Weird Resolution Issue ....

[pollarda]

Weird Resolution Issue ....

by pollarda » Fri Jun 13, 2014 4:20 am

So I shoot my 360 pano using a Gigapan with my nikon D800E. The nice thing about the Gigapan is that it is exact and duplicates things each and every time. I shoot a 5x7 grid using a 24mm lens. This results in some pretty large high resolution panoramas.

The weird thing is that I get some panoramas where the file width is approximately 30,000 pixels wide and others where it can be as many as 50,000 pixels wide. The 30,000 pixel wide ones seem to be indoors but I may be wrong.

Why would some finished panoramas have different dimensions than others? As far as I know I am doing it the same way each and every time.

Does anyone have any insight into this? I'd love it if I could get a handle on it as I'm trying to shoot for as much resolution as possible.

Thanks!

[mediavets]

Re: Weird Resolution Issue ....

by mediavets » Fri Jun 13, 2014 7:57 am

So I shoot my 360 pano using a Gigapan with my nikon D800E. The nice thing about the Gigapan is that it is exact and duplicates things each and every time. I shoot a 5x7 grid using a 24mm lens. This results in some pretty large high resolution panoramas.

The weird thing is that I get some panoramas where the file width is approximately 30,000 pixels wide and others where it can be as many as 50,000 pixels wide. The 30,000 pixel wide ones seem to be indoors but I may be wrong.

Why would some finished panoramas have different dimensions than others? As far as I know I am doing it the same way each and every time.

Does anyone have any insight into this? I'd love it if I could get a handle on it as I'm trying to shoot for as much resolution as possible.

Thanks!

What lens are you using?

Output resolution would only be (almost) the same if the amount of overlap between images (the pano FOV shot) is the same - is it?

Do you use the Gigapan Import wizard?

[pollarda]

Re: Weird Resolution Issue ....

by pollarda » Sat Jun 14, 2014 1:38 am

I use Nikon's 24mm lens. This creates a grid of 5x7 which covers the entire 360 pano except for the nadir (since the Gigapan head can't look down all the way -- obviously).

I shoot at F11 and always shoot the same grid / settings as far as the camera and gigapan are concerned with the exception of course of the exposure. Same overlap, same everything. I use the Gigapan import wizard to bring the images into the final program.

So all should be exactly the same. The only thing is I get some finished images that are approx. 30,000 px wide and others that are as many as 50,000 (and in between of course). Some of the ones shot outside are larger while those shot inside seem to be smaller. Don't know why this is or if it is more me noticing than an actual correlation.

[mediavets]

Re: Weird Resolution Issue ....

by mediavets » Sat Jun 14, 2014 5:37 am

My understanding is that the Gigapan heads can only shoot a regular grid of images and that the only way to define the extent of the pano is to set opposite corners - is that correct?

If so, how can you define a repeatable 5x7 grid?

Gigapan robotic heads were designed to shoot high res. partial panos - panos with a HFOV of much less than 360 and a VFOV of much less than 180.

They are not well suited to shooting panos with HFOV of 360 because they were not designed for this and I don't believe it's possible to get consistent overlapping between images on the H axis.

When shooting panos with a HFOV of 360 and a VFOV of close to 180 it is desirable to shhot fewer image sper row as you approach the zenith and nadir to avoid excessive overlapping - the Gigapan robots cannot do this.

The Gigpan Import wizard has a 360 HFOV option - do you select it?

I am wondering whether APG always stitches the images to produce a HFOV of 360?

Can we see some screenshots of the Panorama editor in Images mode and in the Crop tool?

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[Rata]

Re: Weird Resolution Issue ....

by Rata » Sat Jun 14, 2014 8:11 am

I think the issue is just due to the "ammount of information" in the picture.
Nature is a lot of stuff and indoor is more compact. sort of smaller pictures with more detail overlapping as things are relatively closer compared to a outdoor shot. Hard to describe it. blame it on the computer and let it go or use a smaller lens inndoors to gain more detail and thereby bigger file.


Im using the gigapan too and it does take 360 with full overlap at chosen ammount, i usually use 30%.
To do 360 you set top and bottom and it will do a full 360.
There is a lot of overlap in the top and bottom of the sphere with a wide lens, this is true.
But the head where not made to, just, take 360 spheres, but monsers of gigapixel pictures that is really simple to stich up as there is a set grid and nothing changes during the shot.
Yes it can not do directly down, as the tripod will get in the way, as on any panohead.
It is big and bulky, id not reccomend it for trecking but it handles long lenses great and is pretty sturdy.
The main reason i chose the gigapan head, where that it had on head menu, not depending on external stuff to set it up.
Ive used it on everything from 12mm to 900mm lenses and im reasonably happy with it.
Would want to get another head though, smaller for trecking with it in the backpack.

I did this one with a nikon D3 and a sigma 50mm yesterday on a gigapan head.
http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/156745
full 360. The only issue i have is that the arm of the robot is just a little too short for the big D3 body, lifting the lens slightly too high and the body barely going in on the right side.

[mediavets]

Re: Weird Resolution Issue ....

by mediavets » Sat Jun 14, 2014 9:56 am

I think the issue is just due to the "ammount of information" in the picture.
Nature is a lot of stuff and indoor is more compact. sort of smaller pictures with more detail overlapping as things are relatively closer compared to a outdoor shot.

How would that change the resolution of a stitched pano comirng the same number of images with the same degree of overlap shot using the same pattern with same body and lens?

Im using the gigapan too and it does take 360 with full overlap at chosen amount, i usually use 30%.
To do 360 you set top and bottom and it will do a full 360.

Given the camera body and long lens you have use with your Gigapan I'm guessing you have a Gigapan Pro?

Does this offer different features from the Epic and Epic 100 models?

So there is a special way to define a 360 HFOV shoot - you just set top and bottom - is that correct?

When you do this do you get consistent spacing between images on the H axis?

[Rata]

Re: Weird Resolution Issue ....

by Rata » Sat Jun 14, 2014 4:32 pm

Nature is full of stuff..
Im not sure how to explain it, It´s all relative.
its in how the camera sees, the distance between subject and lens, the compression algorithms in camera and software, ammount of pixels per picture in overlap and ammount of "stuff" in the overlap zone. resolution of the end render, and size of said render set in the render menu. Its all relative.
Sry, sucky ansver, i know. Maybe some physics genious can chip in on this, but this is my best. lol

that might be your answer too btw. in the end render menu, set the size to the dimentions you want, scale down or scale up and you get the same sizes.

Im nut sure how the Gigapan pro differs from the other, yes i have the big one. But i think the main diff is that its to handle a bigger load.

The 360 option is a separate option in the menu, my main issue with it atm is that my wide angle lens is a little long, so if i point right up, wich i can do, the holder arm for the camera tuches the base of the panohead. a bit annoying but.

The gigapan does not compensate for a smaller area in top and bottom, it keeps the shots consistent with the grid.
I rather like it, esp as it gets neat and orderly in the stichup, no matter what i shoot.
And if i add pictures out of the stich order, (with the plugin) they just end up as loose pictures in the middle somewhere, simple to find and move in the edit.