Mark Schuster
Posts: 1319
Location: Welwyn Garden City, United Kingdom
Registered: 25 Jan 2006
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Handheld Samyang - again
Posted: 4 Mar 2010 at 21:30 GMT
updated: 4 Mar 2010 at 21:50 GMT
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Smooth thought up a novel method for making handheld panoramas with the Samyang 8mm f/3.5 on a 1.6 crop camera. He shot six around with the camera tilted downwards so he could just see the toecap of his boot, which he used as a guide, then one straight up to include the zenith.
This is my automatic stitch of his images with uncorrected nadir complete with toecap to illustrate his method.
panoradiant.co.uk//test/smooth_1.html
There was previous doubt the Samyang could be used for handhelds, Smooth has shown that it can, but the method proved awkward when I simulated it with a Sigma 8mm. It’s difficult to see what you are shooting with head down at a sharp angle.
So why not reverse Smooth’s method? Shoot five or six around at about +15 degrees to take care of the zenith, then two downwards 180 degrees apart with toecap just poking into the image. I’ve tried this with the Sigma and it worked. Would someone with a Samyang like to try Reverse Smooth and report back?
What about it Smooth, if your looking in? Is it worth a try?
Mark
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Mark Schuster
Posts: 1319
Location: Welwyn Garden City, United Kingdom
Registered: 25 Jan 2006
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Smooth
Posts: 3729
Location: Mount Panorama, Australia
Registered: 21 Jul 2004
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Re: Handheld Samyang - again
Posted: 5 Mar 2010 at 4:57 GMT
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Mark,
The whole point of using the toe of my boot, your sandal<<  or a shoe is to have it as a point of reference in the shot. This worked fine as you all got to see and with more practice I'm sure a valid way to shoot hand held shots. My example stitched with PTGui smooth360.com/2010/machattie_park/
Tilting +15 will not have the toe in shot. So the reference is gone. Ok, it will be back for the nadir shot/s but I don't really get why you think this is worthwhile?
Post some examples for us to stitch.
Regards, Smooth 
www.smooth360.info
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Mark Schuster
Posts: 1319
Location: Welwyn Garden City, United Kingdom
Registered: 25 Jan 2006
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Re: Handheld Samyang - again
Posted: 9 Mar 2010 at 23:19 GMT
updated: 9 Mar 2010 at 23:45 GMT
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Smooth says
The whole point of using the toe of my boot, your sandal<< or a shoe is to have it as a point of reference in the shot. This worked fine as you all got to see and with more practice I'm sure a valid way to shoot hand held shots
Is this the Putting the Booth in Method? Perhaps something Smooth is good at. 
He goes on to say
Tilting +15 will not have the toe in shot. So the reference is gone. Ok, it will be back for the nadir shot/s but I don't really get why you think this is worthwhile?
I don't think you need such references with an 8-ish mm lens. Some rough gessing perhaps, as in this example of five around at +15 and two diametrically opposed shots to just include the toe caps so as to incorporate the nadir.
panoradiant.co.uk/test/ad-astra.html
This could be called Mark's Shooting Oneself in the Foot Method, something I do often! 
The two images to the right just include my toe caps. Below is one of them.
This image also serves to prove to Smooth that:
1. I don't wear sandals! 
2. I am holding my tummy in!! 
Seriously, handheld shots at around +15 degrees or more are a bit extreme. With my camera/lens combination about +8 degrees are sufficient to incorporate the zenith. However the method of shooting two depressed shots diametrically opposite each other with toe-caps showing is an easy to stitch method for the nadir. (Incidentally, the only corrective action I took was a small amount of leveling - still not perfect. PTGui was kind enough to remove my boots during blending. Had it not done so it would have been easy enough to clone over some grass. Neither is the stitch perfect. The John Lewis building - the tallest red one - has had a bit of alteration to its roof)
Smooth, your putting the boot in method is unnecessary as a guide, if overlap is sufficient you need not be too precise with your projection angles, but the method is an excellent way to include the nadir. I have adapted and adopted it for my handheld panoramas. One idea leeds to another. Thanks for the idea.
Mark
PS Should anyone be interested, the panorama was shot on the Campus, Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. It was shot as a test and not for other reasons.
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Smooth
Posts: 3729
Location: Mount Panorama, Australia
Registered: 21 Jul 2004
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