Mi c h aE l Gr oS S: ba l a n c i nG r E S o l u t i o n a n d b u dG Et
I’ve used many different systems, from video cameras to the latest DSLR available.
What you use depends on the purpose of the documentation. If you are creating
a documentation of a building that will be used in the classroom and added to
library collections then, in my opinion, there’s really no such thing as overkill.
With constant advancements in digital camera technology and rapidly increasing
resolution, I try to use the camera with the most resolution possible that is within
my budget. This strategy not only provides beautiful images with an incredible
amount of information, it also increases the “shelf-life” of my panoramas before
they are deemed obsolete relative to current expectations for resolution.
My current set-up includes a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II (16.7 megapixels) with
a 14mm f2.8 Canon lens (Fig. 11). This camera/lens combination provides a
good balance of very high resolution with
minimal shots required per panorama. This
is mounted on a Manfrotto 303 sph tripod
head on a Bogen tripod. This, while not
quite as precise as other tripod heads (such
as the 360Precision), it is capable of taking
almost any camera setup and is very easy to
calibrate, whereas each 360Precision is built
specifically for one camera/lens combination
and cannot be adjusted for another setup. All
of the equipment I use is relatively easy to
find in many countries around the world. If I
experience equipment malfunction in the field
I will be able to use back-up gear and keep
working.
th E ca S E F o r St i t c h i nG o vE r Sc a n n i nG
While it is possible to achieve ultra-high
resolution with a scanning system, it is also
possible to create similarly high-resolution
results with a stitching system, although
perhaps the most notable technique, GigaPan,
is currently still in beta testing. In general, the
cost of stitching equipment (DSLR camera,
wide-angle lens, panoramic tripod head, tripod
legs) is much less than scanning equipment.
There is much more flexibility in terms
Figure 11. Michael Gross in the
cloister of the Sainte Foy Abbey
Church in Conques, France
(1050-1120). The system used
consists of a Canon 1Ds Mark II
(16.7MP digital full-frame SLR),
Canon Wide Angle EF 14mm
lens, Bogen/Manfrotto 303SPH
Spherical Panorama Tripod
Head, Bogen/Manfrotto 055MF4
Magfiber Tripod, and Canon
Remote Switch. Photo by Barry
Gross.