Panoramic help? Heading somewhere tomorrow where I might want to try my very first multi-shot panorama. Anyone have some advice on proper approach to exposure?? I always shoot in...

gleneric Loc: Calgary, Alberta

Heading somewhere tomorrow where I might want to try my very first multi-shot panorama. Anyone have some advice on proper approach to exposure?? I always shoot in aperture priority (i.e., not a "full auto" kinda guy) but does this task beg for manual control to match exposure between the frames? That is, should all of the multiple shots be taken with same aperture and shutter speed regardless of changes in metered exposure? Or does variation in exposure get dealt with in the "stitching together" process afterwards?

gmcase Loc: Galt's Gulch

Use full manual only. The stitching and blending software varies on how it handles blending but even the best will not be able to eliminate banding, especially in pure blue skies if the exposure changes much at all between frames. Depending on how many shots you are stitching it can be a challenge to get them in quick enough before the light changes much. I did a 180 or so pano on Maui with broken clouds. It took 8 minutes to get them all shot.

PrairieSeasons Loc: Red River of the North

I agree with gmcase - full manual only.

Have you seen any intermediate panorama composites? (The ones where the shots are stitched together but not yet cropped). You'll see some where the offset between the highest and lowest tops and/or the highest and lowest bottoms are positioned that it is very difficult to get the cropped shot you want.

You can minimize that by using a tripod with a pan head. If you don't have one (or can't get it to the place you are taking your shot), there is another trick which can be a great help.

Reposition yourself and your camera between each shot by shuffling your feet and rotating your whole body. If you rotate at your waist, you will have a lot more vertical discontinuity between your shots than you expect, and moving at the feet will help.

EricLPT Loc: Jonesborough TN

gleneric wrote:

Heading somewhere tomorrow where I might want to t... (show quote)

The short answer is yes, keep all the camera settings the same for all of the images in each pano sequence, it makes the stitching process much easier.

You should find some helpful advice and a few images here:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-508-1.html

Good luck and have fun.

Eric

gleneric Loc: Calgary, Alberta

gmcase wrote:

Use full manual only. The stitching and blending software varies on how it handles blending but even the best will not be able to eliminate banding, especially in pure blue skies if the exposure changes much at all between frames. Depending on how many shots you are stitching it can be a challenge to get them in quick enough before the light changes much. I did a 180 or so pano on Maui with broken clouds. It took 8 minutes to get them all shot.

Thanks for the feedback :)

gleneric Loc: Calgary, Alberta

PrairieSeasons wrote:

I agree with gmcase - full manual only. br br Hav... (show quote)

Thanks for the feedback ... I do have tripod with a pan head.

gleneric Loc: Calgary, Alberta

EricLPT wrote:

quote=gleneric Heading somewhere tomorrow where I... (show quote)

14kphotog Loc: Marietta, Ohio

Good luck, remember to overlap each shot by 1/4th to 1/3.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Focus and meter the CENTER of your pano, then transfer those settings to manual and shoot your series. Exact exposure between the set is critical. As is a good pan head and proper leveling of the head before shooting. Good luck.

gleneric Loc: Calgary, Alberta

Thanks!

gleneric Loc: Calgary, Alberta

MT Shooter wrote:

Focus and meter the CENTER of your pano, then transfer those settings to manual and shoot your series. Exact exposure between the set is critical. As is a good pan head and proper leveling of the head before shooting. Good luck.

Much appreciated ... weather forecast for where I am headed looks "iffy" for tomorrow, so we'll see what I run into.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

gleneric wrote:

MT Shooter wrote:

Focus and meter the CENTER of your pano, then transfer those settings to manual and shoot your series. Exact exposure between the set is critical. As is a good pan head and proper leveling of the head before shooting. Good luck.

Much appreciated ... weather forecast for where I am headed looks "iffy" for tomorrow, so we'll see what I run into.

Hope its not too "iffy", we usually get your weather down here the next day!

noknees438 Loc: NYC

I agree with the tripod comment and the inclusion of side overlap to insure that the stitch is clean. I always true up the pan head with a torpedo level and rotate it 360 degrees to insure that it is rock-solid level before I start the rotation

slickrock Loc: jacksonville

gleneric wrote:

Heading somewhere tomorrow where I might want to t... (show quote)

This is pretty succinct >http://reallyrightstuff.com/WebsiteInfo.aspx?fc=108

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

To repeat with some specifics:
1, manual focus; focus on infinity
2. NO auto white balance - set it
3. Set apeture to F8 - removes depth of field issues
4. Shoot in manual: Meter on the brighest and the darkest - find a median setting then set your shutter speed for that
5. Level the camera
6. overlap images NO less than 25%
7. NO auto ISO - set it
Try PTGUI for stitching - you can get a 30 day trial.