Should I get a Nodal Ninja R Series (ring based) or traditional panoramic head to take 360 degree photos / virtual tours?

Overhead in our customer support: "I have a Nikon D850 with the 8-15mm zoom lens. Should I get the Nodal Ninja R series head (Nodal Ninja R1 with RD5 rotator and a lens ring) or should I get a traditional head like Nodal Ninja 6 or Nodal Ninja Ultimate M Series?"

Our answer: The decision is yours but some actionable advice: 
- Choose the R series if you are after speed, simplicity and low weight
- Choose the NN6 or M Series if you are after a higher quality, versatility and precision

Long answer: The answer depends on your photography goals.

If your main goal is to take the images quickly and you don't mind about zenith and nadir quality too much, you should go with the R series head (R1 or R20). That will allow you to take 4 shots quickly. If you tilt up a bit, these 4 shots will merge at zenith, eliminating a need for the extra zenith shot. And the nadir can be achieved by an extra shot from a side or omitted at all, bearing in mind that it will require a bit of retouching to remove the tripod in that case.

On the other hand, if you are after the best quality, and you want to take extra zenith or nadir shots to increase quality, or if you want the versatility and option to be able to use a wide range of lenses, or if you wan to use longer focal lengths that would not support 4 shots around, the Nodal Ninja 6 or the Nodal Ninja M Series is the way to go. If you are interested in these make sure you check out our article on differences between NN6 and M Series.

There are a number of models in each category. We have covered the differences of Nodal Ninja 6 models in this article and we'll cover the M series in one of the following blog posts so stay tuned. You might also be interested in differences between NN6 and the M Series.