total newbie question for panoramic photographs

newbie321 · Mar 11, 2011

hi, i should spend some time doing research which i will but i kinda need a response right away for some photos i have to take tonight. i will do research after im done from the field

i am taking pictures of a row of houses about a block long and i was thinking about doing a panoramic shot. i dont know anything about panoramic shots, but i will worry about post processing the pics when i come back from the field, but i want to make sure i do everything correctly when i take the pictures.

i have a canon rebel t2i which i never really used much.

so am i supposed to take overlapping pics (maybe 1/3 overlap)? and is a tripod really necessary?
and is there some settings i need to adjust on the camera (such setting the camera to panoramic mode) or something?

Joves · Mar 11, 2011

Well first yes you need a tripod and it needs to be completely level. You can get by with less overlap say about a quarter. There is no pano-mode that I have ever seen. Your settings will be those which will give you the correct exposure, as is the case for any photographic endeavour.

newbie321 · Mar 11, 2011

then i will grab one from a friend tonight. now when you say they have to be completely leveled, it will be hard to do that since i'm walking along a sidewalk that's on a slight slope. will this be an issue? in my simple head, i'm thinking as long as i grab the photos of the houses (not being leveled) the only thing that will be screwed up is the top and bottom view (sky and ground), which i can just cut out.

and thanks for letting me know that there isn't a panoramic mode. I will just take photos and overlap them approximately a quarter.

480sparky · Mar 11, 2011

I shoot all my pano images in pure manual mode. Manual shutter, manual ISO, manual aperture, manual focus, manual white balance.... the whole 11 yards. That way, there's absolutely no difference in anything from one shot to the next.

Joves · Mar 11, 2011

newbie321 said:
then i will grab one from a friend tonight. now when you say they have to be completely leveled, it will be hard to do that since i'm walking along a sidewalk that's on a slight slope. will this be an issue? in my simple head, i'm thinking as long as i grab the photos of the houses (not being leveled) the only thing that will be screwed up is the top and bottom view (sky and ground), which i can just cut out.

and thanks for letting me know that there isn't a panoramic mode. I will just take photos and overlap them approximately a quarter.

Well then a monopod will have to do then. I thought you were going to stand centered and shot from one end to the next. But your roving so a monopod will do. Just be sure it and the camera are level and at the same height for each shot.

Lazy Photographer · Mar 11, 2011

I shoot my pano shots with my camera in the portrait (i.e. vertical) orientation.
I don't use a tripod
I shoot in manual (F11-16)
I shoot in multi-point auto focus (rather than the centre point I usually use). Manual focus probably works better.
Before I fire my first shot, I hold up my finger and photograph it in the shot. After my last shot I hold up two fingers and photograph them. When I'm checking out my photos on my computer later it makes it easier to see which set makes up the pano shot.
I start by standing in the position that best suits my last photo. Then I twist my body around until I am aiming at my first first photo. As I shoot the four or five photos, my body twists back to its natural position. This ensures I don't end up in a difficult position as I reach my last shot. Get me?

Here's an example of the results:

Edsport · Mar 11, 2011

I have never used a tripod for panos and i never have a problem stitching them. Try it and you'll see you dont need it. Just keep a fast shutter speed to prevent blur. You can also take several shots up and down and several across and it will stitch them. It don't have to be in portrait mode. I did a pano one time of about 4 high and 6 wide for a total of about 24 shots all hand-held and no problem stitching them for a very wide field pano...

tirediron · Mar 12, 2011

John's basic 'How-to' guide to Panoramas...

1. In order to get a good pano, your camera has to be level, and has to rotate around the nodal point. This the point at which the image inverts. For practical purposes, with most lenses, using the sensor plane will work fine. What this means is that you have to shoot from a tripod for best results.

Therefore, put your camera on your tripod and level it. Even though my tripod legs and head both have levels built-in, I carry a small dollar-store spirit level in my camera bag to make sure everything is as close to level as I can get it.

2. Once I'm satisfied that everything is level and square and my tripod is locked (except for the rotating axis) where I want it, it's time to work on the exposure. Another important factor is to NEVER SHOOT PANOS IN AUTO! Set your camera to a manual or semi-manual mode (I use full manual, but either shutter or apeture priority will work as well).

Determine the range of your pano (eg the left and right limits) and then go through and meter the different areas. Find out what the camera is recommending as maximum and minimum exposure, and when you've done this for the full range of the image, then average the settings. Don't change these settings; yes some will likely be slightly under exposed, and some slightly over, but deal with it in post.

3. Now you're ready to start shooting. I always start at the left-hand end of the intended pano and work right, simply so that the images are in the correct order when they're on my computer, but that's up to you. Expose the first image, and choose a landmark about 2/3 of the way to the right-hand side of the frame. Now, being careful to ensure that you don't upset your level, move your camera so that the left-hand edge of the frame lines up on the land mark you just chose. Ideally you want about a 30-35% (or 1/3) overlap between each image. Continue shooting in this manner until you have the whole sequence captured.

4. Download and stitch using your favorite software.
A few tips: With respect to the issue of exposure: If there is an extreme dynamic range within the pano, (say bright sun to deep shade) I will often bracket each image 1/3 stop on each side, so that for every image used in the pano, you actually expose three. This gives you a bit of latitude in terms of trying to produce an image with a pleasing and realistic dynamic range, but be warned, it often looks hokey.

One of the most important tools you can have for taking panos (aside from a good tripod) are filters. There are two types, one is the circular polarizer (CPOL)for enhancing colours and deepening the blue in sky and the other is graduated neutral density(G-ND); these help to prevent blown skies and preserve detail on the ground. When using a CPOL, it's important to remember not to change it's setting through the course of the pano either. Find the optimum setting and use it at that setting for the whole image. Likewise with your G-ND; don't change their position or intensity.

Edsport · Mar 12, 2011

The camera do not have to be on a tripod. Just take a few handheld and you'll see that a tripod is not needed. Also this shot below is using AE priority and it choose it's own metering for each shot and handheld of about 24 total shots stitched...

480sparky · Mar 12, 2011

Tripods may not be needed for landcapes, because there's very few straight lines that need to match up. But I have yet to be able to stitch together interior shots like this.