Wide Angle lense versus stitching

I'm trying to minimize both cost as well as carrying additional gear for our upcoming trip to the Alps and a cruise to the Eastern Med. I have a Sony NEX 5N with both the 18-55 (f3.5-5.6) lense as well as 55-210 (f4.5-6.3) lense. I'm thinking that a wide angle lense may be useful as well (for example: capturing the full-width of the Trevi fountain without having to stand back such that all of the other tourists are in the picture.) I was wondering if another way of doing this without a wide angle lense is to use my 18-55 lense with multiple exposure combined with either the stitching capability of the camera itself or using Photoshop for this. Any thoughts?

Also, for interior shots like in St. Peter's Basillica, is the f3.5 sufficient, or would I be better off with the the Sony 16mm f2.8? Of course if I go that route, I can then add either the wide angle conversion or fisheye conversion lense ... but then I'm back with more expense and more gear.

Finally, would the 55-210 lense be useful or would I be better off leaving it at home since it is the biggest of all the components?

Unless I have a tripod, I just use my Sigma 12-24mm ultrawide and crop it to look like a panorama:

I'm trying to minimize both cost as well as carrying additional gear for our upcoming trip to the Alps and a cruise to the Eastern Med. I have a Sony NEX 5N with both the 18-55 (f3.5-5.6) lense as well as 55-210 (f4.5-6.3) lense. I'm thinking that a wide angle lense may be useful as well (for example: capturing the full-width of the Trevi fountain without having to stand back such that all of the other tourists are in the picture.) I was wondering if another way of doing this without a wide angle lense is to use my 18-55 lense with multiple exposure combined with either the stitching capability of the camera itself or using Photoshop for this. Any thoughts?

 

Also, for interior shots like in St. Peter's Basillica, is the f3.5 sufficient, or would I be better off with the the Sony 16mm f2.8? Of course if I go that route, I can then add either the wide angle conversion or fisheye conversion lense ... but then I'm back with more expense and more gear.

 

Finally, would the 55-210 lense be useful or would I be better off leaving it at home since it is the biggest of all the components?

Three problems with stitching are -

a) More work

b) Matching pictures

c) Matching exposures.

If you do plan to stitch, put the camera in manual exposure and manual focusing so they do not change from exposure to exposure. It certainly can be done, however. I have not done it much but there are a whole bunch of stitching software's out there. Some may be available on a trial basis.

DON

There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

The advantages of panorama stitching, other than not having to buy a lens, is less distortion, and much higher resolution - especially if you take vertical oriented photos (with an L bracket). And you can make the scene any size you want, you are only limited by your available time and patience.

Super wide angle lenses tend to have a lot of perspective distortion (vertical things like telephone poles and building edges tend to be bent). Since you are using a longer focal length with a panorama, the perspective distortion is less.

One problem with stitching is you can get artifacts if you don't pay attention to the alignment. So this pretty much requires a tripod and an panning gadget on the tripod.

While you can do this hand-held, it is harder to keep the seams in order.

I use Photoshop Elements as a stitching software, and it does a pretty good job.

So if you have the time to use a tripod then give panoramas a try. Otherwise a super-wide angle lens might be the best bet. However, if you have to buy a tripod, panorama panning device, and L bracket, you are not probably saving that much vs. a lens.

Or if you want the ultimate panorama - get a GigaPan. They make some very cool panoramas.

You have a NEX-5N...Try the Sweep Panorama mode!

It takes some practice to keep the camera level and pan at the right speed, but it works remarkably well.

Here are a few from my NEX 5 and 7 cameras:

Coxumel:

Falmouth, Jamaica:

Disney California Adventure:

Lake Lanier, GA:

Reception garden -Los Serranos Country Club (post process done for wedding album):

All but the Lake Lanier shotwere taken with the 18-55 kit lens.

Dave

I find vertial stiching these days for scenice panoramics very acceptible as long as motion is minimal in the picture. Photoshop elements has done well for me.

Of course the new iPhones do pretty well to.

The superwides IMHO are nice, but really more about getting unique prospective then usage for panormics in how I shoot.

You have a NEX-5N...Try the Sweep Panorama mode!

It takes some practice to keep the camera level and pan at the right speed, but it works remarkably well.

 

Here are a few from my NEX 5 and 7 cameras:

 

Coxumel:

 

Falmouth, Jamaica:

 

Disney California Adventure:

 

Lake Lanier, GA:

 

Reception garden -Los Serranos Country Club (post process done for wedding album):

 

All but the Lake Lanier shotwere taken with the 18-55 kit lens.

 

 

Dave

Impressive results and very encouraging. Was the night photo in Disney hand held or did you use a tripod? Do you recall the settings?

No one up for a Gigapan Panorama?

Here is one:

http://www.gigapan.com/galleries/10650/gigapans/128633

You won't realize the resolution of this panorama until you zoom in. So make sure you zoom in on this panorama - especially, see how far you can zoom in.

It was created with a Canon DSLR and 400mm lens. It is a series of 984 images taken in several rows and columns (with a GigaPan motorized pan/tilt head) and stitched together.

Now, almost 1,000 photos is going to take a while to photograph. But since it is automatic, you just set the camera and go get a sammach.

I am thinking of buying the small Gigapan unit as it will work with compact cameras, and a lot smaller (easier for travel).

Impressive results and very encouraging. Was the night photo in Disney hand held or did you use a tripod? Do you recall the settings?

It was night, but the scene was pretty bright. I spot exposed for the bright "canyon" walls and that started the panorama at 1/60s at f/4.5, ISO1600. It locks the exposure after the first shot keeping the exposure right all the way across.

Dave

If you use the in-camera panorama, but holding the camera vertically, you can get ultra side without the long panorama look. A more normal photo size, but ultra wide.

All fine advice for getting some wider shots on a cheaper budget. And I agree that compared to say the 16mm lens alone, you're not gaining all that much compared to the 18-55mm kit, and could make up for it by stitching or using sweep pano. If you were willing to pitch in for the UWA add-on ECU1 lens with the 16mm lens, it will get you to 12mm, and that becomes a much wider and more useful focal length, but you have to consider the price of both together which may not be what you want to spend.

It was mentioned briefly above, but I wanted to point out that UWA lenses aren't just about getting wider, but about getting a completely different perspective than is possible with other lenses. UWAs can get you impossibly close to a subject and still focus on it, while also still capturing a huge, wide vista behind - it's that trait that makes shooting with a UWA a different experience than even stitching...the ability to stick the lens right up to something, and still capture a wide scene - and that forced subject perspective is almost required when shooting with UWA lenses or they can tend to look very distant and uninteresting. Shooting with a UWA actually takes a whole different set of skills as a photographer. If that's a look you really want to go for, stitching panos simply cannot compare or achieve the look - but if you only wanted to find a way to shoot wider scenes than you can with your 18mm les, just to fit the scenery into the shot, pano will do fine. As havoc mentioned, holding the camera vertical and sweep panoing will give you a more normal framing height.

UWA is very cool - I couldn't live without mine...and when I want to shoot UWA, sweep pano can't do anything close to the same look and perspective and close-up feel. But if I just find myself wanting to squeeze a building into the frame and I'm shooting with my 18-55, then a quick sweep pano and a crop can get me the whole subject rather than cutting off a wall on one side.

No one up for a Gigapan Panorama?

 

Here is one:

 

http://www.gigapan.com/galleries/10650/gigapans/128633

 

You won't realize the resolution of this panorama until you zoom in. So make sure you zoom in on this panorama - especially, see how far you can zoom in.

 

It was created with a Canon DSLR and 400mm lens. It is a series of 984 images taken in several rows and columns (with a GigaPan motorized pan/tilt head) and stitched together.

 

Now, almost 1,000 photos is going to take a while to photograph. But since it is automatic, you just set the camera and go get a sammach.

 

I am thinking of buying the small Gigapan unit as it will work with compact cameras, and a lot smaller (easier for travel).

Thanks!

Learn something new every day, I'm getting the small unit.

Thanks!

Learn something new every day, I'm getting the small unit.

I am looking at the small one as well. It is big enough to hold my Nikon V1.

My only issue is bringing such a contraption on board a ship. I am not as much concerned about security as you can always mount the camera in the unit, which will kind of become self-explanatory as to what it is.

I am more concerned about just more stuff to take. At least the small one would be more portable.

The only unfortunate thing is that while there are probably some breathtaking panoramas you could take, but especially on a shipboard environment, you may not have the time to set it up and use it in some situations.

Here a few stitched pano's I've taken and posted here a bit ago. I'm sold on the stitching pano if you want to print large and hang on the wall. If you want to keep it simple, under 20inches then a wide angle might do. Also doing a stitch allows you to use a longer focal length lens which changes the perspective, far away objects will be compressed and look bigger.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1834144&highlight=framer

I hope you find this of interest. My last post in the thread allows you to see one of the pano's full size.

framer