I've been reading this thread off and on for the better part of five months now - this whole project is truly amazing and captivating. I'd definitely try to make a pilgrimage to SM HQ to see the installation of these when they are done. Is there going to be a bash for the unveiling?
Well we're about to get serious about the printing. I have some other shots to show in awhile (one for a 144x180 print). Guess we oughta have a partay when they're hung.
The stuff I've learned in this thread is amazing. The only thing I haven't tried but want to is the blue filter someone mentioned for nightscapes.
What's the best book/resource anyone can point me to on post-processing for files like these? I've learned a lot from Andy and Shizam but wanna make sure I'm not overlooking something.
BaldyRegistered Users, Super ModeratorsPosts: 2,853moderator
edited January 11, 2009
I kinda caught the shoot-a-zillion-pixels with the 300 fever, as you can tell... So wherever I went, normal people would take out their cameras, take a shot and go on with life.
But noooooo.... I had to stand there and shoot 50 frames so we could all peep at the details no one gets to see, even if you're walking around the base of Notre Dame.
Here's a super-quick stitch of Notre Dame to give the idea of the sickness that currently possesses me:
(If we print it, I think we'd lose the wall and water.)
There's nothing special about about the sky or anything, but when I show the original pixels to people like my wife they just gasp and say, "I had no idea from the tour that all that intricate art was up there."
Anyway I'm having a lot of fun with this. I shot Mont Saint Michel this way, and maybe 5 others in Paris, Milano, and Venice -- along with the Italian fishing village clinging to rocky cliffs.
Problem is, I'm behind at work so I have to print the Eiffel Tower and set the others aside for awhile.
Baldy, how about a little "lessons learned" write-up or rather a "how to take awesome gigapixel photos"??
I'd love to get even a few pointers on what you've found has worked and what has not...
I know making mistakes is part of the learning process but the first mistake is not learning from others' experiences
for example - is it best to use a 300mm? from middle height of building or from street level? when is it worth shooting so many frames? only when printing insanely large? etc. etc.
Great photos I love seeing when there is a new post in this thread it's really inspiring!!!
You have got me thinking, but I might start small. We decorated our guest bathroom with magnetic primer and chalkboard paint. I have been trying to figure out how to document the artwork in there. I am beginning to think about doing a pano from taking a look at this thread. The one that I am trying to get my head around is that since it is a "confined" space how I would make this work without getting perspective distortion.
I am thinking that I would have to place the camera at different heights as I take the picture to compensate. Also I am trying to figure out, flash or no flash... things to try.
I kinda caught the shoot-a-zillion-pixels with the 300 fever, as you can tell... So wherever I went, normal people would take out their cameras, take a shot and go on with life.
But noooooo.... I had to stand there and shoot 50 frames so we could all peep at the details no one gets to see, even if you're walking around the base of Notre Dame.
Here's a super-quick stitch of Notre Dame to give the idea of the sickness that currently possesses me:
(If we print it, I think we'd lose the wall and water.)
There's nothing special about about the sky or anything, but when I show the original pixels to people like my wife they just gasp and say, "I had no idea from the tour that all that intricate art was up there."
Anyway I'm having a lot of fun with this. I shot Mont Saint Michel this way, and maybe 5 others in Paris, Milano, and Venice -- along with the Italian fishing village clinging to rocky cliffs.
Problem is, I'm behind at work so I have to print the Eiffel Tower and set the others aside for awhile.
:jawdrop
I feel so much better now, I see someone with a jones even worse than mine:D
What kind of computer are your processing these on and how much RAM do they have? - these must be absolutely immense files.
I can see how cool it is to be able to see all the detail up high on Notre Dame.
What kind of tripod arrangement are you using to shoot these? One tripod or more than one? Keeping track of that many frames is quite a task.
I must come to SM to see these when they are displayed. I am looking forward to it!
What kind of tripod arrangement are you using to shoot these? One tripod or more than one? Keeping track of that many frames is quite a task.
Y'know, I started with the Really Right Stuff stuff 'cus a lot of my friends use and love it. But I never did really get it. You have to have a plate for each lens you rent/own. You try a new lens via rental, you buy a new expensive plate. And you need one for the camera. Get a new camera like the 5D MKII and you're out of luck for 6 weeks until they design a new plate. Move the ball head and bad things happen because it moves in several dimensions at once.
Luckily, Air France lost my tripod so I ended up buying a new one in Paris with a Manfrotto 405 geared head. So nice. It has a universal mounting plate. You can adjust one dimension at a time. It has 3 bubble levels, one for each dimension. It's sturdy. Twist a knob half a turn and you're ready for the next frame. Everything stiches like buttah.
Luckily, Air France lost my tripod so I ended up buying a new one in Paris with a Manfrotto 405 geared head. So nice. It has a universal mounting plate. You can adjust one dimension at a time. It has 3 bubble levels, one for each dimension. It's sturdy. Twist a knob half a turn and you're ready for the next frame. Everything stiches like buttah.
This is perfect for these long-range tele-based gigapixel panos - nodal point isn't an issue, nor is tilting up/down for multi-row
for example - is it best to use a 300mm? from middle height of building or from street level? when is it worth shooting so many frames? only when printing insanely large? etc. etc.
Hahaha, Andy will say I have a strong personal bias. It's true.
It just so happens I have a lifelong love of long lens photography. I like steep and dramatic mountains, compressed distances, out of focus backgrounds.
My favorite landscape was shot by Leping Zha with a 300mm lens (but on a 6x7 camera, making it maybe 2/3rds that):
We have it hanging on our walls 72" wide printed on film in a lightbox and people gasp when they see it.
Of course I've seen many wide angle shots from Andy and other greats that I love, but my personal taste is to see less sky, less foreground, more subject, more drama.
When Sam showed up for our first attempt at the SF pano, he brought a 600, which blew me away. He was doing it for the pixel count, shooting two rows. I brought a Hasselblad because I could get the same pixel count with one row.
But after seeing his results with the 600, I fell in love with the dramatic perspective it gave. It never crossed my mind before that, that using a long lens for a pano wasn't just about the pixel count, but now I'm hooked on long for most situations.
I notice that I'm not alone. The comments people were making about seeing the tourists behind the Eiffel Tower....they would have been far in the distance with a wide angle lens. When Andy first came with me to SF, I loaned him my 300 and I shot with a 600. At first he took it off and said it was too long for him, and he put on a 24-105. But later he put it back on and got all excited about the result, and now promotes it heavily.
When Andy first came with me to SF, I loaned him my 300 and I shot with a 600. At first he took it off and said it was too long for him, and he put on a 24-105. But later he put it back on and got all excited about the result, and now promotes it heavily.
And got probably my best cityscape panorama, ever
Long lenses, yeah. Love the perspective. For the sorts of subjects we're dealing with here, they're perfect.
The longer lens stuff has gotten me thinking more now, too. I may get a TSE-90, cuz you can do up/down really easily- and then using it in lieu of the 24 or other wide I'm used to - taking more shots per scene, and getting uber-high resolution. And then I'm actually re-thinking some of the panoramas I've done before, in my mind, and re-shooting them with a 200L, 135L, and 300L.
I don't really like this though as my images are on another hosting provider and I can't keep stats on how they are being viewed like I can with my smugmug page. I also think that the image is loosing a lot of definition this way.
There is also the zoomify software http://zoomify.com/ where I'd process the photos locally, store them on my other hosting provider and then embed the flash viewer the same way I do with gigapan. I need to run this same image through zoomify and try embedding it to see what looks best.
What would be TOTALLY AWESOME, would be a viewer like this in smugmug, where I can upload a huge pano, turn on an option in the control panel and people can pan and zoom without having to use other hosting places.
No where need the level of Baldy and Andy but you guys inspired this noob to take a crack at the Bay Bridge pano during my recent visit to NorCal. If I had not read this thread, I would have taken the shot with my wide angle and maybe 2 captures. Instead I took the shot with at 180mm on the verticle and it way more than exceeded my expectations... so much more detail and that was with a crappy Nikon 70-300mm VR lens.
That zooming capability would be sweet on SmugMug.
Long lenses, yeah. Love the perspective. For the sorts of subjects we're dealing with here, they're perfect.
The only issue I have with the long lens thing is atmospherics. Any moisture or smog makes for not so nice a picture especially with the longer lenses.
Otherwise, I agree with you. Long lens love.
Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
Specifically:
Q : Are we allowed to publish photos of the Eiffel Tower? A : There are no restrictions on publishing a picture of the Tower by day. Photos taken at night when the lights are aglow are subjected to copyright laws, and fees for the right to publish must be paid to the SETE. Learn about the conditions and terms when using an image of the Eiffel Tower when lighted.
Don't want you getting in any trouble with the French fuzz
The intern just re-measured the wall and....it's 154 inches high! Yay, another 34 inches of pixel-peeping goodness.
We once conned one of the juniors on the audit team to count and measure each parking space...then measure and compute the square footage for the building so that we "could be sure the lease agreement matched up with what was delivered".
This sounds a lot more fun and I bet it's going to look fantastic.
Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
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BaldyRegistered Users, Super ModeratorsPosts: 2,853moderator
The only issue I have with the long lens thing is atmospherics. Any moisture or smog makes for not so nice a picture especially with the longer lenses.
Well I think they way we're shooting, like with Notre Dame, I'm the same distance you would be away with a normal lens, but instead of taking one frame we're taking 56.
Well I think they way we're shooting, like with Notre Dame, I'm the same distance you would be away with a normal lens, but instead of taking one frame we're taking 56.
Must have looked quite funny - everyone with their P&S or DSLR with ultrawide angles on and there you are with a bl**dy bazooka
I was wondering where you were standing as living in Europe I know that it's often hard to get a clear shot and additionally things are so close that i often find myself resorting to a ultra-wide to get it all in without people in the shot
Must have looked quite funny - everyone with their P&S or DSLR with ultrawide angles on and there you are with a bl**dy bazooka
Yeah, people were looking at me like I was insane. They'd see me hunched over the camera for an hour, taking three shots with a bazoooka, twisting the geared head, taking 3 more, etc.
Comments
The stuff I've learned in this thread is amazing. The only thing I haven't tried but want to is the blue filter someone mentioned for nightscapes.
What's the best book/resource anyone can point me to on post-processing for files like these? I've learned a lot from Andy and Shizam but wanna make sure I'm not overlooking something.
But noooooo.... I had to stand there and shoot 50 frames so we could all peep at the details no one gets to see, even if you're walking around the base of Notre Dame.
Here's a super-quick stitch of Notre Dame to give the idea of the sickness that currently possesses me:
(If we print it, I think we'd lose the wall and water.)
There's nothing special about about the sky or anything, but when I show the original pixels to people like my wife they just gasp and say, "I had no idea from the tour that all that intricate art was up there."
Anyway I'm having a lot of fun with this. I shot Mont Saint Michel this way, and maybe 5 others in Paris, Milano, and Venice -- along with the Italian fishing village clinging to rocky cliffs.
Problem is, I'm behind at work so I have to print the Eiffel Tower and set the others aside for awhile.
If you haven't already, I suggest contacting the manufacturers of AutoPano Pro to see if "they" have any suggestions.
http://www.autopano.net/contact-kolor/write-to-us.html
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
I'd love to get even a few pointers on what you've found has worked and what has not...
I know making mistakes is part of the learning process but the first mistake is not learning from others' experiences
for example - is it best to use a 300mm? from middle height of building or from street level? when is it worth shooting so many frames? only when printing insanely large? etc. etc.
Great photos I love seeing when there is a new post in this thread it's really inspiring!!!
cheers, Jase
Jase // www.stonesque.com
I am thinking that I would have to place the camera at different heights as I take the picture to compensate. Also I am trying to figure out, flash or no flash... things to try.
Pictures | Website | Blog | Twitter | Contact
:jawdrop
I feel so much better now, I see someone with a jones even worse than mine:D
What kind of computer are your processing these on and how much RAM do they have? - these must be absolutely immense files.
I can see how cool it is to be able to see all the detail up high on Notre Dame.
What kind of tripod arrangement are you using to shoot these? One tripod or more than one? Keeping track of that many frames is quite a task.
I must come to SM to see these when they are displayed. I am looking forward to it!
WOW!!
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Luckily, Air France lost my tripod so I ended up buying a new one in Paris with a Manfrotto 405 geared head. So nice. It has a universal mounting plate. You can adjust one dimension at a time. It has 3 bubble levels, one for each dimension. It's sturdy. Twist a knob half a turn and you're ready for the next frame. Everything stiches like buttah.
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
It just so happens I have a lifelong love of long lens photography. I like steep and dramatic mountains, compressed distances, out of focus backgrounds.
My favorite landscape was shot by Leping Zha with a 300mm lens (but on a 6x7 camera, making it maybe 2/3rds that):
We have it hanging on our walls 72" wide printed on film in a lightbox and people gasp when they see it.
Of course I've seen many wide angle shots from Andy and other greats that I love, but my personal taste is to see less sky, less foreground, more subject, more drama.
When Sam showed up for our first attempt at the SF pano, he brought a 600, which blew me away. He was doing it for the pixel count, shooting two rows. I brought a Hasselblad because I could get the same pixel count with one row.
But after seeing his results with the 600, I fell in love with the dramatic perspective it gave. It never crossed my mind before that, that using a long lens for a pano wasn't just about the pixel count, but now I'm hooked on long for most situations.
I notice that I'm not alone. The comments people were making about seeing the tourists behind the Eiffel Tower....they would have been far in the distance with a wide angle lens. When Andy first came with me to SF, I loaned him my 300 and I shot with a 600. At first he took it off and said it was too long for him, and he put on a 24-105. But later he put it back on and got all excited about the result, and now promotes it heavily.
Long lenses, yeah. Love the perspective. For the sorts of subjects we're dealing with here, they're perfect.
The longer lens stuff has gotten me thinking more now, too. I may get a TSE-90, cuz you can do up/down really easily- and then using it in lieu of the 24 or other wide I'm used to - taking more shots per scene, and getting uber-high resolution. And then I'm actually re-thinking some of the panoramas I've done before, in my mind, and re-shooting them with a 200L, 135L, and 300L.
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
I've been playing with sticking the gigapan viewer code in the description field of an empty gallery. Like so: http://www.ogle.co.nz/gallery/6073112_ifGdM
There's also another thread about it here: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=106872&highlight=gigapan
I don't really like this though as my images are on another hosting provider and I can't keep stats on how they are being viewed like I can with my smugmug page. I also think that the image is loosing a lot of definition this way.
There is also the zoomify software http://zoomify.com/ where I'd process the photos locally, store them on my other hosting provider and then embed the flash viewer the same way I do with gigapan. I need to run this same image through zoomify and try embedding it to see what looks best.
What would be TOTALLY AWESOME, would be a viewer like this in smugmug, where I can upload a huge pano, turn on an option in the control panel and people can pan and zoom without having to use other hosting places.
just somthing to think about...:andy
Muench Workshops
MW on Facebook
No where need the level of Baldy and Andy but you guys inspired this noob to take a crack at the Bay Bridge pano during my recent visit to NorCal. If I had not read this thread, I would have taken the shot with my wide angle and maybe 2 captures. Instead I took the shot with at 180mm on the verticle and it way more than exceeded my expectations... so much more detail and that was with a crappy Nikon 70-300mm VR lens.
That zooming capability would be sweet on SmugMug.
Moderator of the People and Go Figure forums
My Smug Site
The only issue I have with the long lens thing is atmospherics. Any moisture or smog makes for not so nice a picture especially with the longer lenses.
Otherwise, I agree with you. Long lens love.
http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/pratique/faq/index.html
Specifically:
Q : Are we allowed to publish photos of the Eiffel Tower? A : There are no restrictions on publishing a picture of the Tower by day. Photos taken at night when the lights are aglow are subjected to copyright laws, and fees for the right to publish must be paid to the SETE.
Learn about the conditions and terms when using an image of the Eiffel Tower when lighted.
Don't want you getting in any trouble with the French fuzz
Cheers, Jase
Jase // www.stonesque.com
Good catch!!
Thanks we know this, we're not publishing it or selling it. It's gonna decorate a wall at HQ. A very BIG wall.
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That would count as commercial display, would it not?
No problems - i know there's all sorts of loop holes and i guess not selling it etc. means it's not commercial...
Cheers, Jase
Jase // www.stonesque.com
We once conned one of the juniors on the audit team to count and measure each parking space...then measure and compute the square footage for the building so that we "could be sure the lease agreement matched up with what was delivered".
This sounds a lot more fun and I bet it's going to look fantastic.
Must have looked quite funny - everyone with their P&S or DSLR with ultrawide angles on and there you are with a bl**dy bazooka
I was wondering where you were standing as living in Europe I know that it's often hard to get a clear shot and additionally things are so close that i often find myself resorting to a ultra-wide to get it all in without people in the shot
Jase // www.stonesque.com
+3 I guess
Having some really wide 360 panos and no real way to view them properly on smugmug
Jase // www.stonesque.com