Carl
Posts: 2
Location: New York, United States
Registered: 28 Sep 2007
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Getting started - please help me choose a stitching program.
Posted: 3 Oct 2007 at 19:22 GMT
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I'm just getting started and would appreciate some advice choosing a stitching program. I would like to make 360 by 180 panoramas.
I have a Canon 400D and 28mm lens. Nodal Ninja is currently being shipped.
I guess the next decision I have is what stitching program to use. With a 28mm lens I realize I will be shooting multiple rows. I don't mind this for just starting out. What stitching programs should I look into that can handle multiple rows and create 360 by 180 panoramas?
Also, if it makes a difference, these would be for viewing on the web with Java or Flash viewers (have seen and like the Immervision here).
I appreciate the help!
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DorinDXN
Posts: 1671
Location: Timisoara, Romania
Registered: 14 Nov 2006
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Re: Getting started - please help me choose a stitching program.
Posted: 3 Oct 2007 at 19:27 GMT
updated: 3 Oct 2007 at 19:45 GMT
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Hi,
There are two very good chooices, one is the popular PTGui
www.ptgui.com
or the free Hugin
hugin.sourceforge.net/download/
both are, say, equally powerfull, with learning curve having slighty different shape but with the same good end.
For converting in flash use
Pano2QTVR pro+ Flash pack or the new Pano2VR which output for Flash 9 with reportedly better performance from
www.pano2qtvr.com
or Panorama2Flash from
www.easypano.com/panorama2flash.html
Dorin
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Mark Schuster
Posts: 711
Location: Welwyn Garden City, United Kingdom
Registered: 25 Jan 2006
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Re: Getting started - please help me choose a stitching program.
Posted: 3 Oct 2007 at 19:49 GMT
updated: 3 Oct 2007 at 19:59 GMT
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Carl,
When you say a 28mm lens, do you mean an 18mm lens which is effectively 28mm for a 400D with a crop factor of 1.6? If so you will need over 30 shots for a 360x180 panorama.
Stitching so many could be hard work, but if you get AutoPano the application will automatically do most of the work for you.
You will also need a programme like pano2VR like Dorin says, and a photo editor. You may have got a very basic copy of PhotoShop with your 400D from Canon.
Mark
Go to www.autopano.net/
or, not as good, but free
Go to autostitch.en.softonic.com/
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Carl
Posts: 2
Location: New York, United States
Registered: 28 Sep 2007
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Re: Getting started - please help me choose a stitching program.
Posted: 3 Oct 2007 at 20:25 GMT
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Dorin and Mark, thanks for the replies. I'm checking out all your suggestions.
Mark, unfortunately my lens is a film 28mm and you correctly have the 1.6 crop factor for the 400D, so I'm shooting with an effective 45mm.
I recognize that this will involve a lot of shots and maybe even that 360x180 is just a pipe dream at this point. Maybe I'll have to settle for cylindrical until I can get a wider lens. But my ultimate goal is 360x180 so I thought I'd ask about the software that will take me there.
I know a bit about photography and have Photoshop. I also know HTML and some web related programming languages like Javascript, php, Perl, so I think I should be able to handle the web side of things once I get to that stage.
I need to understand more about what to do with the stitched pano. How I choose a viewer, how I make the pano compatible with my chosen viewer, and how I deliver the pano and viewer to my website visitor. If you can describe this process in a nutshell, that would be great.
But I'll continue to research your suggestions and probably will discover some answers to these basic questions and uncover more specific questions for later.
Thanks again.
Carl
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pixelator
Posts: 17
Location: North Carolina, United States
Registered: 21 Apr 2005
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Re: Getting started - please help me choose a stitching program.
Posted: 3 Oct 2007 at 22:07 GMT
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Hey Carl,
In a nut shell  Check out the Sigma 8mm fisheye lens to do 360 panos. Attach 400D and Sigma to an Agnos rotator head www.agnos.com/
As far as your finished stitched pano goes it will depend on what you use for output. I recommend Pano2QTVR gardengnomesoftware.com/ this will give you an option of Quicktime or Flash outputs.
If you are wanting to do a complete VT I recommend Tourweaver easypano.com/ It will output Java and Flash.
That's a nut shell, check out the links and research.
Good luck,
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Robert Piontek
Posts: 97
Location: Germany
Registered: 26 Jul 2007
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Re: Getting started - please help me choose a stitching program.
Posted: 3 Oct 2007 at 22:55 GMT
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it will be a major pain to do 360X180 with that lens on that body. i use an 18mm on a 1.5 crop. it works, and you can get great results, but i really wish i had something wider to make stitching easier. the big problen is that when you shoot three or more rows you have trouble getting good control points on the upper rows. also, the more images you have, the more time it takes to process. you can pick up the kit cannon 18-55 for probably pretty cheap, that would be my suggestion if you´re on a budget. and, anyway, i think the 28mm lens is too long for everyday use.
i suggest hugin. it´s free. there is definitely a learning curve, though.
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