Panorama - warning image files

[Bo_Lorentzen]

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Ingrediense, Leica M9 full frame digital camera, Samyang 8mm, Nikon-2-M adapter, 3D printer, PTgui stitching software - stirred not shaken.

 

I shaved the lens-hood off the samyang with a dremmel tool. printed a nodal point bracket, waited for the mail to deliver the lens adapter.

 

Set the lens to 1m f 11, camera at 4 sec and self timer. normally I need to bracket to hold details in similar shots, man I love my M9.

 

Some may ask why bother use the M, well I like the M, and shooting with a fisheye with 180 deg fov, there is nothing to look at, its all taped down anyway, its just a matter of finding the right place for the camera and tripod, then try not to get in the way of the light and shadows.

 

 

 

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[Pophoto]

Bo: What a wonderful setup, and very nice home or studio! So is your setup pretty much just rotate or does it tilt as well?

 

 

 

Pophoto

[Bo_Lorentzen]

Thank you Po,

 

The prototype bracket do not tilt, it is fixed, I used to grap nadir shots with a little pocket cam and patch them in photoshop, however am starting to think 10 degree tilt on the lens and then do one dows shot for stitching might be easier.

 

PTgui tells me that the lens shoots something like 175-178 deg but not 180, which cause the lack of data in the top of the image. the panorama was shot in portrait position after shaving the lens-hood. I really want little bit wider lens, but guess until Leica delivers a 8mm summarit that will continue to be a dream.

 

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[ashwinrao1]

Great shot and set up, Bo. Now I am jealous!

[wstotler]

I used to grap nadir shots with a little pocket cam and patch them in photoshop, however am starting to think 10 degree tilt on the lens and then do one dows shot for stitching might be easier.

 

Hey, Bo!

 

Nice test and interesting lens/rig combo! Very, very cool.

 

Leveraging the super-wide FOV is very nice.

 

BTW, is that three shots? (I'm assuming "yes.")

 

I'm off-topic here, but you mentioned about the zenith/nadir shots and I wanted to share. (And, it got long. Sorry.)

 

If your panos are for the public and for use inside an interactive "click-drag" widget on the Web you may be well-advised to not bother with the zenith/nadir shots.

 

More. . . .

 

* User testing and feedback demonstrated that a significant number of users get "stuck" spinning around at the zenith (and occasionally the nadir) when a true spherical panorama is presented for them and they click-drag to interact with it. This is due to users click-dragging upward, reaching the zenith, and then continuing to click-drag, which introduces a fast, disorienting spin.

 

* Users are able to get "unstuck" from the zenith/nadir.

 

* Key point: Becoming stuck at the zenith/nadir is initially disconcerting for all users. The majority of users perceive this "drag up, get stuck and spin" behavior as *a flaw in the panorama* and not self-error. E.g., it's not the case that most users said "oh, that's how that works," and then interacted with the pano and other panos "correctly"--very nearly all users became frustrated *with the panorama* to varying degrees while "stuck" and also while getting "unstuck."

 

* Locking the pano's vertical FOV to about 130 total degrees (65 degrees up and down, from horizon) provides a user with a more "predictable" interaction experience. In most cases, users click-drag up (not down), find the top boundary and then move down again to the horizon. (We have used 150 degrees--it varies--but 130 degrees is recommended as a starting point.)

 

* The only exception to this approach would be if there was a fantastic ceiling--or other "straight up" photographic opportunity that adds very significant value.

 

* Sidebar: Very few users (less than 5%) used the zoom buttons, even when they were plainly visible and accompanied with closely positioned written directions encouraging their use. E.g., as a developer, set the default FOV wisely. BTW, as a corollary to this if your pano is headed to the Web you can make due with deploying a much smaller panorama to a user--and reap the corresponding page-load time improvements, reduced workflow to produce the panorama from lens through to stitching software, etc.--as the few users will ever zoom in to view details.

 

Anyway, cheers and thanks for sharing!

Will

[Bo_Lorentzen]

Will,

 

Hey that don't seem off-topic at all, it is about panorama and many of us here do photograph for money. I for one have photographed a un-reasonable number of hotel interiors for either cylindrical or spherical projection, since around 1997, technology sure have changed.

 

Totally agree on the setting of fov, file size etc. gave up on navigation toolbars long ago, mostly because I tend to get frustrated with them myself. But I did not know users have a tendency to get stuck on the nadir-zenit... that is interesting and clearly one should limit tilt in viewer so that the top might be seen but the users cant get 90 deg. Thank you for that info.

 

Thank you for the kind words on the rig, I have been making and selling lens-capture brackets for years now, you have probably seen my laser-wood brackets Spherical Fisheye brackets for Nikon FC-E9 and FC-E8 Fisheye lens spherical panorama and panoramic photography These were designed because I got "sick and tired" of dragging Kaidan multi-level pro bracket everywhere and one day realized that I could capture the lens instead. The particular bracket in the picture is short, and actually fit in the pocket literally, but next print will be 2 inches taller to reduce the footprint of the base in the image.

 

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[k-hawinkler]

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Hi Bo,

 

WOW! Really cool and inspiring.

Are there any other Nikon lenses you are using or plan to use with your M9?

I actually like to use the 16mm Nikon Fisheye with my M9.

 

Thanks for posting, with best regards, K-H

[turner]

Bo,

Nothing else to add other than; very slick!

Turner

[zlatkob]

I'm amazed that the software can stitch them together so well!

[Bo_Lorentzen]

K-H - No other lenses at this point, I have a couple of Nikon cameras which I am perfectly happy with. However for panorama with the M9, Im likely to pick up a Nikon 10.5mm.

 

Turner , thank you.

 

zlatkob, stitching software have really come a long way since the early Apple stitcher.

 

For me the joy in this rig is being able to capture a quality spherical panorama with a minimum of weight and equipment involved.

 

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[Alnitak]

Is that six-bit coded?

[Chris_R]

Bo,

This is an amazing and creative shot. After not using any stitch software in many years

I did not think this could be done. Great rig you set up too.

 

Cheers

Chris

[k-hawinkler]

K-H - No other lenses at this point, I have a couple of Nikon cameras which I am perfectly happy with. However for panorama with the M9, Im likely to pick up a Nikon 10.5mm.

 

Bo, I like my Nikon gear as well, D3, D300, D40 and a fair amount of lenses. I have both the 10.5mm DX Fisheye and 16mm Fisheye. I decided to get the 16mm Fisheye for my FF D3. I know some folks have cut off the hood of the 10.5 DX and are using it for FF. I probably should put both Fisheyes on the M9 and see what panorama shots I get. The 10.5 is really a great little lens.

 

Regards, K-H

[vanhulsenbeek]

Great stuff! Thanks

[Nikkor AIS]

Very cool set up. Im a huge fish-eye fan. Is it possible to get full frame with your set up on the M9

 

Nikkor 8mm 2.8 AIS on D3

 

Gregory

[Bo_Lorentzen]

Gregory, Thats a great shot, I love that nikon 8mm 2.8, used those a lot for iPix movies "back in the day". no full sphere from the samyang on the M9, you can see the full-frame in the original post. I am thinking about the 10.5mm though for more sharpness.

 

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[Nikkor AIS]

Thanks Bo, If you get a 10.5 consider clipping the pedal hood for more coverage. For more Nikkor 8mm shots of mine check out the Nikkor 8mm 2.8 AIS thread on the Nikon cafe lens lust section.

 

Gregory

[k-hawinkler]

Gregory, Thats a great shot, I love that nikon 8mm 2.8, used those a lot for iPix movies "back in the day". no full sphere from the samyang on the M9, you can see the full-frame in the original post. I am thinking about the 10.5mm though for more sharpness.

 

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Bo,

 

I am assuming you are referring here to the Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8 DX Fisheye. If I am mistaken, please skip the rest of this message. Thanks.

As you know, it's a G lens and doesn't have an aperture ring.

Fnumbers go from 2.8 to 22. So, my understanding is that via adapters I am familiar with, it would default to f=22 on the M9.

Diffraction would come into play.

 

However, for a m4/3 camera there is at least one adapter with the claim that Nikkor G lenses work as well including aperture control.

 

In contrast, the Nikkor 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye is FF, has an aperture ring and works fine via an adapter on the M9.

 

Is this your understanding as well? If so, how do you control aperture on the 10.5?

 

Thanks for a reply, K-H

[Bo_Lorentzen]

K-H,

 

You have a great point there.

 

I have not used the nikon 10.5 since the Kodak 14n, where I used a shaved 10.5 I had not really thought about how to use it with the M9. Shoot, I wish there would be a powered adapter somewhere which would set the lens to f8 or f11 for shooting... still most of the time I bet the diffracted images might still be better than the slightly soft samyang. :-)

 

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Hallo,

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[k-hawinkler]

K-H,

 

You have a great point there.

 

I have not used the nikon 10.5 since the Kodak 14n, where I used a shaved 10.5 I had not really thought about how to use it with the M9. Shoot, I wish there would be a powered adapter somewhere which would set the lens to f8 or f11 for shooting... still most of the time I bet the diffracted images might still be better than the slightly soft samyang. :-)

 

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Bo,

 

Thanks for the reply. As I have an adapter, both lenses and the M9, I will take some outside shots as soon as the sky clears up a little here in the mountains of NM and post the results.

 

With best regards, K-H.