Recommendation: Taking vacation out West this summer (Crater Lake, Columbia River Gorge, and Glacier), and it will be the first time with a FF camera (D750), and I want to take some...

Elmo55 Loc: Illinois

Taking vacation out West this summer (Crater Lake, Columbia River Gorge, and Glacier), and it will be the first time with a FF camera (D750), and I want to take some pano's. What lens would you recommend? I have the following: 35, 50, 85 (all 1.8), 28-300(3.5-5.6), 70-200(2.8), and 150-600 that I intend to use on a D5300 for animals. Thanks for your input.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

Elmo55 wrote:

Taking vacation out West this summer (Crater Lake, Columbia River Gorge, and Glacier), and it will be the first time with a FF camera (D750), and I want to take some pano's. What lens would you recommend? I have the following: 35, 50, 85 (all 1.8), 28-300(3.5-5.6), 70-200(2.8), and 150-600 that I intend to use on a D5300 for animals. Thanks for your input.

Why not practice now and see what you like?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

DWU2 wrote:

Why not practice now and see what you like?

That way you'll understand how your lenses can be used, or not, for different scenarios.

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

As others have mentioned a lot will depend on the scenes. Crater Lake hollers for wide views, especially if you will be doing any night work. The Gorge will be a mixed bag as far as focal lengths go.

Start practicing now and get used to the process. To get the most out your 35, also do some panos vertically. Pay attention to levelling your tripod and how being slightly off affects the results.

If you have time sneak off to Mt Rainier for a day or two.

Elmo55 Loc: Illinois

Would love to be able to sneak off to Mt Rainier, but unfortunately we are on a tight schedule. Thanks to all for your input, and I will be doing some practice before we leave. Hopefully by the time I get done I will have at least one to hang as wall art (which I will share here).

Haydon

You could also think about learning how to stitch and using the 50mm to do that.

Elmo55 Loc: Illinois

Plan on stitching. Luckily I have a program that will do that for me.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Elmo55 wrote:

Taking vacation out West this summer (Crater Lake, Columbia River Gorge, and Glacier), and it will be the first time with a FF camera (D750), and I want to take some pano's. What lens would you recommend? I have the following: 35, 50, 85 (all 1.8), 28-300(3.5-5.6), 70-200(2.8), and 150-600 that I intend to use on a D5300 for animals. Thanks for your input.

I only take my pocket Sony HX99, has a 24-750 mm Zeiss lens, shoots RAW, does easy pano's. TRUST ME, do not take your big stuff, it will get in the way.
This small package does it all, including a pop up viewfinder, auto fill flash for inside or out. You will not be sorry and will thank me after your trip.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Elmo55 wrote:

Taking vacation out West this summer (Crater Lake, Columbia River Gorge, and Glacier), and it will be the first time with a FF camera (D750), and I want to take some pano's. What lens would you recommend? I have the following: 35, 50, 85 (all 1.8), 28-300(3.5-5.6), 70-200(2.8), and 150-600 that I intend to use on a D5300 for animals. Thanks for your input.

28-300

ELNikkor

I did the Columbia River Gorge with my D750 and 24-120 when it was new to me. Got a beautiful stitched 200 degree pano of the river from the high, castle-like observation area. The 35 could do it, but for that trip, I would take the 28-300 for the D750, the 150-600 for the D5300 for distant birds/wildlife, and maybe the 35 prime for low-light possibilities. (I predict you seldom use the D5300/150-600.) The D750/28-300 will handle 90% or more of everything you need to shoot and is actually all you need for that trip.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

Elmo55 wrote:

Taking vacation out West this summer (Crater Lake, Columbia River Gorge, and Glacier), and it will be the first time with a FF camera (D750), and I want to take some pano's. What lens would you recommend? I have the following: 35, 50, 85 (all 1.8), 28-300(3.5-5.6), 70-200(2.8), and 150-600 that I intend to use on a D5300 for animals. Thanks for your input.

If you’re going to stitch a series of shots for a panorama, use the 50, or the 35.

Stan

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

You are better off with a nifty fifty since it has the least distortion from a normal eyesight view. Hold the camera vertically (portrait) to get the most detail, and overlap images by 25-33%.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Elmo55 wrote:

Taking vacation out West this summer (Crater Lake, Columbia River Gorge, and Glacier), and it will be the first time with a FF camera (D750), and I want to take some pano's. What lens would you recommend? I have the following: 35, 50, 85 (all 1.8), 28-300(3.5-5.6), 70-200(2.8), and 150-600 that I intend to use on a D5300 for animals. Thanks for your input.

I suggest you select your sharpest lenses - the 35, 50 and 85, 70-200 and the 150-600. You may find that the 150-600 will give you better results on the D750 than on the D5300.

As far as stitching panoramas, any of these lenses will do a great job. My go to lenses for stitched panos are my 45mm and 85mm PC-E lenses. Wider lenses introduce corner and edge distortion, and on really wide lenses volume anamorphosis. I have used 24mm to 150mm for panos.

You don't need a tripod, you don't need to worry about keeping the camera level, etc. What you do need to do is ensure that you take enough images to cover your entire scene, and that you use manual exposure settings, no autoISO, and manual focus.

https://petapixel.com/2016/10/27/stitching-panorama-forget-wide-angle-lens-home/

These are some samples of panos I've done in the past:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gene_lugo/albums/72157687713807602

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Elmo55 wrote:

Plan on stitching. Luckily I have a program that will do that for me.

The three short primes is what you will need for multi-exposure stitching - which one will depend on the exact scenario at hand.
.

mikegreenwald Loc: Illinois

More often than not the 50 is a good choice. I don’t use wide lenses for panos because the purpose of pano is usually to get a highly detailed image in a situation where a single shot won’t do the job. At other times a super-wide image (or high, or high and wide) needs pano treatment. A quality 50, properly used, gets great detail with minimal distortion. At times I’ve used a tilt-shift with great results too.
All that being said, a scene with motion is best done in a single, sometimes wide image. Other circumstances might do well with a long lens. “One size fits all” rarely works, but the 50 is the base I choose to work from.