Pano Equipment: Quality, Speed or Possibly Both?
August 26, 2007 2:31 PM Subscribe
Help me build a new Immersive photography rig that won't break the bank.
For years I've been taking amateur panos with an old IPIX realtors kit: A Nikon 880, an FC-E8 183º fisheye lens and a fixed-configuration IPIX pano head to glue it all together. The quality is less than stellar. With some practice you can get semi-decent results, but nowhere near what's achievable with the same camera, a wide angle lens, 50-60 more shots and a few hours of stitching (examples 1, 2, 3 - warning: big as hell). I'm sick of having to choose between crappy shots of moving subjects with my IPIX setup or high quality still-lifes with my wide lenses. I'd like to put together a new rig that can take panos quickly like my existing setup but come closer to the quality of the latter examples. The ability to do so creates some truly amazing experiences (warning: sound in last example).
Can anyone recommend a combination of DSLR and wide or fisheye lens that can be had for ~$1200 (refurbed/used is fine) that can do a high-quality equilateral/spherical or at least 120º cylindrical panorama in 4 shots or less? Bonus points for nikon, since I've got a decent supply of adaptable old nikon glass laying around.
For years I've been taking amateur panos with an old IPIX realtors kit: A Nikon 880, an FC-E8 183º fisheye lens and a fixed-configuration IPIX pano head to glue it all together. The quality is less than stellar. With some practice you can get semi-decent results, but nowhere near what's achievable with the same camera, a wide angle lens, 50-60 more shots and a few hours of stitching (examples 1, 2, 3 - warning: big as hell). I'm sick of having to choose between crappy shots of moving subjects with my IPIX setup or high quality still-lifes with my wide lenses. I'd like to put together a new rig that can take panos quickly like my existing setup but come closer to the quality of the latter examples. The ability to do so creates some truly amazing experiences (warning: sound in last example).
Can anyone recommend a combination of DSLR and wide or fisheye lens that can be had for ~$1200 (refurbed/used is fine) that can do a high-quality equilateral/spherical or at least 120º cylindrical panorama in 4 shots or less? Bonus points for nikon, since I've got a decent supply of adaptable old nikon glass laying around.
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$1024 at B&H for the pair.
posted by ganseki at 4:26 AM on August 27, 2007