errorcorrective
Posts: 7
Location:
Registered: 1 Aug 2005
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Lens sizes?
Posted: 20 Nov 2005 at 17:30 GMT
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What is better for taking good shots for panoramas:
bigger or smaller lens sizes? How many mm's is optimal?
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John Houghton
Posts: 3487
Location: Hitchin, United Kingdom
Registered: 17 Jan 2005
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Re: Lens sizes?
Posted: 20 Nov 2005 at 20:46 GMT
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There is no simple answer to these questions. You need to work backwards from the result that you are aiming to produce. For example, If your objective is a 24" x 72" print at 300 pixels per inch, then you work out the overall pixel dimensions of the panorama. From this and the pixel dimensions of your camera image, you work out how many images are necessary (allowing for overlaps). Then you take into account the total angular view that you want to capture and thus determine the angular view of each image. This enables you to work out the focal length of the lens required.
You will need to be much more specific about what you are wanting to do (and with what equipment) for a sensible answer to be provided. But there are plenty of examples around of what other people are doing and the results to be expected.
John
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errorcorrective
Posts: 7
Location:
Registered: 1 Aug 2005
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Re: Lens sizes?
Posted: 20 Nov 2005 at 22:40 GMT
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Ok, what I wanna do is to make a 360 degree panorama with a Kodak CX6330 that has a 37 mm - 111 mm (3 x zoom) lens? IS that possible. I was told that it is hard with 37mm.
Will that work. I have posted a thread few months ago on this topic, but I forgot tu mention that it has a 111mm (lens) when zumed.
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GURL
Posts: 41
Location: Grenoble / Isère, France
Registered: 7 May 2004
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Re: Lens sizes?
Posted: 21 Nov 2005 at 1:25 GMT
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For 360° panos of landscapes or other static subjects, the answer is yes. Though this is not usual, I have made 360° landscape panos using a 300 mm lens equivalent!
On the contrary, if you want to make 360° x 180° (where zenith and nadir are included) of moving subjects, a 35 mm lens is not enough: a total coverage of the sphere would need no less than 80 shots... for this kind of panos, the wider the lens the better (this includes fisheyes.)
Anyways, you should begin shooting panos with your present camera (with or without a tripod, with or without a pano-head, this depends on your preferred subjects and the stitcher you select.) Any panorama experience will be an invaluable help in selecting a future camera and lenses.
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Bill Bailey
[NodalNinja]
Posts: 599
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Registered: 27 Jan 2005
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Re: Lens sizes?
Posted: 21 Nov 2005 at 1:27 GMT
updated: 21 Nov 2005 at 1:30 GMT
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I agree with John.
Here's one example for you.
circularworlds.com/tahoe_boulders.html
Same image inverted:
circularworlds.com/boulders_globe.html
It's a FULL 360ºx180º Spherical Pano comprised of
74 shots using the EOS 5D 12.8MP w/17-40mm EF L @40mm.
The resulting image was 2 GB (26,102 x 13,054 pixels).
My old pc couldn't even process the image it was so large. While it's fun to view on my new pc (P4D 840 with 3gigs ram) the detail is incredible, but I had to reduce it down to 2 MB to make it viewable online.
Unless you're going to print a wall sized pano at 300 dpi you really don't need to push things to the max. Besides you up-rez images now with excellent results.
50mm is close to what the eye sees - any wider focal length and distant stuff looks small but requires fewer shots. Any longer focal length and you need to take more shots to make the pano. Wider lenses are favored indoors and longer lens (40mm+)are favored for outdoor sceneries.
So it's give it take - I think most would recommend starting with a wide angle lens (8mm or 10.5mm) and take fewer shots. Just my 2 cents.
Let us know what you decide.
Cheers
Bill
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John Houghton
Posts: 3487
Location: Hitchin, United Kingdom
Registered: 17 Jan 2005
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Re: Lens sizes?
Posted: 21 Nov 2005 at 8:10 GMT
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errorcorrective said: Ok, what I wanna do is to make a 360 degree panorama with a Kodak CX6330 that has a 37 mm - 111 mm (3 x zoom) lens? IS that possible.
At the wide setting, your camera lens will have a horizontal field of view of 38.7 degrees (portrait) or 50.1 degrees (landscape). If you allow 25% overlap for stitching, you will need either 10 images to cover 360 degrees in landscape orientation, or 13 images in portrait orientation. There's a wider vertical field of view when using portrait orientation, of course, which is usually preferable.
John
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Bill Bailey
[NodalNinja]
Posts: 599
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Registered: 27 Jan 2005
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Re: Lens sizes?
Posted: 21 Nov 2005 at 13:46 GMT
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Hi Guru, curious how many shots it took for you to do a 360° landscape pano with a 300mm lens.
cheers
Bill
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errorcorrective
Posts: 7
Location:
Registered: 1 Aug 2005
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Re: Lens sizes?
Posted: 22 Nov 2005 at 1:45 GMT
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Do I get this right: the wider the angle lens - the less milimeters it has, and the bigger view it captures?
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Joe Smith
Posts: 37
Location: Phoenix, United States
Registered: 12 Aug 2005
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Re: Lens sizes?
Posted: 22 Nov 2005 at 3:07 GMT
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Yes, exactly. The more mm, the less angle of view.
Remember, though, the wider angle (less mm), the less detail in the final product. That's the trade-off.
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GURL
Posts: 41
Location: Grenoble / Isère, France
Registered: 7 May 2004
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Re: PhotoBill
Posted: 28 Nov 2005 at 17:23 GMT
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I have assembled several times 55 portrait oriented shots taken using a 150 mm equivalent for a 360° result. I have shot and assembled large series using a 300 mm equivalent but actually never assembled any 110 vertical shots series to reach 360°.
 Apologies!
This is feasible using cylindrical projection mode, assembling first several 90° or 120° parts which share an image at each end and then assembling the final pano using PS, but as the final result is wider than 30,000 pixels, Photoshop PSB file format is mandatory and the result rather difficult to show!
In case you are patient enough, here is an example of those "skyline panos" (reduced to 13000 x 440):
slash72.club.fr/gurl/vuedensemble/vuedensemble.ht...
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