Panoramas .. some thoughts after learning about tilt-shift lenses: I have been watching John Greengo on creative live. http://www.creativelive.com/watch3 He goes over several cameras...

Nightski

I have been watching John Greengo on creative live.

http://www.creativelive.com/watch3

He goes over several cameras, lenses, and he gives quite an in depth description of what the tilt-shift lens does.

He does discuss the Scheimpflug principle.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/focusing-ts.shtml

One question I came away with is related to the shift ability of the lens. When doing panoramas you can shift the lens over instead of swiveling the camera using the panning feature of the tripod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxEdgl550cc

Are there tripods that shift the whole camera? If not, could a person move the tripod over and be successful taking panorama shots. I was thinking that this might work if you don't have a tilt shift.

Focus.
Take your shot.
Leave your camera on that focus.
Move your tripod over looking through the viewfinder using the previous focus to make sure you are the same distance away.

Would this work? Why or why not?

Mr PC Loc: Austin, TX

I would think you would need to be on level ground to begin with or you would be cropping a lot to line up your shots.

Nightski

Mr PC wrote:

I would think you would need to be on level ground to begin with or you would be cropping a lot to line up your shots.

I wonder how I could line up for that? Maybe if I lined up a certain spot on a tree or something with a focal point in my view finder.

Has anyone ever tried this?

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Nightski wrote:

I wonder how I could line up for that? Maybe if I lined up a certain spot on a tree or something with a focal point in my view finder.

Has anyone ever tried this?

You could use a focusing rail to shift the camera, but the preferred method is to use a panorama head, such as the Nikon AP-2, for instance, which has click stops for various focal lengths.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

RWR wrote:

You could use a focusing rail to shift the camera, but the preferred method is to use a panorama head, such as the Nikon AP-2, for instance, which has click stops for various focal lengths.

Panorama Head http://www.google.com/#q=panorama+head

Nightski

I never knew .. :-) They are a little spendy, and I am sure you get what you pay for. It's lots less money than a tilt shift lens. Still there is a panoramic shot I'd like to take on my upcoming camping trip so I might try just moving my camera. Someday I'd like to have one of these panoramic heads.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Nightski wrote:

... They are a little spendy, and I am sure you get what you pay for. ...

DIY Panorama Head http://www.google.com/#q=DIY+Panorama+Head

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Nightski wrote:

I never knew .. :-) They are a little spendy, and I am sure you get what you pay for. It's lots less money than a tilt shift lens. Still there is a panoramic shot I'd like to take on my upcoming camping trip so I might try just moving my camera. Someday I'd like to have one of these panoramic heads.

After you become disappointed with trying to shift the camera, lens, tripod combination, you will appreciate why the tripod's panning feature is called a panning feature. :)

Nightski

St3v3M wrote:

DIY Panorama Head http://www.google.com/#q=DIY+Panorama+Head

Interesting ...

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

A "PC" lens, or a camera with tilt/shift, is primarily intended to correct distortion such as convergence, etc. Using it to pan would introduce distortion where there may be none. For the price of a PC lens, or a camera with a tilt/shift lensboard, you could buy a nice Sony body that does the whole panorama thing in camera.

Nightski

How would I be using it to pan? Isn't panning moving with a subject? I am not thinking of a moving subject. I just watched John Greengo on Creative Live do a panorama by using the shift feature on the Canon 24mm tilt-shift lens. It was pretty amazing.

How much is the sony body that you are thinking of? It does panoramas without distortion? So you don't end up with a skinny long picture?

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

how to photograph a panorama http://www.google.com/#q=how+to+photograph+a+panorama

Nightski

I have shot a panorama before Steve. Searcher helped me merge it in the PP Section. But I want to shoot one that I don't have to crop so much and after watching how John Greengo did it with the tilt-shift, it got my wheels turning.

Heres the page with my panorama. Guess it was in Photo Gallery

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-154058-3.html

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Nightski wrote:

I have shot a panorama before Steve. Searcher helped me merge it in the PP Section. But I want to shoot one that I don't have to crop so much and after watching how John Greengo did it with the tilt-shift, it got my wheels turning.

Heres the page with my panorama. Guess it was in Photo Gallery

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-154058-3.html

It would probably help if I watched the video before answering.
Thanks for the update to you first post. Cheers! S-

Nightski

Okay Steve ... going to look now .. you busted me. :oops: