Panogear - compatibility

[HansKeesom]

by HansKeesom » Wed Jul 24, 2013 6:51 pm

I wrote one more times my list:

1. Full frame camera Canon 6D
2. Sigma 15 F2.8 EX DG Fisheye
3. Software - Autopano Giga and Panatour Pro 1.8 with Upgrade.
4. Manfrotto 055XPROB with levelling centre column

It that's all? Or I forgot something?

I have Computer with i7, geforce graphic card and SSD and big monitor.

When I buy equipment I Sign up for a course. But everyone must have their own equipment.

You have forgotten the pano head - it was to be an NN4 with R-D16 and nadir adapter I believe, and possibly a camera-specific Arca Swiss compatible QR.

Looks like a great setup..
Computerwise RAM is very important.
Once you can't add anymore RAM, then SSD is an alternative as you can put both the pagefile as the tempdirectory on it.
For more information in relation with APG read http://www.kolor.com/forum/p87033-2011-08-11-11-53-58#p87033

APG is a great and usefull tool but it does take some time to learn it and a brutal machine to make things go smooth.

[klausesser]

by klausesser » Wed Jul 24, 2013 7:07 pm

If you wanna go to 2 to 50 and even 350 Gpixels (and I still have to find the point in doing so) obviously you need a maxed out computer (and maxed out everything else including easily forgotten SKILLLLLL).

Up to 4 or 6 gigapixel as mosaics or even as spheres are commercially acceptable. That means 200 and more images (without bracketing) resulting in 6-15GB equirectangulars you need to edit in Photoshop or whatever.
You wouldn´t like it really much handling them on a 4GB RAM machine . . . even 8GB are much on the edge here.

>You NEED a "robotic" head writing xml files<
Yeps Klaus, but the .xml can be faked if you know how you shot the pano manually (degrees per step horizontal, degrees per step vertical, number of shots horizontal, number of shots vertical and of cause the most important variable the focal lengt used, and last but not least the steps HDR that were used)......but that requires some knowledge about .xml files and the way Kolor interprets them and is far from easy, nor is shooting a 30.000 x 24.000 picture using a manual head a comfortable affair (very, very exhausting work due to the concentration involved). So I'm currently writing (wenn die Affenhitze nachlest ) a .xml part in my code and I'm building my own head (with a little help in the hardware department).

1) Aproaching hires-panos (not nessesarily gigapixels) means to shoot narrow angles. That means having MANY featureless images indoors showing white walls or ceilings and so on. Stitching them without xml takes you VERY much time.
2) shooting gigapixels usually means shooting a mosaic. Here you´re absolutely lost without xml when you have much sky or water or other unstructured surfaces.
You can pre-set an xml- pattern onky VERY roughly . . and need to shoot lots of redundant images to assure what you want to shoot fits well. I know there are tricks - but production-wise a head which precisely writes xmls definitely is preferable, saves time and is more accurate.

2) You NEED real good lenses - i suggest primes, no zooms.
3) You NEED a VERY good tripod - we´re entering a region *starting* from about 300.- here.
In fact Klaus I guess you use manual focus lenses quite often (Nikon on Canon as I recall). That sure saves money since good quality manual glass can be bought a rock bottom prices.

In fact i NEVER use zooms - but not for saving money I just don´t like them.

About the FF-ness....well some gigapans are made with 7D's and as memory serves the London 360 pano is made with this APS-H camera.....simply because a smaller sensor "extends" the lenses (and also extends the DOF) which makes gear lighter at the same magnification.
But FF sensors have something ahead, a bit more bitdepth which gives much nicer color rendition.

FF means fewer shots. Fewer shots not only save time - they also enable you to make more from a light-situation or when objects move . . . the fewer shots the better. Especially in the evening. Minutes usually count here. Having "extended DOF" gives you no fortune at all production-wise. Just costs you time when you shoot and also when you´re processing the shots.

I guess you don´t do much hires or gigas in real life, do you?

Klaus