DSLR Panoramic shots

[QUILLL]

Just downloaded software to enable me to take these type of shots. It recommends that you use exactly the same camera settings for each overlapping image. Is there a simple idiot's way of achieving this? (Canon 5DII )

[ickmcdon]

Use manual exposure, not auto. That's the only way.

[QUILLL]

Originally Posted by ickmcdon

Use manual exposure, not auto. That's the only way.

Thanks for that, my eyes aren't that good though!!!

[Littlejon Dsgn]

Originally Posted by QUILLL

Thanks for that, my eyes aren't that good though!!!

If you do not use Manual there is no way to lock in the settings. You can use auto and see what the camera thinks the settings should be, switch to Manual and plug those in .... its a good starting point. Also pick a WB do not leave it on Auto either.

[WaltA]

Originally Posted by ickmcdon

Use manual exposure, not auto. That's the only way.

I was going to answer this way but it brought up more questions for me.
I understand the reason for saying you need the same exposure across all the shots. But how do you know that the same exposure is the right one?

For example, taking a picture of a landscape with 5 to 7 horizontal shots - how can you be sure the same exposure is required all across the landscape? Maybe theres more trees on one frame then the others - that frame will require a different exposure.

I've taken many panos using Av or Tv and they worked out pretty well.

[MNUplander]

Originally Posted by WaltA

I was going to answer this way but it brought up more questions for me.
I understand the reason for saying you need the same exposure across all the shots. But how do you know that the same exposure is the right one?

For example, taking a picture of a landscape with 5 to 7 horizontal shots - how can you be sure the same exposure is required all across the landscape? Maybe theres more trees on one frame then the others - that frame will require a different exposure.

I've taken many panos using Av or Tv and they worked out pretty well.

They'll work fine in Av if your lighting is consistent in the spot the camera uses to meter the scene across each frame, which varies based on your metering mode. If that point happens to be in the sky in one shot and a shadowed mountain peak on the next, the camera will not meter the same exposure. Tv is unacceptable for panos or landscapes in general because allowing the camera to control your aperture to change the exposure will result in different focus/DOF for each shot.

You know the exposure is the right one by either using a light meter, taking a test shot and reviewing the histogram and adjusting as needed or reviewing the histogram in live view as you adjust the settings in M mode.

[IslandCrow]

Eyes good or bad really shouldn't have anything to do with it. If you don't know how to read a histogram, it would be a really good idea to learn. A light meter is of course also a very useful tool. My own technique is to first decide whether I think the dynamic range of the lighting in the entire scene will fit within my camera's dynamic range. If it will, I'll "expose to the right" for the brightest area in the scene. That is to say, I'll take a test shot (often, but not always, using a light meter to get myself in the ballpark), and expose so that the histogram for the brightest area of the scene is on the far right of my histogram. If there's too much dynamic range in the scene, I must decide whether I want to a) sacrifice detail in either the shadows/highlights or b) use a graduated neutral density filter or multiple exposures across the scene. But in the end, you'll need one fixed aperture, focal length, shutter speed and ISO that's going to work across the entire scene. It's also a good idea to use a fixed white balance, though I'll generally shoot in raw and just copy the same white balance settings to each image in post processing. Lastly, you need to keep the same focal plane for all of the images. If you don't know about the concept of hyperfocal distance, it would be a really good deal to read up on it.

Personally, I use manual exposure for 99.9% of my landscape shots, so that part of the pano process comes pretty naturally. Basically, though, you want the exact same exposure, color balance, and depth of field across all of your images, or they won't blend together seemlessly.

[WaltA]

Originally Posted by IslandCrow

Eyes good or bad really shouldn't have anything to do with it.
....

I think in this post the OP mis-read the preceding post that suggested he shoot in Manual. I think the suggestion was Manual Exposure but was taken by the OP to mean Manual Focus. Therefore the comment about bad eyes - which would be valid if talking about Manual Focus.

[IslandCrow]

Ahh, that makes much more sense.

[WaltA]

Originally Posted by IslandCrow

Ahh, that makes much more sense.

BTW, thanks for your post. I've taken panos for years just using AV and spot metering and have many times ended up with difficulties in post processing because different frames had different exposures.

If you try to process each frame individually before stitching they don't always match. So I guess your method is what I need to try next.

What you described sounds like PETTR - or "Panoramic Expose to the Right" where you ETTR for the highest contrast frame in the pano. Thats something I need to get out and try on my next outing.

[IslandCrow]

Yeah, I definitely try to avoid doing any real processing prior to stiching. You can do some editing in the Raw editor or in Lightroom if you want. You just need to copy those adjustments to the other images. I find it easier to skip all that until I have the Pano stitched, though.