Panorama shots and ideal overlap

Dear members:

I am purchasing a special tripod head for panorama shots and have some
questions for the group.

1. how can I determine what the nodal point for my lens is ? I have looked
at a few but can't seem to find any kind of imprinted sign that identifies
it (maybe I haven't looked in the right place).

2. What is considered the proper overlap between shots for proper assembly
of the panorama and the achievement of the best possible results ?

3. I have seen panoramas made with the camera mounted on the tripod in
landscape mode as well as in portrait mode. What is the best one and what
difference exists between the two options ?

4. What is the best panorama software to use with the Macintosh ? I am
looking for one that provides some alternatives in terms of image editing to
remove some unwanted image artifacts.

5. What are the benefits of using the camera set on the tripod in a portrait
position versus having it set in portrait position ?

Thank you for your help.

Best regards,

Joseph Chamberlain

In article Joseph Chamberlain, DDS says...
Dear members:

I am purchasing a special tripod head for panorama shots and have some
questions for the group.

1. how can I determine what the nodal point for my lens is ? I have looked
at a few but can't seem to find any kind of imprinted sign that identifies
it (maybe I haven't looked in the right place).

Won't be marked, depends on focal length. Look for term "entrance
pupil" which is more correct.


2. What is considered the proper overlap between shots for proper assembly
of the panorama and the achievement of the best possible results ?

Up to you. Try to avoid tricky features in seam area.


3. I have seen panoramas made with the camera mounted on the tripod in
landscape mode as well as in portrait mode. What is the best one and what
difference exists between the two options ?

Portrait mode sometimes gives needed flexibility as far as horizon goes.

4. What is the best panorama software to use with the Macintosh ? I am
looking for one that provides some alternatives in terms of image editing to
remove some unwanted image artifacts.

5. What are the benefits of using the camera set on the tripod in a portrait
position versus having it set in portrait position ?
As written none :-) See 3.

Thank you for your help.

Best regards,

Joseph Chamberlain


Google Max Lyon's forum.

Joseph Chamberlain, DDS wrote:
1. how can I determine what the nodal point for my lens is ? I have looked
at a few but can't seem to find any kind of imprinted sign that identifies
it (maybe I haven't looked in the right place).

No, you won't find it marked on the lens.

There's a useful description of finding the nodal point on this page:

http://www.kingpano.com/nodal_tut.htm

Peter Marquis-Kyle

"Joseph Chamberlain, DDS" wrote in message
.. .

Hi Joseph,

1. how can I determine what the nodal point for my lens is ? I have looked
at a few but can't seem to find any kind of imprinted sign that identifies
it (maybe I haven't looked in the right place).

I faced this issue with my 24-70 F2.8L USM lens - I'd purchased the Really
Right Stuff Nodal bar (the longer one of the two) - but found that when the
lens was mounted optimally I had the other end of the bar only 1/2 in the
clamp - in other words even the longer of the 2 nodal bars was too short. In
the end I purchased the 18" multi-purpose rail kit (complete with the 2
arca-swiss mounts), and have never looked back since.

You'll probably find that your nodal point is close to the front of the
lens, but it's easy enough to test - just look through the lens and "line
up" a very close object with one thats as far away as possible on, say, the
left hand side of the image in the view finder - then pan so that it's on
the other side - when you have the camera correctly offset the 2 points will
remain in the same relationship. Once you've worked out what this is, you
can simply note down the numbers, or use the mini clamps if you're using
Really Right Stuff equipment.

2. What is considered the proper overlap between shots for proper assembly
of the panorama and the achievement of the best possible results ?

I've been using "The Panorama Factory" software from Smokey City Design -
and they recommend something in the region of 20 to 30 % - anything less and
it can give it a bit of a headache when it tries to make focal length
adjustments. At the suggestion of one group member, I also got a lot better
result when I told the package NOT to make any exposure related
compensations - I suspect that these are of more benefit to point-and-shoot
users - if we're shooting in manual mode then it shouldn't be needed.

Out of interest, if you plug the camera into a timer and take the shots at,
say, 1 sec intervals - you can get some great results - I'll eMail you the
example I've talked about below.

3. I have seen panoramas made with the camera mounted on the tripod in
landscape mode as well as in portrait mode. What is the best one and what
difference exists between the two options ?

It depends on the coverage - I'll give you a case in point ...

Last weekend I popped down to the local airport and did a panorama
consisting of 13 portrait oriented photos, with a light aircraft in the
centre of each. Light aircraft tend to climb at steeper angles than heavy
metal - and of course they climb out much slower (so they didn't cover as
mush ground between the slices) - for the heavey metal I needed to shoot in
landscape mode because I didn't need as much vertical headroom (they don't
climb at such a steep angle) - but they do travel faster (and if you don't
have enough horizontal headroom then the aircraft moves too far between
shots and there's not enough overlap to get a good join).

4. What is the best panorama software to use with the Macintosh ? I am
looking for one that provides some alternatives in terms of image editing
to
remove some unwanted image artifacts.

Who knows - I'm a PC man, and damn proud of it!

5. What are the benefits of using the camera set on the tripod in a
portrait
position versus having it set in portrait position ?

Not sure what you mean.

Cheers,

Colin

Joseph Chamberlain, DDS wrote:
Dear members:

I am purchasing a special tripod head for panorama shots and have some
questions for the group.

1. how can I determine what the nodal point for my lens is ? I have looked
at a few but can't seem to find any kind of imprinted sign that identifies
it (maybe I haven't looked in the right place).
As others have said watch close and far object while rotating the
camera. They will not move relative to each other when you are at the
nodal point. On all my lenses the nodal point is behind the front
lens, with zoom lenses is moves as you zoom, so you need to find it for
each zoom setting you are going to use.

2. What is considered the proper overlap between shots for proper assembly
of the panorama and the achievement of the best possible results ?
I us a lot of overlay, 40% to 50% is what I normally use and I don't
like to drop below 25%
The stitching program I use is pretty fast so a large number of images
is not a problem. I will normally use 40 to 80 and have used as many as
145.

3. I have seen panoramas made with the camera mounted on the tripod in
landscape mode as well as in portrait mode. What is the best one and what
difference exists between the two options ?
Portrait mode is normal, gives you more sky.

4. What is the best panorama software to use with the Macintosh ? I am
looking for one that provides some alternatives in terms of image editing to
remove some unwanted image artifacts.
Get a PC, it seems all the good stitching programs are running on it.

Finally get a rock solid tripod and a bubble level, makes things a lot
easier.

Scott

I went tohardware store and bought simple bubble level. To get Tripod
level pan nad check it fofr entire range. Shoot everything full manual,
including WB, Focus, and exposure

I usally set the focous fand exposures fro the closest thing to 18% in
the center of frame.

I overlap 25%. Go to right edge then to the left and do a simple
division to determine how many degrees to shift with each shot.

Portrait will give you a larger image. But, what I do is multiple
passes. Stitch each row rotate them and stich again.

I use Panormanic Factory. As someone mentioned shut off exposure comp.
Forground objects or moving objects create a problem.

I recently went to NYC and stayed in Jerysey City.

Took a 70 image set 7 rows of 10. Now I have to buy a new computer to
be able to merge them.

"Scott W" wrote in message
ups.com...

snip

2. What is considered the proper overlap between shots for proper
assembly
of the panorama and the achievement of the best possible results ?
I us a lot of overlay, 40% to 50% is what I normally use and I don't
like to drop below 25%
The stitching program I use is pretty fast so a large number of images
is not a problem. I will normally use 40 to 80 and have used as many as
145.

Why such a large percentage of overlap Scott? Also can you explain why you
would assemble so many images into a panorama. I know little of panaroma
photography but I know image editing very well so I'm just curious.

B

Battleax wrote:
"Scott W" wrote in message
ups.com...

snip

2. What is considered the proper overlap between shots for proper
assembly
of the panorama and the achievement of the best possible results ?
I us a lot of overlay, 40% to 50% is what I normally use and I don't
like to drop below 25%
The stitching program I use is pretty fast so a large number of images
is not a problem. I will normally use 40 to 80 and have used as many as
145.

Why such a large percentage of overlap Scott? Also can you explain why you
would assemble so many images into a panorama. I know little of panaroma
photography but I know image editing very well so I'm just curious.


The large overlap helps in a number of way, the center part of the lens
has less distortion and so this is less of a problem. With large
overlap if I have people moving, and they alway do, I can adjust where
the seams are to avoid problems, as it this shot.
http://www.pbase.com/konascott/image/52303782/original

I find the more wide angle I shoot the more overlap I need, when I am
shooting at say 200mm I don't need nearly as much as when I shoot at
28.

Overlap also helps the stitching program find control points, it is
nice when you don't have to do this by hand.

Any more 40 photos seems like not many at all. With the panaoramic
head I can take the photos at a rate close to 1 a second, so 40 photos
might take a minute when all is said and done.

Scott

"Scott W" wrote in message
oups.com...

Battleax wrote:
"Scott W" wrote in message
ups.com...

snip

2. What is considered the proper overlap between shots for proper
assembly
of the panorama and the achievement of the best possible results ?
I us a lot of overlay, 40% to 50% is what I normally use and I don't
like to drop below 25%
The stitching program I use is pretty fast so a large number of images
is not a problem. I will normally use 40 to 80 and have used as many
as
145.

Why such a large percentage of overlap Scott? Also can you explain why
you
would assemble so many images into a panorama. I know little of panaroma
photography but I know image editing very well so I'm just curious.


The large overlap helps in a number of way, the center part of the lens
has less distortion and so this is less of a problem. With large
overlap if I have people moving, and they alway do, I can adjust where
the seams are to avoid problems, as it this shot.
http://www.pbase.com/konascott/image/52303782/original

I find the more wide angle I shoot the more overlap I need, when I am
shooting at say 200mm I don't need nearly as much as when I shoot at
28.

Overlap also helps the stitching program find control points, it is
nice when you don't have to do this by hand.

Any more 40 photos seems like not many at all. With the panaoramic
head I can take the photos at a rate close to 1 a second, so 40 photos
might take a minute when all is said and done.

Scott


Thanks Scott

I went to a private bording school in the early 70s. For the school photo
they set up all students in a semi-circle, 4 rows deep. The camera was an
oak box on a wood tripod with a wind up motor to pan the camera and wind the
film passed the aperture. Pics came out something like 5" x 25".
Once the tripod collapsed and fell over but the camera still kept rotating,
heh.

If you were at the back row at one end you could jump down, run behind and
come up again at the end before the camera came around so you'd appear
twice, good for 4 months detention

Joseph Chamberlain, DDS wrote:
Dear members:

I am purchasing a special tripod head for panorama shots and have some
questions for the group.

1. how can I determine what the nodal point for my lens is ? I have looked
at a few but can't seem to find any kind of imprinted sign that identifies
it (maybe I haven't looked in the right place).

2. What is considered the proper overlap between shots for proper assembly
of the panorama and the achievement of the best possible results ?

3. I have seen panoramas made with the camera mounted on the tripod in
landscape mode as well as in portrait mode. What is the best one and what
difference exists between the two options ?

4. What is the best panorama software to use with the Macintosh ? I am
looking for one that provides some alternatives in terms of image editing to
remove some unwanted image artifacts.

5. What are the benefits of using the camera set on the tripod in a portrait
position versus having it set in portrait position ?

Thank you for your help.

Best regards,

Joseph Chamberlain


When I first received my 24-105 Canon L lens (btw, the lens was recalled
and replaced with a new lens) I took this experimental shot of a
conventional beach scene. Aside from the aesthetics of the photo, if you
generally like the shot, I'll tell explain how simply it was done and
the freebie software that was used.

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?p...931488&size=lg