6 replies to this topic

[lokismind]

Hey all, new to the forum and looking for some advice.
I've done photography for some time but sadly I'm one of those that just uses auto and I really want to get out of that habit. Yes it will take some time and trial and error but I have plenty of time so why not.
I want to experiment doing a panoramic picture of the length of a body. Why? Why not. So I plan on having the subject (most likely my better half) lay on their side on probably a bed, set the camera up on a tripod at the same height as them and take fairly close up and take multiple shots then stitch them together.
So my question is HELP what sort of settings would you recommend?
Equipment available is a Nikon d3100, 18-55 lens or a 55-200 lens.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Lokismind

[Merco_61]

There are two problems with this idea.

The first is that you will be so close that you will probably need to refocus between exposures to keep things sharp and both your lenses are too modern and change focal length when focusing at different distances.

The second is that stitching will be problematic without a nodal slide because you will turn the camera around the tripod mount instead of the optical centre of your lens. This does not matter too much at distances close to infinity, but at closer distances it will.

 

As to settings for panoramas, use full manual so that nothing changes from exposure to exposure. Use plenty of overlap between frames. Use as small an aperture as you can before hitting the diffraction limit to keep up the DOF.

[Russ]

Or use rails to slide along the body between shots?

[yauman]

Yes, what Russ ^ said!  When you are so close to the body, you'll have too much distortion with panning.  Set up a tripod, measure the distance and then move it horizontally across after each shot.

 

1. Set your camera to Aperture priority - so your DOF is constant

2. Do not use Auto WB - set it to something close to your lighting condition.  If you have to WB correct later it's easy - you don't to match each panel.

3. Shoot and overlap at least 1/3 of previous frame

4. Shoot portrait mode!

 

Here's an example I did of a wall along a long narrow hallway.  I taped a line on the floor 16ft from the wall and marked the line so that each new position is 2/3rd of the frame - ie overlap 1/3.   Then, after each shot, I made sure that the 2 tripod leg tips are on the line I tape and move to the next mark. btw, the camera used was my old 10mp Nikon D60.

[lokismind]

Thanks guys, i will experiment a bit me thinks.

[Merco_61]

I have done multi-row panoramas with panning at a distance of about 5 to 6 meters with a unit-focusing 105/4. It is not easy, but it can be done. Software like Gigapano pro has settings to remove the distortion you would get in PS. It is definitely easier to move the camera. I had to do it that way because we could only remove one pane of glass to document the dioramas at the Biological Museum and we needed more than the 6 Mp of my DCS760.

 

/Peter

[Serge]

For best results set your camera to Manual - only this way you can be sure that all frames will have the same exposure. With A mode only aperture will be constant but shutter speed might change or be fooled by metering system, so all frames might have different exposure - especially annoying when you will be stitching 1/3 to 2/3 of images . You can also use AE-L button to lock exposure.