Nicoloas
Posts: 5
Location:
Registered: 9 Dec 2005
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should I get a tripod head?
Posted: 11 Dec 2005 at 6:25 GMT
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I see there are tripod heads for less than $100, quite affordable. Will they give superior panos than without (handheld)? Is it worth the trouble lugging around a tripod + tripod head?
I see some handheld panos are really good. also the stitchers seem to be able to blend any error.
what is your experience?
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John Houghton
Posts: 3487
Location: Hitchin, United Kingdom
Registered: 17 Jan 2005
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Re: should I get a tripod head?
Posted: 11 Dec 2005 at 17:28 GMT
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Using a properly set up head will always enable a good stitch to be more easily generated than when the camera is hand held. Where the risk of serious parallax errors is high, such as in small interiors, I would say that a pano head is virtually essential. Outdoors, with nothing close to the camera, you can usually get away with a hand-held camera. Expect to do more stitching error repairs with Photoshop though.
The latest stitchers and blenders can work surprisingly well but are certainly not infallible. Generally speaking, the more automatic the stitcher is, the less control that you have, and the more likely it is that you will benefit from the use of a pano head. Claims that a stitching package will give perfect results even from a hand-held camera should be taken with a pinch of salt.
John
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GURL
Posts: 41
Location: Grenoble / Isère, France
Registered: 7 May 2004
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Re: should I get a tripod head?
Posted: 11 Dec 2005 at 19:20 GMT
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A John said, it depends of the subject. Besides that,
- a monopod is better than nothing
- a tripod is better than a monopod
- a tripod + head is better than a tripod alone.
In desperate situations (nothing but your camera, foreground must be included) remember of: www.philohome.com/tripod/shooting.htm
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Nicoloas
Posts: 5
Location:
Registered: 9 Dec 2005
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Re: should I get a tripod head?
Posted: 11 Dec 2005 at 19:44 GMT
updated: 11 Dec 2005 at 19:44 GMT
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thanks a lot for John and GURL, esp the desparate measure from GURL  .
I wonder if the software blending or correction for parallax will introduce some weired results that are not apparant at first glance but will look unnatural or unreal when viewers pay more attention.
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John Houghton
Posts: 3487
Location: Hitchin, United Kingdom
Registered: 17 Jan 2005
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Re: should I get a tripod head?
Posted: 11 Dec 2005 at 21:25 GMT
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Correction for parallax might be done clumsily by morphing and this could introduce weird distortions, or it might be done by clever seaming. Yesterday, I happened to do some comparison stitches and these crops show a difficult seam caused by people moving about (they just won't keep still). They are rather startling:
John
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ddd
Posts: 783
Location: vancouver, Canada
Registered: 21 Jul 2004
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Re: should I get a tripod head?
Posted: 11 Dec 2005 at 22:02 GMT
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That is Victoria, BC correct?
I live no to far from there
Have fun
Dylan
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