Room Panorama

[Ankit]

Hello all
I am newbie to Photography, but a good Web Designer.

My question is Would Canon A40 suffice if I want to make a 360 Degree Room Panorama stitching 2-3 Pics?

I heard that it has an inbuit software too to Stitch Images.

Would I need any additional Lens?

Please help

[Conk]

The A40 will work fine. Even the setting on the camera is not necessary if you use a tripod. No aditional lenses are required either.

[Ankit]

Thanks Colin.

Can a complete view (4 Walls, Terrace and Floor) be covered in 2 Pics.? What would be the trick?
Can refer http://www.tajhotels.com/vrs/ipix/files/tajmahalmumbai.htm , for the kind of Virtual Tour I am looking to shoot.

Your help wold certailnly help.

[Conk]

With the right software you can but it'll take more than 2 photo's.

[Jerry Vanderberg]

A tripod with a rotating head is necessary for the best results. You need to smoothly rotate the camera around its own axis as you take a series of pictures. For the stitching program to work properly, you will need to overlap each picture with the previous one. So, 2 will not do it; around 6-8 would be better.

[Ankit]

Thanks a lot for response.

Does the inbuilt Lens of A40 would be able to capture a Room of size 12 X 12 Ft. with Terrace and Floor? I mean does it has that deep field ?

[JohnMN]

If you are looking to take a full 360 of a room, then you will have to stand in the exact centre of the room and have the camera on some kind of table or similar. I have found that better results are achievable if you 'rotate' the camera rather than having it on a tripod. It somehow 'fisheyes' the middle part of the picture but this is less noticable if you use the 'rotation' method. You won't be able to get it in 2 pictures, more like seven or eight and let the Photostitch software stick them together (some adjustment may be necessary). No other lens or attachments are required - but if you have a small table top tripod, try using that and see how you get on. Just remember, better results are achieved 'rotating' the camera. There was a posting on this forum a month or two ago on this subject along with graphics showing how it was done. Unfortunately, I can' t remember who posted it but try looking back over the postings and see if you can find it.

JohnMN

[JohnnyE]

I believe to get the ffect that you really want, you need another piece of software. The Hometour360º Software and Image Keys are available by contacting Homestore.com at 1-877-353-4749.

[FattMarrell]

Take as many pictures as you can around the nodal point, otherwise you get barrel distortion and nothing works right. I've been playing with this for past 2 weeks with the digital rebel with wide angle lens. Here's a couple good pieces of software:
REALVIZ Stitcher 4.0
3DVista Stitcher 3.0
PTGui 4.1

The besting thing to do is pick up a tripod head that allows you to rotate around the center axis, elimating parallax loss. I'm about to buy one of these, I'm pretty sure it works with my camera:
http://gregwired.com/pano/Pano.htm

Good luck! Hope this helps :D
-Matt

[Citizensmith]

Take as many shots as possible as indoors errors from perspective changes in the corners are more noticable in small spaces. Ensure the camera is perfectly level and remains so. Put the camera in manual mode for appeture/shutter speed. If it isn't it'll change dependant on the amount of light in each area and make the edges of the photos impossible to match up color wise.

[Citizensmith]

To add to my previous comment. I got some really good exterior panoramas with an A20 and the Canon stitching software a few years back. For interiors though it sucked. You'll have to work hard with it to get anything approaching professional results.

[FattMarrell]

That's very true, I've made a couple very nice exterior 360's but interiors are a lot of work.

[mike j]

Put the camera in manual mode for appeture/shutter speed. If it isn't it'll change dependant on the amount of light in each area and make the edges of the photos impossible to match up color wise.

If you use the panorama mode, the appeture/shutter speed is set with the first photo. This allows the photos to blend together far more effectively.

[mike j]

That's very true, I've made a couple very nice exterior 360's but interiors are a lot of work.

Yes, especially as flash is usually needed indoors.

Incidently, I've taken quite a few indoor panoramics with my IXUS400 and the only way you're going to get a reasonable amount of wall AND floors visible is if the room is huge !

[FattMarrell]

the only way you're going to get a reasonable amount of wall AND floors visible is if the room is huge !

That's another good fact, big rooms (and outdoors) with more depth are much much easier to do, this is why I'm starting to shoot my pictures in Portrait mode, rather than landscape. Yes I will have to take many more shots, but I will be able to get much more of the lower and higher objects.

[Citizensmith]

If you use the panorama mode, the appeture/shutter speed is set with the first photo. This allows the photos to blend together far more effectively.

Exposure wise that's exactly the same as putting it in manual mode. The point being without it you'll be in trouble when it comes to blending the photos.

Using a flash will also be a problem. Even in manual/panorama mode the flash will deliver different amounts of light to a given area depending on which way it is pointed. Again this will cause things like color variations on walls that will be hard work to remove, and very obvious in resulting panoramas. I'd recommend leaving the flash off.

[mike j]

Exposure wise that's exactly the same as putting it in manual mode. The point being without it you'll be in trouble when it comes to blending the photos.

Oops - of course, you're right.

Sorry - was obviously thinking of automatic mode where it'll adjust each time.