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YATQ (Pano)
StevenV
Registered Users Posts: 1,174 Major grins
Yet Another Tripod Question - Panorama equipment this time.
I'm looking for inexpensive equipment tips - the emphesis since I'm 5 months out of work so far (and the photography business ain't paying any bills either :cry ). I'm thinking about grabbing an Ultrapod II and I'm also interested in doing some panoramas - anyone know of good but less costly pano heads that would be good for a 10D?
ADtanksVANCE :ivar
I'm looking for inexpensive equipment tips - the emphesis since I'm 5 months out of work so far (and the photography business ain't paying any bills either :cry ). I'm thinking about grabbing an Ultrapod II and I'm also interested in doing some panoramas - anyone know of good but less costly pano heads that would be good for a 10D?
ADtanksVANCE :ivar
-Steven
my words, my "pro"pictures, my "fun" pictures, my videos.
my words, my "pro"pictures, my "fun" pictures, my videos.
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panos without too much "extra" stuff--oh it'll be a tad difficult but you
can make it work.
my words, my "pro"pictures, my "fun" pictures, my videos.
Would you be interested in making your own pano head? I've enjoyed playing around with QTVR, but found appropriate pano head prices out of this world. This one by "Sondra C" http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Panoramic-Tripod-Head is one of several I have tried in the past, and it works ... I used some scrap box stuff so it cost me nothing ... however
... the one I ultimately liked best was Sony F828-specific using aluminum 3" angle and designed by Johannes Czernin http://www.pbase.com/jczwien/sony_828_panorama_bracket
I am still considering splurging for a Nodal Ninja or similar, but I think that will come after I purchase a Tokina AT-X 107 DX 10-17mm for my Canon in a couple months.
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est.
my words, my "pro"pictures, my "fun" pictures, my videos.
I've had good experiences with this guy:
http://gregwired.com/pano/Pano.htm
It's not telco-grade, but for $75 it does the trick. I've used with 10D/30D and 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 USM mostly. You can get decent results from handhelds with the software out there as long as you have no foreground objects of import. If you do then you will get serious parallax problems with even a regular tripod. I have done most of mine with a monopod and the Panosaurus... I use the bubble level to keep the shots inline - don't even need to look into view finder.
Sample pics (for pano, not image quality or artistic merit):
Canon 30D | 10D
Canon 10-22 | 28-135 f3.5-5.6 | 70-200 f4L | 100-400 f4-5.6L
Canon Speedlight 580EX
Kenko Extension Tubes
How about the Panosaurus. It's only $76. I don't have one, but it looks like it will work well.
If you want to go ultra-cheap to match your Ultrapod, you could consider using a $10 sliding flash bracket that has the right connectors for your camera. That's what I use for my point & shoot cameras, and it should also work for your 10D if you use a lightweight lens. It won't allow you to rotate above or below horizontal or to use portrait orientation, but it's probably enough to get your started. It's critical to get one that has the right connectors for your camera and tripod. I'm trying to find mine so I can tell you the manufacturer and model, but unfortunately I can't find it this morning. If I find it later, I'll post the info.
Good luck.
Mike
The original was 27980 by 1714 pixels from a Canon S2. The only problem is if you try to compose a close foreground. If handheld you can just try to keep the camera position from shifting.
In mountain landscapes like this it is usually easiest to spot stitching errors on the mountain skyline interface.
But do you think this is a good time to invest time in panoramas when Smugmug has started to convert to panorama hostile formats?
Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com
...with apology to Archimedies
man ..you'd want to make sure your ears are clean in that sized shot