Panoramic heads???

[whitebassman]

Looking to do more pano shots on our upcoming trip to utah, grand canyon, sequioa, and yosemite national parks. I saw a lot of the pano shots posted here but did not seem that they were shot with a pano head. Is it worth it to get one? Or can i get by with using manual settings and a tripod?

[Steve Foss]

whitebassman, you can easily get buy with a standard head (either pan/tilt or ball) for panos. While I tend to use a pan/tilt head when I want to do panos, you can do them with a ballhead, too. With the ballhead, once you get everthing level, you can loosen the head just enough on the tripod so it will swivel its way toward tightness. I generally do panos left to right, so I unscrew it a bit so that it's loose when I'm starting on the left side and it tightens as I move toward the right. So everything stays level. A pan/tilt is definitely easier though.

[Dbl]

Shooting daytime in good light frankly you often don't even need to use a tripod! I just keep a nice overlap going and shoot a bit wider than normal to allow for minor differences when stitching the shots together. In fact I think almost every pano I've shot has been hand held. Many PS cameras now come with a pano mode that gives you guide lines to allow for the overlap. I wouldn't spend a bunch of money on a head specifically designed for it! As Steve mentions you will have no problem using a normal tripod head if you choose to go that route. Enjoy your trip!

[whitebassman]

Thanks for the replies. Yeah I will try and use a wide angle lens and tripod. I had some nice panos from our last trip to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons, but some did not turn out so good upon stitching. Now that I know more about pano photography (ie manual settings!), it should be easier. My P&S camera does have photo stitching.

Any good software recommendations for photostitching on a Mac OS? I have Aperture, but I don't think it can do photo stitching. I also have PS Elements 4.0, which I have been using for photo stitching. Not looking for big bucks (ie <$100) software. I saw somewhere CS4 is great, but that is expensive? I can only find CS5 on Adobe's HSOforum.

[Dbl]

PTGui I know works on a Mac, Autopano is another one I've heard people use with success.

[Steve Foss]

You can also hunt down someone who has the latest version of the Canon software CD bundled with all Canon DSLR cameras. It's got a program called Photostitch that did a good job when I used it, and that was an older version. I'm sure some helpful person would be happy to drop theirs in the mail to help you out. I run Mac OS 10.5 and it worked just fine.

Like Dan, I've done a fair amount of handheld pano work. For many panos it's not hard at all if you have a steady hand or rest the lens on a car/tree/rock.

[whitebassman]

I will check my discs Steve. I did purchase a canon 40d in 2008 and do recall a software by that name with my older canon rebel 300. Thanks for all the help!

[Steve Foss]

Once you upload the CD bundle from the 40D, you can go to Canon's Web site and download the latest upgrade for free for the Photostitch program.

[whitebassman]

Tried photostitch but it crashes upon opening. Apparently there is an issue with mac os x and photo stitch.

Did end up getting the nodal ninja 3 pano head. Nice set up. Will put up some pano pics i took. Speedy delivery too.

Still need some fine tuning in the stitching. Used Adobe PS Elements. Not sure if it is the set up or the software that isn't stitching quite right.