Testimonials

M2 Giga - Total game changer.

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.

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 M2 w/ RD8-II Rotator - Best design at this time By Brock. I have worked with the Really Right Stuff panorama gear and the Nodal Ninja provides more functionality and at a lower total cost. In particular the ability to set the degrees of rotation and have a click mechanism is what sets it apart. I do not need to try to find 2.5 degree increments on a scale but can instead rely on the click to tell me when to take the next shot. This saves a lot of time and makes it easier to shoot in low light settings as well. The start and end tabs of the rotators also make it easy to have multi-row shots start and end at the same place. This is a well thought out piece of equipment by people who actually shoot panoramics. Lots of refinements that are not found on other pano setups that are in this price range. A small thing perhaps but I like that they provide a very good storage case for all the parts. With Really Right Stuff I had to buy a third part neoprene case that was expensive and not all that well designed for actual use in the field.

The rotator that handles your manual gigapixel panos with ease. Product: Ultimate M2 with RD8-II Rotator (F8001) Posted By: Gavin Farrell - The circumference of this rotator provides the perfect distance between detents so when you're shooting and need those precise well marked increments/steps you'e got them. Because the detent steps are clearly marked and spaced out more then the other rotators they're EASIER TO SEE and thereby retain your position in the sequence. If you're looking to use a 300mm/400mm Telephoto lens for manually shooting a gigapixel panorama this rotator will speed up your workflow with less chance for error.