Starting with digital MF pano´s, How to do?

[Detlef_g]

HI,

I want to start with digital Panorama photos. My plan is to get nearly the same view as I get from a 6x12 / 6x17 panorama Film cameras with a 105 / 120 mm lenses.

As equipment I do have a mamiya 645 AFD + Imacon 132C   +  Linhof kardan TE

If I understand it right, there are two possibilities to generate such a picture.

a)Single row pano by using a pano Adapter from Novoflex or reallyrightstuff with the mamiya.

 using a adapter plate for the Linhof and shifting the digital back.

What are the advantages of both solutions?

Thanks in advance

Detlef

[Anders_HK]

HI,

I want to start with digital Panorama photos. My plan is to get nearly the same view as I get from a 6x12 / 6x17 panorama Film cameras with a 105 / 120 mm lenses.

As equipment I do have a mamiya 645 AFD + Imacon 132C   +  Linhof kardan TE

If I understand it right, there are two possibilities to generate such a picture.

a)Single row pano by using a pano Adapter from Novoflex or reallyrightstuff with the mamiya.

 using a adapter plate for the Linhof and shifting the digital back.

What are the advantages of both solutions?

Thanks in advance

Detlef

Hi,

a) results in that Photoshop need to calculate/interpolate pixels. Perspective is calculated, need use nodal point slider, if have near areas in view.
b  ) is flat stitch. You keep your pixels. Perspective is correct.

As far as cost, a) is cheapest, since adapter sliding plates are at current high $$$. At moment I am speaking to Shen-Hao to make me one, not sure if they will mass produce it after... but alot cheaper than all other ones. Except, if you buy the WidePan on Ebay, which is cheap. I heard some use it with success (but you might need to shim it).

b  ) Is easier to visualize (composition), the downside that near all current such sliding adapters have a very small groundglass.

c ) Use a shift lens such as the Mamiya 50mm, but that gives you only 16mm shift, plus need shift camera in opposite direction same amount in order to maintain lens in exact same spot.

Regards
Anders

[BJNY]

I'm curious how to to determine the nodal point with different equipment.
I know Hasselblad lists it with each of their HC lenses,
but how if one is using an Alpa or David Klepacki's sexy customized FlexBody (can't get out of my mind).

Err....I need an instructional video for this, too.  

[Joe Behar]

I'm curious how to to determine the nodal point with different equipment.
I know Hasselblad lists it with each of their HC lenses,
but how if one is using an Alpa or David Klepacki's sexy customized FlexBody (can't get out of my mind).

Err....I need an instructional video for this, too.  

Here's a handy tutorial on finding the nodal point of your camera and lens

http://www.kaidan.com/nodalpoint.html

[Jack Flesher]

Spherical pano captures: Easy, more than adequate for landscape and virtually unlimited size, but shift-stitches are a better choice for maintaining critical geometry in an image like an architectural shot. Depending on your subject, getting the exact nodal point in a pan capture is not all that critical; for the typical landscape, just being close is usually close enough.  Where there is significant near-far subject matter, finding the nodal is more critical. Here is a recent 4-frame pano from the Mamiya/Phase with the 35 lens, pivot point set by eye to roughly to 1cm in front of lens mounting flange on body:



Stitch captures: A bit more technical to capture, but since the lens remains fixed, you don't have to worry about parallax or nodal points.  Also, since you are using the lens' fixed IC, you need not even worry about correcting for distortions in each frame, only in the conglomerate image after assembly.  Downside is it won't go as 'wide' as the pan stitch.  Other downside is with most digital backs, shifting the lens imparts a color cast that needs to be dealt with, usually by taking a "white frame" capture for each image frame captured so the color cast can be subtracted in post.  Various softwares handle this task in post, and while I do not have experience with all of them, I can speak to the fact that C1 makes this step relatively easy for Phase back captures.  Also note that color cast on shifts is generally more prevalent from backs with micro lenses.

Cheers,

[BJNY]

Thanks Joe and Jack.

Jack, how did you choose 1 cm?

[Jack Flesher]

Thanks Joe and Jack.

Jack, how did you choose 1 cm?

Well, because I've found that position works for all of my MF lenses about 95% of the time   However, to choose the exact proper pan point, simply pan the camera and watch the relative motion between a near and far object -- when properly set, they should remain fixed relative to each other; if they move relative to one-another as you pan, slide the camera forward or backward until the subjects are static...  

Cheers,

[Detlef_g]

Well, because I've found that position works for all of my MF lenses about 95% of the time   However, to choose the exact proper pan point, simply pan the camera and watch the relative motion between a near and far object -- when properly set, they should remain fixed relative to each other; if they move relative to one-another as you pan, slide the camera forward or backward until the subjects are static...  

Cheers,

Hi,

thanks you all for the input.

Detlef

[Panopeeper]

How to locate the entrance pupil

(not the nodal point). There is a simple way for coarse adjustment: look into the lens towards the camera and activate the aperture (not fully open, of course). On-off-on-off; you see the aperture from the front. That is the entrance pupil location.

Note, that the entrance pupil is not at the aperture's location; what you see is the projected aperture, and the camera needs to be swiweled around that point.

[BJNY]

Thanks, Panopeeper.

[Guy Mancuso]

These are both shot with a P25 plus back and a Mamiya 150mm 2.8 D lens and about 8 pano stitch shots using RRS panning clamp and rail. One is from Moab and the Other done in Monument Valley on our last workshop. All processed in C1 than brought into CS4 for the merge