Hazy Panos

[TrompeLaMort]

Hazy Panos

by TrompeLaMort » Tue Dec 09, 2008 4:58 am

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.com/2008/12/20080927-panorama-of-aachen-from-hill-3-big.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

[digipano]

by digipano » Tue Dec 09, 2008 5:50 am

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

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

[fma38]

by fma38 » Tue Dec 09, 2008 7:42 am

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

[marco-pano]

by marco-pano » Tue Dec 09, 2008 9:21 am

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...

[mediavets]

by mediavets » Tue Dec 09, 2008 10:00 am

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.

[hankkarl]

by hankkarl » Tue Dec 09, 2008 5:30 pm

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.

[TrompeLaMort]

by TrompeLaMort » Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:15 pm

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

[brunchto]

by brunchto » Tue Dec 09, 2008 8:15 pm

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)...

[Paul]

by Paul » Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:30 pm

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

[TrompeLaMort]

by TrompeLaMort » Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:27 am

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

[klausesser]

by klausesser » Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:04 am

. . 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 on Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:11 am, edited 1 time in total.