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#1 2008-12-09 04:58:26

TrompeLaMort
Member
Registered: 2008-12-06
Posts: 11

Hazy Panos

So some of the panos I take would look great if not for a kind of haze on the pano (full size http://myhollandtravels.files.wordpress … -3-big.jpg):

http://myhollandtravels.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/20080927-panorama-of-aachen-from-hill-3.jpg

I assume some of this is nature / smog, and some of it looks like I just need to take the camera off auto and keep the aperature shutter / speed / etc constant, but what else can I do when taking a picture like this to make it come out clear?

I was at the top of a hill in Aachen, overlooking the city, and it seemed like it would be a postcard perfect picture.  But this isn't even close to postworthy!

Thanks,

Dan

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#2 2008-12-09 05:50:04

digipano
Member
Registered: 2008-02-16
Posts: 652

Re: Hazy Panos

Best is to use manual, never do auto exposure for any pano.

Try to do this pano with smartblending it might work better.

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#3 2008-12-09 07:42:17

fma38
Moderator
From: Grenoble, France
Registered: 2005-12-07
Posts: 6181
Website

Re: Hazy Panos

Check if exif informations are correctly seen by APP. How did you put anchors?


Frédéric

Canon 20D + 17-40/f4 L USM + 70-200/f4 L USM + 50/f1.4 USM
Merlin/Orion panohead + Papywizard on Nokia N800 and HP TC-1100

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#4 2008-12-09 09:21:48

marco-pano
Member
From: Paris
Registered: 2006-11-16
Posts: 922
Website

Re: Hazy Panos

Two aspect in your pano.

One picture near center is brighter with different contrat than the others. Did you use color correction, LDR ? Where was the fix/yellow anchor ?

General aspect: weather seem quite bad with a uniform white layer of clouds in the sky. In such weather, don't expect the best post card. Pictures have low local contrast, unsaturated colors due to haze, seem also a bit blurred. I see some diagonal shadow lines in the full version. Did you shoot from outside or across a window ?

As usual, it's always good to give more information on camera, lens, shooting parameters...


Marco, Paris wink
Canon EOS 40D, EF-S 10-22, EF 24-105 LIS, EF 70-200 LIS - Canon G9 (wide-converter)
DxO v7.5, Autopano Pro 2.6, PS CS5 and time

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#5 2008-12-09 10:00:56

mediavets
Moderator
From: Isleham, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Registered: 2007-11-14
Posts: 9818
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Re: Hazy Panos

Manual exposure (at very least aperture priority) and centre weighted metering and non-auto white balance would have helped this scene I think. And a monopod if it was hand held.


Andrew Stephens
Nikon D40, Nikkor 10.5mm fisheye, Sigma 8mm f3.5 fisheye, Nikkor 18-55/50/35mm lenses, Nodal Ninja 5 Lite, Nodal Ninja 4 with R-D16, Agno's MrotatorTCS short.
Nikon P5100, CP5000, CP995, FC-E8, WC-E63,WC-E68, TC-E2, Kaidan Kiwi 995, Bophoto pano bracket, Agno's MrotatorA.
Merlin/Orion robotic pano head + Papywizard on Nokia 770/N800/N810 and Windows 8/XP/2K.

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#6 2008-12-09 17:30:39

hankkarl
Member
From: Connecticut, USA
Registered: 2006-02-21
Posts: 1957
Website

Re: Hazy Panos

Use curves and increase contrast.  Use a tonemapper to increase local contrast, or if you shot RAW, use ACR's "clarity" setting.

If you can shoot again, expose to the right or even bracket your shots.  Try a haze filter.  I don't think a polarizer will help, but its worth trying.

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#7 2008-12-09 18:15:34

TrompeLaMort
Member
Registered: 2008-12-06
Posts: 11

Re: Hazy Panos

Ok, to answer everyone's questions:

1.  I took the picture using the landscape setting on my camera, standing on the top of a cliff overlooking the city.  This seems to be big mistake #1 because the f stop and shutter speed are all over the place.  You can kind of see where the sun was in the sky because it's this almost white and overexposed, while the rest of the sky is kind of gray and cloudy (it rains a lot in that area).

So I guess in terms of stuff I can't fix after the fact, I probably should have dialed in a single F-Stop and shutter speed and taken pictures.

Does the tripod actually help?  It always seemed to me like if I take a series of shots at a fast shutter speed because it's bright out I don't need a tripod..  What does it do for you?

2.  I did default just about everything with autopano.  What features can I look into using to make it look better?  I assume I can change the lighting and do some color correction?

3.  What is a haze filter and what does it do?

4. I shot with:

Olympus EVOLT 510
Effective Focal Length: 150mm
F 5.6
1/250 second shutter speed

5.  I'm actually living really close to Aachen.  Assuming I can get the weather to cooperate, what are some tips for reshooting this?

Thank you so much for all your help!

Dan

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#8 2008-12-09 20:15:58

brunchto
Member
From: Limoges - France
Registered: 2006-05-05
Posts: 106
Website

Re: Hazy Panos

Hi,

even if you use a 1/250, with crop factor, your 150mm give something like a 300mm. Stabilizer should help but...
close to f8 instead of f5.6 (you are wide open isn't it?)

for me the main problem is that all the photos in the pano are blurred. there no focus point anywhere and haze gives you a low contrast on images.
if i were you, next time, take care to take sharp pics, in raw. then, before APP, adjust a little bit contrast, saturation and light to make something more homogen. then try to assemble.

and like the other have said, expose to the right, wait for a more cloudy weather (after a thunderstorm)...

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#9 2008-12-09 23:30:35

Paul
Member
From: Bonn, Germany
Registered: 2008-08-30
Posts: 846

Re: Hazy Panos

i took this pano looking towards Bonn from the Seven Hills
http://gigapan.org/viewGigapanFullscreen.php?id=10996

it was not a clear view, a little dust
78 pics,
Olympus E-510 600mm, manual set to 1/250, F8, manual WB, ISO 100, Manual Focus


Paul

close, but no cigar ... ... ...

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#10 2008-12-10 00:27:20

TrompeLaMort
Member
Registered: 2008-12-06
Posts: 11

Re: Hazy Panos

Hey I like that one.  That gigapan site is cool as well....

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#11 2008-12-10 01:04:15

klausesser
Member
From: Düsseldorf, Germany
Registered: 2006-05-22
Posts: 6600
Website

Re: Hazy Panos

TrompeLaMort wrote:

. . but what else can I do when taking a picture like this to make it come out clear?

No automatics - NO automatics at all. Spot-metering aimed at the buildings.
Buying a better lens, using a perfekt suited lensshade. Bracketing would also help very much.
Maybe a polarizing-filter - better always have one at hand (no use with spheres).

Shooting very early with the first light - when the haze caused by traffic and by heated-up ground is low.

best, Klaus

Last edited by klausesser (2008-12-10 01:11:56)


If you want something you´ve never had,
then you´ve got to do something you´ve never done.

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