Leaning more toward digital every day

[Tuolumne]

I own and use Xpan and Panolux panoramic cameras. But I decided to try my hand at a digitally stitched panorama using my Nikon D200 and a little specialized gear from Really Right Stuff. I bought their ball head, a panoramic rotating head and a nodal slide, all for about $400. Not a small sum but pretty small in light of how much those cameras cost. I set it all up on my Gitzo tripod and shot a panorama of the NY skyline from the Great Lawn in Central Park. I used PTgui (www.ptgui.com) to stitch the panorama. The SW was run in complete auto mode. The result was rather breathtaking and was the easiest and best panorama I have ever done.

I like film. I want to use film cameras. But every day I experience something amazing from digital photography which makes me wonder how much longer I will. Anyone want to buy my Xpan or Panolux? 😀

/T

 

[haagen_dazs]

i want. pm sent

 

[didjiman]

The strength of the XPan is not stand-around-for-minutes panoramic, but walk around panoramic. It's about seeing the lines and forms...

 

[quantum-x]

I shoot on a 1Ds, a lomo and a TX2.
I wouldn't give up my TX for all the loving in __________ [name your favourite country for loving]. Shooting film is something Zen. I've never had results from digi that compare to my TX shots. You have to take time. You have to prep. You have to check check and check. You have to wait.

I love digi, but love my pano even more 😀

 

[photogdave]

How much for the XPan? I think didjiman is right, you can't replicat the XPan as a wide format street camera. If you're only doing static landscapes I guess digital is fine.
I've never seen a Panolux. Is it like a Widelux?

 

[DougK]

A digital XPan would be a wonderful thing...

 

[david b]

this is so funny.

 

[Parkes Owen]

I shoot on a 1Ds, a lomo and a TX2.
I wouldn't give up my TX for all the loving in __________ [name your favourite country for loving]. Shooting film is something Zen. I've never had results from digi that compare to my TX shots. You have to take time. You have to prep. You have to check check and check. You have to wait.

I love digi, but love my pano even more 😀

Perfectly said, digital is cool, but film is the real reason I love taking photos, what you take is what you get,and it challenges you to improve your camera skills,not your PS skills!

 

[sostler]

It's such an odd feeling going from analog/film to digital. I just made the switch from an M7 to an M8. Without having a negative in hand every image becomes rather volatile. The transition is rather difficult - emotionally. On the other hand picture taking itself is not much different. Who says you can't work slowly and accurate with a digital camera? You don't have to use a 2 or even 4 GB storage card and shoot hundreds of pictures at a time. I go with 512 MB and it works just fine. It's all in your mind and you are in control anyway.
To fight the feeling of not possessing something to hold to other than a file on my hard drive I started to print out most of my digital images. I might even do 5 prints of those images that are really top notch and then delete the digital negative for good. I might not be able to open it up again in 5 or 10 years from now so why not get rid of it right away. Sounds crazy in the first place, might even be scary to some people. But going digital all the way makes you think...

 

[quantum-x]

Perfectly said, digital is cool, but film is the real reason I love taking photos, what you take is what you get,and it challenges you to improve your camera skills,not your PS skills!

Absolutely, and there's the waiting element too.
You have to be sure what you're shooting. To an extent, it's dependant on your style, you might shoot 10 rolls each location, but I doubt most TX/XPaners would do that - so you have to consider, check, snap.

Two months later you refind the film, get it dev'd, scan it, and finally.. the reward 🙂

 

[shadowfox]

There are two types of photographers who use film.

One who hated it and couldn't wait for digital to catch up, jump ship, and never look back.

The other one cherishes the picture taking moment of classic film cameras, love the anticipation on getting the negative back from development (or self-develop), love the idea of witnessing the magic of chemical reaction that produces images, love the variety and the artistic unpredictability of recording media afforded by film.

Only you can answer honestly, which type are you. I suspect we cannot love both equally, you will gravitate to one side eventually.

 

[Tuolumne]

How much for the XPan? I think didjiman is right, you can't replicat the XPan as a wide format street camera. If you're only doing static landscapes I guess digital is fine.
I've never seen a Panolux. Is it like a Widelux?

The Noblex Panolux is a panoramic swing lens camera. It takes fantastic, large panoramic photos across 146 degrees using 120 film. See more here:

http://www.kamera-werk-dresden.de/english/noblex/cameras/frameset.htm

/T
P.S. The included image (after clicking) is about the size of an actual Noblex negative (or positive). It's absolutely fantastic to look at a chrome on a light table.

 

[quantum-x]

Only you can answer honestly, which type are you. I suspect we cannot love both equally, you will gravitate to one side eventually.

I go a lot of places where I won't be going back, and I appreciate digital in its fullness in these situations: frame, expose, shoot - but if you get something wrong, you can adjust slightly.

Alternatively, the sheer joy and style of shooting film is irreplaceable.

I think both can live in a happy marriage.

 

[lZr]

I think in panorama we need the right perspective. Stiching is good for eyes effect only, but real perspective is lost

 

[quantum-x]

I agree film vs. digital is a mindset. Had we all been shooting digital for 40 years and film came along, we would be extolling the organic quality of digital over film. We humans are captives of our own experience.

I disagree 🙂

 

[Finder]

How much for the XPan? I think didjiman is right, you can't replicat the XPan as a wide format street camera. If you're only doing static landscapes I guess digital is fine.
I've never seen a Panolux. Is it like a Widelux?

As long as clouds, vegetation, and water does not move or the light does not change. A limit of stiching is it is of separtate images taken at different times.

 

[Finder]

I think in panorama we need the right perspective. Stiching is good for eyes effect only, but real perspective is lost

In what way?

 

[photogdave]

As long as clouds, vegetation, and water does not move or the light does not change. A limit of stiching is it is of separtate images taken at different times.

Believe me, I know! I used to shoot QTVRs of resort properties for Expedia.com. The beach shots were always the hardest - waiting for the waves to peter out on the shore in a similar way to the last frame, or standing out in the hot sun with a black towel over my head so I can see the LCD. Those were the days!

 

[chikne]

It's such an odd feeling going from analog/film to digital. I just made the switch from an M7 to an M8. Without having a negative in hand every image becomes rather volatile. The transition is rather difficult - emotionally. On the other hand picture taking itself is not much different. Who says you can't work slowly and accurate with a digital camera? You don't have to use a 2 or even 4 GB storage card and shoot hundreds of pictures at a time. I go with 512 MB and it works just fine. It's all in your mind and you are in control anyway.
To fight the feeling of not possessing something to hold to other than a file on my hard drive I started to print out most of my digital images. I might even do 5 prints of those images that are really top notch and then delete the digital negative for good. I might not be able to open it up again in 5 or 10 years from now so why not get rid of it right away. Sounds crazy in the first place, might even be scary to some people. But going digital all the way makes you think...

Boy, this is quite a revolutionary mindset 🙂

 

[PHOTOEIL]

It is my sad experience that digital prevents me of freely thinking, the computer is a some kind of a prison for the free thoughts...
But, of course, this is my very, very, personal thought...