Tips for shooting in stitch assist mode for newbie??

[Wheelman]

I was just wondering what are some good tips for shooting in stitch assist mode, just got my s400 around christmas.... :o

[mike j]

When shooting in 'panorama' mode, the most important tip is to use a tripod !

You can get away without one, but you get much better results if you use one. In my experience, the more photos you want to take in your panoramic, the more important it is to use a tripod.

ie. if you just want to join 2 or 3 photos, you might get away without it if you've got a steady hand. If you want a whole 360 degree panorama (usually somewhere around 14 photos) then you'll struggle without one. (Try it and you'll see what I mean !)

I love the panorama mode on my IXUS400 - it's not a feature you get on all makes of digicam.

[willy77nilly]

Don't forget you can take all your images in normal mode and stitch them using the Canon PhotoStitch software. The most important tip is alignment. Be sure each picture contains a portion (10-30%) of the previous picture (horizontally).

[mike j]

The 'stitch assist' mode (sorry - I thought it was called the 'panoramic' mode) shows a portion of your last shot, making it easier to see where to position your next shot and it also fixes the exposure, so that the photos stitch together more seamlessly.

If you take photos in the normal mode, you won't be able to see on the LCD where to take your next shot and the exposure will vary from shot to shot, giving an uneven appearance expecially if you have, for example, sky in the photos.

Why would you not want to use 'stitch assist' mode ?

[gsmx2]

The 'stitch assist' mode (sorry - I thought it was called the 'panoramic' mode) shows a portion of your last shot, making it easier to see where to position your next shot and it also fixes the exposure, so that the photos stitch together more seamlessly.

If you take photos in the normal mode, you won't be able to see on the LCD where to take your next shot and the exposure will vary from shot to shot, giving an uneven appearance expecially if you have, for example, sky in the photos.

Why would you not want to use 'stitch assist' mode ?

Here is another reason to use "Stitch Assist" mode. In "Stitch Assist" the exposure is locked so it is the same for every shot. If you let the exposure change, especially when shooting shots that include the sky, the sky will show lines where the photos are stitched.

A reason NOT to use "Stitch Assist". Holding the camera in front of you looking into the LCD is a very unstable way to hold a camera. It's much more stable held with bent arms looking through the viewfinder. So if you are going to shoot photos that way, either use "Stitch Assist"., but look through the view finder, or (the better way) is to switch to MANUAL MODE, get a reading of the exposures through the range of shots, and set the exposure to a compromise exposure.

Good luck,

gsm x2

[gsmx2]

Here's some examples of good stitched photos. (not mine)

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24173

gsm x2