Stitching software vs. Horizon 202 or Pano MF Back?

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Benjamin Marks

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Is there anyone on RFF using Photoshop to stitch panoramas? Any feelings about this versus a Horizon 202 or MF back (6x12, 6x17) for LF? Seems to me like stitching might work well for static scenes. Not so much for dynamic ones. Thoughts?

On another note: Is the Horizon 202 aspect ratio 1:2 or wider? Not interested in the Widelux currently for cost reasons. I am tempted by a 6x17 back made by Shen Hao -- fits on a 4x5 camera . . .

Ben Marks
 
Yes. I'm using AutoPanoPro. Works well, supports 16its/Color and multi-CPUs, can assemble both vertically and horizontally. It's flexible enough that for most scenes I can hand-hold. Try the eval copy.

Cheers,

Roland.
 
ferider said:
Yes. I'm using AutoPanoPro. Works well, supports 16its/Color and multi-CPUs, can assemble both vertically and horizontally. It's flexible enough that for most scenes I can hand-hold. Try the eval copy.

Cheers,

Roland.
Click to expand...

Roland: thanks for the response. What focal length do you use on the pics you are stitching? Seems like a 35mm lens might be about right.

Ben Marks
 
Benjamin Marks said:
Roland: thanks for the response. What focal length do you use on the pics you are stitching? Seems like a 35mm lens might be about right.

Ben Marks
Click to expand...

That's what I used last time (a Summicron). For example here:

399962120_7cNyF-XL-1.jpg


or here with the lens in portrait mode:

399962172_HjcBs-XL-1.jpg


Cheers,

Roland.
 
Here's my deal: I have a family wedding coming up in June. I used to bring along an XPan w/45 f:4 to this sort of thing -- good for big groups/groups where there is a lot going on. I typically would bring a tripod. I am hearing the siren call of a 6x17 back for a 4x5 LF camera. Probably $600 or so, once you figure in a recessed lensboard for a 90 SA and one of those angle-y attachments for the cable release. Or, I could go with an already-owned 5x7 camera and 90 SA and just cut down the film (or "crop" on a scanner). OR I could purchase a Horizon 202 (seems like a lot of work to purchase and test prior to mid-June). OR I could just admit that another piece of gear is the last thing I need at the moment and try some stitching of digi-files. It is harder to imagine this working with a large, dynamic group of people. So: stitchers: any practical advice?

Ben
 
I'm sorry if the above wasn't clear, Ben: I used a 35mm Summicron for those shots.

If you can avoid strong parallax (avoid close up objects appearing across multiple frames, or use a tripod around the lens' nodal point) I can only recommend the stiching software.

Roland.
 
Benjamin said:
Or perhaps, one of these? I think the muppet maybe an optional accessory, though you should probably check first..

http://www.letsgodigital.org/images/artikelen/687/seitz_panoramic_camera.jpg
Click to expand...

OK. Judging from the image above, size DOES matter.

In my opinion there is a trade off between the money you invest into gear or the time you invest into stitching. I am using 'hugin', a frontend for 'nona', 'enblend' and 'enfuse' for my stitching. In addition to blending, one can do perspective corrections, lens corrections and exposure blending.

-a
 
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