as production goes I don't think that there is an intention to subcontract the construction.
NCTech do not of course make everything and outsource many of the components, but have been very selective in their suppliers and the shell and such are machined on a CNC machine.
There has been a great deal of interest from the Military, Police, Survey, etc. and especially those using HDS, so I think the reality is that demand is exceeding their initial estimates.



Specifications can be found at:
http://www.nctech.co.uk/downloads/NC...Fusion_web.pdf
http://www.nctech.co.uk/downloads/NC...Pulsar_web.pdf

I am surprised they fixed on 100 degrees, even for the applications they envisage something like 120 degrees would be more universally useful.

[Hugh]

I am surprised they fixed on 100 degrees, even for the applications they envisage something like 120 degrees would be more universally useful.

I don't know as a mater of fact, but suspect it is to do with the geometry of the lenses and sensors and the maths needed to get to the virtual condition of the Entrance Pupils of the lenses being at the camera centre, which I understand is where NCTech have broken new ground.
As I mentioned earlier;

There are many applications where taking individual images and stitching them is not practical, possible, desirable or safe and this is where a single shot device like this comes into its own.

so I think that the "hole" may be a limitation of the technology at this time, but that it is a compromise that can be "lived with" in many situations.

Is not this nature of photography where a gain somewhere is a loss elsewhere?