How do I shoot a Multi-Row Pano
Dec 7, 2017 22:15:56 #
I understand that to create a simple panorama that you must overlap the photos, and that it is best if you can rotate the panhead by a consistent number of degrees. Toward this end, a panohead on your tripod with degree markings is preferable, although not absolutely necessary.
What I don't understand is if you want to create a pano with vertical pans as well as horizontal pans, how do you consistently pan vertically and keep track of where you've been and where you need to go?
What I don't understand is if you want to create a pano with vertical pans as well as horizontal pans, how do you consistently pan vertically and keep track of where you've been and where you need to go?
Dec 7, 2017 22:33:16 #
Please clarify. Is your question how do you create multiple row panos? A vertical pan is just a pan using your camera in a vertical format.
Dec 7, 2017 22:51:00 #
Pretty much the same way. I start at the top of the scene, pan the camera, making sure to overlap sufficiently. Then, tilt the camera downward so that there is vertical overlap. Then pan again, making sure there is sufficient overlap. Tilt the camera downward again, leaving vertical overlap and start panning again. I've done a 4x4 panoramic using this technique.
For the vertical distance, I basically line that up by sight. I've used a protractor, but simply doing it by sight works. One has to try and imagine the grid overlaying the scene one is going to photograph.
--Bob
For the vertical distance, I basically line that up by sight. I've used a protractor, but simply doing it by sight works. One has to try and imagine the grid overlaying the scene one is going to photograph.
--Bob
ejones0310 wrote:
I understand that to create a simple panorama that you must overlap the photos, and that it is best if you can rotate the panhead by a consistent number of degrees. Toward this end, a panohead on your tripod with degree markings is preferable, although not absolutely necessary.
What I don't understand is if you want to create a pano with vertical pans as well as horizontal pans, how do you consistently pan vertically and keep track of where you've been and where you need to go?
What I don't understand is if you want to create a pano with vertical pans as well as horizontal pans, how do you consistently pan vertically and keep track of where you've been and where you need to go?
Dec 7, 2017 23:39:19 #
I used LIghtroom to do a 3x3 of an iconic bridge in Newport, OR. I did it hand held, estimating the overlaps and it worked fine. Lightroom found a way to line them up. I should do more of them to see it it was a fluke.
Dec 8, 2017 00:27:38 #
ejones0310 wrote:
I understand that to create a simple panorama that you must overlap the photos, and that it is best if you can rotate the panhead by a consistent number of degrees. Toward this end, a panohead on your tripod with degree markings is preferable, although not absolutely necessary.
What I don't understand is if you want to create a pano with vertical pans as well as horizontal pans, how do you consistently pan vertically and keep track of where you've been and where you need to go?
What I don't understand is if you want to create a pano with vertical pans as well as horizontal pans, how do you consistently pan vertically and keep track of where you've been and where you need to go?
You don't really need a pan head with degree markings to make a stitched pano. Both my heads have degree markings and I have never paid them any mind.
The method I use is the same regardless of whether I am using a tripod or shooting handheld.
I find a "landmark" in the center of the frame for the first shot.
For the second shot I move the camera so that what was in the center is now at the edge. This gives me a little more than 50% overlap.
If I am making a multiple row pano, I just take my first shot, move the camera up and/or down to take the next shots, taking care to put that initial landmark at the bottom or top edge for each shot. Then I move the camera to the left (or right) for the next shot, and repeat the top (and bottom row, if it is a three row pano) shots and continue until I have it all covered to my satisfaction.
It is not important to have the camera level. It is important to ensure that you have enough overlap.
I suggest you take a look at this guy's approach:
https://petapixel.com/2016/10/27/stitching-panorama-forget-wide-angle-lens-home/
His brain works in a spiral, mine is linear in nature. But the technique is the same. On distant vistas you don't need to worry about parallax. In fact, even with my shots at the distillery (in the Woodland Creek thread) which was pretty close quarters for a 45mm lens, hand-held shooting did not reveal any parallax problems.
When using a tripod, I have one fitted with a leveling base and a bubble level, the other has a leveling plate with a bubble level. I use the levels to get the tripods, well, level. Then I turn on the camera's azimuth and leveling indicator so that I can adjust the ball head until the camera is level. Once all that is set up I use the landmark in the center of the image to shift the camera about.
It takes much longer to explain than to actually execute. And I am not sure that my explanation is all that clear, so don't hesitate to ask questions if I am not making any sense. And, as you can see, there are more than just a couple of ways to do this - I simply presented my simple approach.
Dec 8, 2017 00:46:11 #
ejones0310 wrote:
I understand that to create a simple panorama that you must overlap the photos, and that it is best if you can rotate the panhead by a consistent number of degrees. Toward this end, a panohead on your tripod with degree markings is preferable, although not absolutely necessary.
What I don't understand is if you want to create a pano with vertical pans as well as horizontal pans, how do you consistently pan vertically and keep track of where you've been and where you need to go?
What I don't understand is if you want to create a pano with vertical pans as well as horizontal pans, how do you consistently pan vertically and keep track of where you've been and where you need to go?
You asked another pair of questions in a subsequent post:
"What panos I have shot were handheld, and when I stitched them I found I didn't do a very good job staying on the same horizontal plane. When I think of doing multiple rows, I think back how hard it was to just keep one row straight, it intimidates me to think of coordinating multiple rows.
I read the link the other day, possibly from one of your other posts. I don't see how he keeps it straight going in a spiral. It looks like stacking rows on top of each other would be much simpler.
The parallax issue has me stumped a bit. If it's a distance pano I can see it would not come into play. But, if it's not a distant shot, how do you rotate a camera around the rear element axis without some sort of Gymbal head?"
I turn on the grid lines in my camera to help me keep the camera at the same level - height - if possible, I pick a horizontal line that would persist across all the images in the pan and just keep it more or less the same distance from a gridline. But if you are doing a taller pan hand held (multi row or whatever), you don't have to be that accurate as far as a level pan and even keeping the camera itself level. The only thing that is important is to ensure that there is sufficient overlap. The rest can be pretty sloppy. the pano stitching software will find connection points and assemble the pano.
Multi row panos are definitely easier with a two axis head.
The no parallax point is not the rear element of the lens. It is a point, near the iris within the lens that will minimize or eliminate parallax. You can get a rail that allows you to offset the pivot point from the tripod socket to another point further along the lens.
This may help understand finding the no-parallax point on a lens:
https://www.prophotonut.com/2015/05/27/a-guide-to-perfect-panoramas-using-nodal-shift/
http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/finding-the-no-parallax-point
if you want to do multi row panos, then you will need a two axis pano head.
This is one product that won't break the bank, but it does not accept arca-swiss compatible plates or L brackets
http://shop.nodalninja.com/nn3-mkii-starter-pkg-f3500/
This one is more robust, and will help ensure that there is no unwanted camera rotation at the tripod socket, especially if you use a good quality arca-swiss plate or L bracket:
http://www.hejnarphotostore.com/product-p/scv-heavy-duty-8-inch.htm
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