Forum/thread	Message
Forum: Q & A Thread: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5	Re: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5 Posted: 23 May 2008 at 17:09 GMT go to thread That's a great answer and you know what - I had sort of asked myself before how the stitching software deals with upward zenith shots as there is usually not much for CP's in sky or even a room ceiling. This is great advice. Hamish. alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5	Re: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5 Posted: 23 May 2008 at 17:02 GMT go to thread Thanks - I'm getting used to this camera now and loving it. I have David Busch's guide to the D300 and it is excellent. Strange with this camera is that the max EV for bracketing is only 1. With my D80 it would go to 2 and on my Nikon P5100 it would go to 2 or 3. One can increase this cumulatively with exposure compensation - but that would only be in one direction + or - so it's not useful for bracketing. The D300 will bracket up to 9 shots - so I suppose the intention is to just use EV steps in 1-stop increments as often as you need to. I did read that taking EV steps of 2 over 3 shots is not as beneficial as taking 5 shots with EV steps of 1 - discussion? Hamish Does anybody know different from this? alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5	Re: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5 Posted: 23 May 2008 at 16:48 GMT go to thread Better late than never...Many thanks for the very concise reply. As noted before, I'm one of those who really would rather spend time shooting than computing and minimizing the amount of time in various software suites is attractive to me. Plus - I'm a beginner at CS3 so the time spent is huge and the results never great. But this is great advice if ever I decide, and have the time, to get into it more. I recently, by the way, had much better (i.e. acceptable to me) luck with PTGui HDR with 5 bracketed shots. When I figure how to post to the net - I'll do so. Thanks, Hamish. alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: Finding -0- EV or the First Shot	Re: Finding -0- EV or the First Shot Posted: 23 May 2008 at 16:31 GMT go to thread Please clarify...do you mean that you take bracketed shots onlywhere the windows and surrounds are in the frames - and then use just 0EV for the other areas? Very interesting approach and I've wondered if I could get away with that. It would certainly save a lot of blending time for the areas of the pano that don't need bracketing. Thanks, Hamish alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5	Re: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5 Posted: 15 May 2008 at 3:58 GMT go to thread Beautiful web site. I have had enough concurring responses to leave the PTGui HDR alone now and use Enfuse stand-alone first for blending. All of this makes good sense to me. kind of annoying, though, to go to the expense of certain software purchases only to have my dream of a one-touch (more or less)fully automated HDR come to fruition. No - I haven't yet figured out why it is blurry but will try using just three of the five shots from the same shoot when I get a chance. Nobody has yet answered this one for me - how do I use MLU on a Nikon D300 set at continuous shooting for bracketing? The mode dial only allows one or the other. Is this the same on Canons? Is there a way to override this? Thanks, Hamish. alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5	Re: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5 Posted: 15 May 2008 at 3:53 GMT go to thread Sorry Mediavets, There's one thing there I don't quite understand - when you say 'and one up at about +60-65 degrees' - does this mean one shot or one row? If one shot - I don't get it. Thanks, Hamish. alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5	Re: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5 Posted: 15 May 2008 at 3:50 GMT go to thread Thanks - I'm trying to figure how to spend less time at the computer and more time shooting, so less software works best for me and the more automation the better - for me. Your information is most useful, however, and I will take from it whatever I can to improve things. Hamish. alert moderator
Forum: Tips & Tricks Thread: PTGui Viewpoint optimization	Re: PTGui Viewpoint optimization Posted: 14 May 2008 at 4:05 GMT go to thread John, I had a bad experience with a zenith shot recently - but much more extreme than your description. PTGui seemed to treat it like a 'seventh' image in my circle of six, rather than putting it into the zenith position at all. This was of course first obvious in the panorama editor window. Have you ever heard of such an 'extreme' non-placement of the zenith (or nadir) images? I'll try it again and use your techniques described above to try to drag it into place and then re-optimize. Hamish. alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5	Re: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5 Posted: 14 May 2008 at 3:56 GMT go to thread Juraj, Congratulations...this is very beautiful work indeed - a new standard for me to aim for! Please advise if you use Enfuse as a plug-in for PTGui or as a stand alone software, before loading the blended images into PTGui. If you have PTGui Pro - what is the reason you don't just use that software package to take care of it all. Ideally - PTGui Pro should take care of all blending and stitching as one smooth operation (depending on how 'hands-on' one wishes to get). Thanks, Hamish. alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5	Re: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5 Posted: 14 May 2008 at 3:51 GMT go to thread Hi Dorin, Thanks - please see my response to Hans. I always face this dilemma - but MLU is not available in continuous shooting modes, such as bracketing. But then - how could it be? Or are you suggesting re-setting the exposures manually for each of the bracketing shots so that MLU can, in fact, be used? Thanks, Hamish alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5	Re: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5 Posted: 14 May 2008 at 3:48 GMT go to thread Hans, Thanks for all that. I do use a good, stable tripod and also as many of the tricks as you recommend. I used a remote shutter release. The D300 cannot shoot multiple bracketed shots with remote and 'mirror-up' function at the same time. But as far as I know, the images are perfectly aligned (but possible that there were people moving within the shots). As far as all the control points stuff goes - I'm really trying to avoid this as, commercially, this sort of thing doesn't really pay off and I already have issues justifying post-process computer time. But the information is well received. I have enfuse and will try that (with 3 bracketed shots at EV+-2) - but that means moving between even more software. I am also researching Photomatix, and one other HDR software apparently much less expensive but equally good - can't remember the name. PTGui PRO should be able to handle it all on its own, however. I'll let you know how it goes. Hamish. alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5	Re: HDR vs EV results in PTGui / Lens hood on Nikkor 10.5 Posted: 14 May 2008 at 3:40 GMT go to thread Thanks to you and Mediavets for your responses - I figured as much. I used to shoot with a Nikon D80 and a Sigma 8mm, so am used to the 'partial circular image' but have now switched to D300 and Nikkor 10.5. Anyway - is there any advantage to shaving off the lens hood - better stitching overlap, perhaps? Hamish. alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: How to work with webhosting?	Re: How to work with webhosting? Posted: 12 May 2008 at 20:07 GMT go to thread Also see www.voyager360.com and www.kayyah.com I don't necessarily recommend the camera kits he sells (I have the 2-shot system if anyone wants it cheap), but the Kayyah thing is quite ingenious, as is his real estate 'Back Office'. Kayyah is the Navajo wind-talker's word for 'Land'. If anyone gets in touch with Bart - please tell him I sent you. Cheers, Hamish. alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: How to work with webhosting?	Re: How to work with webhosting? Posted: 12 May 2008 at 20:01 GMT go to thread The first question realtors ask is...how much do you charge? If there is competition, they will go with the lowest price. Advice to all VT photographers - don't kill the industry by under-bidding your competition - do good work, work out what you need to charge by the hour (for EVERYTHING YOU DO) and then charge it! Good photographers charge in the thousands per day, have assistants and charge for them too! We all need to work on bringing these prices up into good recognition for the specialized and expensive (equipment) industry that it is. Don't let the turkeys bring you down! Hamish. alert moderator
Forum: Q & A Thread: Anyone with experience of using Canon Powershot on a mast?	Re: Anyone with experience of using Canon Powershot on a mast? Posted: 12 May 2008 at 19:44 GMT go to thread This has puzzled me for a while - but how do you set up a pan head so that it is mounted properly on a pan/tilt head at the top of a mast? Somehow the 'Nodal' point of the lens would have to rotate exactly above the rotation axis of the pan/tilt head. Also - How come your nadir is way off to the side - and not directly under your pole? Lastly - although it is 'nice' to have a completed zenith, and important for interiors where the ceiling may be or architectural interest - seeing just more of the sky in an exterior shot isn't all that important to the viewer of real estate. It's just less work to reduce your +tilt and be done with it. Thanks, Hamish. alert moderator