easily and quickly converted into panoramas, but the required software may have to
be purchased separately (especially for second-hand equipment). Still-shot cameras have
a wide range of available image-stitching packages, but they may require much more
pre- and post-production time to generate top-quality panoramas. If you use a still-shot
camera, a precision panorama camera mount is an invaluable accessory. However, don't
try to save money by using a low-quality panorama head, since that will lead to manual
adjustment in the post-production stitching stage. The image will "float" between frames
in each set of images. When pixels are misaligned, they must be corrected by hand in
post-production in order to create a good panorama. Each pair of images must be precisely
aligned, a time-consuming and exacting process. With high-precision panorama heads,
sets of images overlap each other exactly and can be immediately batch-processed.
iM a G E ca p t u rE Sy S t E M S
There are several flavors of image capture systems can be used to create panoramas,
including:
- Point-and-shoot
- Digital SLR (DSLR)
- Automatic scanning systems (35mm-equivalent, medium, and large format), such as
Panoscan and BetterLight - Video cameras
- Geared roll film cameras
Whatever system you end up with will require the same basic elements:a camera, a lens,
a tripod that allows for accurate rotation of the lens, and a method of capturing images.^2
When conventional film is used, the images must be transferred to digital form in order
to be viewed on a computer screen. The most common system is a DSLR camera with a
wide-angle lens mounted on a tripod with a special panning head (Fig. 1-2).
Though the greatest resolution can be gained from a scanning large-format system, the
DSLR system is popular for several important reasons. It is more affordable and there
is much less equipment required in the field at a shoot (and therefore less opportunity
to break something). Compared to working with a camcorder, there is much less post-
processing work required to stitch the image and the results are generally much better and
of a higher resolution. Redundant DSLR systems are more readily available than scanning
systems and roll-film cameras, and replacement parts are generally available at camera
shops throughout the industrialized world. And for conventional photographers, learning
how to create a panorama with a common DSLR is a natural transition.
Digital cameras differ from film cameras in that they collect data about the image by means
of electronic devices rather than film. There are two types of sensors that collect light
- Channel 360, among others, has production kits that a tripod, panorama head, and software.
See Web References, below, for URL.