Holding your phone steady enough to get a decent panoramic photo is challenging. You can never quite keep that white box inside the slider and everything just ends up looking super wonky. Well not anymore. The Manfrotto PIXI Pano 360 is a tool to give you the perfect panoramic images.
The unit itself is very small, and has been designed to work with tripods thanks to its screw hole on the bottom. It can sit on a flat surface, but framing could be an issue, especially when taking landscape images. I’m using it with a Manfrotto PIXI Mini and it works a treat.
On top is another screw hole for various units. Most commonly will be mobile phones, in which an adapter comes in the box. However, if you want to use your compact system camera, like my Sony A7RII for example, you can. You can’t go above a compact system or mirrorless camera as the motor has a weight limit.
There is a microUSB port on the back which allows you to charge the Manfrotto PIXI Pano 360, and there is also an included remote control so you can manually spin the head itself which uses disk batteries.
There is also a supporting app for iOS and Android which turns your phone into a controller. I’ve got a Google Pixel 3 and had issues getting the app to launch, and I don’t think I’m the only one on Android with issues. Just look at their feedback on the Play Store. Not good, but we’re hoping for some kind of update in the future although there’s no news on this. iOS however seems a lot more developed and feedback is generally good.
The PIXI Pano 360 is a lump, which was unexpected, but shows that it’s been made from some decent premium materials. I wouldn’t get too worried if I dropped it by mistake. Inside the box you can also find a storage pouch to save it from scratches when its in your bag.
This product is very niche I must admit. It’s really only going to apply to those photographers wanting to take advantage of smooth pans. And for around £89 at time of writing here in the UK, you’re going to want to take a lot of panoramic photographs to make it worth your money, as that’s pretty pricey. For more information, head over to the Manfrotto website.
