Troubleshooting; My Photos Are Blurry - GigaPan Epic Pro User Manual

6. Troubleshooting

Read on to find out how to fix common problems with the GigaPan EPIC Pro. If you don't find
your solution here, contact technical support at GigaPanSystems.com.

6.1 My photos are blurry

There could be several causes for blurry photos:
1. The EPIC Pro might be moving before your camera has captured the photograph.
a. Navigate to 'Options' > 'Time Per Pic' in the EPIC Pro menu.
b. Use the directional keys to increase the time that the EPIC Pro will wait before moving.
This is especially useful for nighttime panoramas.
2. The moving EPIC Pro platform might not have sufficiently settled before the photograph
is taken.
a. Navigate to 'Options' > 'Expert Options' > 'Pretrigger Delay' in the menu.
b. Set the 'Pretrigger Delay 'to a higher value to allow for more settling time.
c. Navigate to 'Options' > 'Expert Options' > 'Motor Speed'
d. Set the 'Motor Speed' to 'Med' or 'Slow' to allow for more settling time.
e. Shoot a test panorama while watching for settling through the camera viewfinder. If
more settling time is needed, pause the panorama by pressing the X button and then
adjusting the 'Pretrigger Delay' using the Quick Menu. (See Chapter 1.5 or instructions
on programming 'Pretrigger Delay' in the Quick Menu).
Note: When you are using larger and heavier lenses it is especially important to adjust
the 'Pretrigger Delay' and 'Motor Speed' settings.
3. Wind gusts or vibration might have disturbed the lens and camera.
a. Use a faster shutter speed that is at least the reciprocal of the lens focal length. If you
are using a 300mm lens, then attempt to use a shutter speed that is at least 1/300th of
a second. Consider increasing the ISO to allow for a higher shutter speed if there is not
enough light.
b. Attempt to shield the lens and EPIC Pro from the wind by placing it to the side of
an object such as a tree, car trunk, or a large collapsible portrait reflector. In extreme
conditions, consider placing the EPIC Pro inside of a small camping tent.
c. Consider taking two or three photographs per position at the same exposure to
increase the probability that one of the photographs is not blurry if the disturbance is
intermittent.
4. Auto focus may not be yielding consistently focused images.
a. Navigate to 'Options' > 'Expert Options' > 'Shutter Length' in the EPIC Pro Menu.
Increase the value of the 'Shutter Length' setting to a value greater than 'Time per Pic' to
permit the autofocus sub system longer to achieve good focus.
b. If you have a faster lens (lower minimum aperture value such as f/2.8) consider using
this lens. Note that a zoom lens will normally have two values printed on the lens. A
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