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a7R, Gigapans, Big panoramas, stitching software & more fun

I've been having a lot of fun shooting large panoramas with the a7R and thought I'd share some of my experiences.

First, be warned that 650 megapixel images can be addictive.

I originally bought a Gigapan Epic 100 (on a friend's recommendation). It's an automated pan head that greatly simplifies shooting multi-row and multi-column pans. But it's not really big enough to adequately handle the a7, the trigger device seems to cause camera movement sometimes, and the included software is rather weak. So I sent that back and planned to buy the larger and much more expensive Gigapan Epic Pro. Unhappily, even after I came to grips with the price, I learned that it doesn't yet support triggering the a7 (due to the new 'multi terminal' connector that Sony has switched to.)

But I was hooked on these big images, so I went hunting for another solution.

I came across a nifty little product called the Panosaurus. Unlike the Gigapan, it's a manual pan head; but it is nicely made, quite sturdy and only $100. While I was waiting for that to arrive, I also discovered a fantastic stitching software called Autopano Giga, which puts the Gigapan software to shame.

Still have a lot to learn about the best techniques (choosing focus points in a big pan, exposure considerations, etc) but it's a blast to be able to create these mega images so easily. Now that I've seen the possibilities, I will probably end up ordering the big Gigapan and hacking a shutter release cable myself so I can use it with the Sony.

Here's a shot of the Minneapolis skyline, stitched from 34 shots. Shot with the 70-200mm zoom at 200mm. The full-size pan is 61,689 pixels by 10,568 pixels (652 megapixesls). Here's a link to a slightly reduced 30,000 pixel wide version in case you'd like to look closely.



Below are some random 100% crops from the image.
 
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Professional

Active member
As for Panosaurus i already have RRS panorama ultimate package, so i will keep that over Panosaurus, but i am really looking at Gigapan Epic as an option for my A7r, i didn't want to buy it for my Canon DSLR, but for Sony it will be more tempting now.

I have PTGui software already, i may give Autopano a try once and see how good it is compared to PTGui.
 

dandrewk

New member
Mike - you and I followed similar paths, but even though I love the idea of automation, the Gigapan were just too large to tote around. That's when I came across the Panosaurus. Folds up very compact, not too heavy, and PLENTY sturdy. I've used it with my A7 + Nikon 70-200 f2.8 w/adapter. Using that setup in portrait mode is a lot of mass. The Panosaurus was up to the task.

Do try PTGUI. Like others have mentioned, the interface is somewhat less than intuitive. But once you get the hang of it (some good online tutorials available), it's pretty straightforward. The perspective control and ghost removal is first rate.
 
Do try PTGUI. Like others have mentioned, the interface is somewhat less than intuitive. But once you get the hang of it (some good online tutorials available), it's pretty straightforward. The perspective control and ghost removal is first rate.
I tried PTGui as well, but liked Autopano Giga better, so bought it.
 
As for Panosaurus i already have RRS panorama ultimate package, so i will keep that over Panosaurus, but i am really looking at Gigapan Epic as an option for my A7r, i didn't want to buy it for my Canon DSLR, but for Sony it will be more tempting now.
I'm a big fan of RRS stuff, but their pan rig was more than I wanted to spend on a manual setup.
 

Professional

Active member
I'm a big fan of RRS stuff, but their pan rig was more than I wanted to spend on a manual setup.
Its ok, i never heard about that Panosaurus before, so RRS was definitely my first choice, if i knew about Panosaurus before i may go with it and not going with RRS, but i feel somehow lucky and happy to go with RRS because i love their products and the design is great and it served me very well, so i never thought a mili-second to buy their Pano tool.
 

scho

Well-known member
I have the Epic 100, but like you I found that it is not ideal for the A7R, but it works well with the A6000. I'm now using the Rhinocam with my A7R + MF lenses and it is working well. I'm shooting primarily 8 shots per scene for stitching with AutoPano Pro3 which is excellent. I can just dump a folder full of images into AutoPano Pro3 and it will sort out the panos and do the stitching for several panos at once without intervention. I'm doing this not for mega panos, but rather for moderately large files with gobs of fine detail for making large landscape prints. My final print files are usual about 150 MP. Waiting now for the Cambo Actus to ship which will also give me more lens options and the bigger plus of tilt/shift capability for the A7R with some excellent glass out front.
 

Thomas Fallon

New member
I have the Acratech pan head. Very light, strong. Use a rail to adjust for paralex. I have been very happy with that, but I am looking to up the game. I am using a cheap Ebay adapter to mount my A7r to a Sinar P. I will use the geared movements on the Sinar to stitch using large format lenses. I need a mod from S.K. Grimes. Then I will be in business. The classic way to stitch was to use rear movements on a view camera and not move the lens. Zero stitching issues except for movement of the subject. I expect to be able to make gigapixel images this way.
 

f6cvalkyrie

Well-known member
I have the Acratech pan head. Very light, strong. Use a rail to adjust for paralex. I have been very happy with that, but I am looking to up the game. I am using a cheap Ebay adapter to mount my A7r to a Sinar P. I will use the geared movements on the Sinar to stitch using large format lenses. I need a mod from S.K. Grimes. Then I will be in business. The classic way to stitch was to use rear movements on a view camera and not move the lens. Zero stitching issues except for movement of the subject. I expect to be able to make gigapixel images this way.
I'm doing exactly the same with my Oly E-M5 on a P2 rear standard from SINAR (occasionally also mounting my FS modified Panny G1 with IR filters)
Works a charm and very inexpensive ... if you already have a SINAR

Portability = 0 however ...

C U
Rafael
 

Thomas Fallon

New member
@ Mike. Have you done anything with wide lenses? I am still in the experimental stages on spherical stitching with my Acratech head and waiting on an adapter mod for the 4x5 - stitching by moving the back. My worry is that the spherical stitching is weak with wide angles and that the lf lenses on the big camera are not the equal of the Zeiss lenses on the Sony directly. Can anyone confirm or refute either?
 
Hi Mike

I am so glad you have posted this thread.... great photos!!
Are you able to share how you went about fabricating a release cable?
I am completely new to the world of Gigapan - any tips would be greatly appreciated.
I am using a Sony A7 and A7r. From what I have seen, the Epic Pro is what I think I would need to purchase. Is there anything else I would need to buy? Software seems to be provided, however it seems you prefer to use Autopano?

Appreciate and help/tips you can provide

Regards
Dan
 
Are you able to share how you went about fabricating a release cable?
I am completely new to the world of Gigapan - any tips would be greatly appreciated....
From what I have seen, the Epic Pro is what I think I would need to purchase. Is there anything else I would need to buy? Software seems to be provided, however it seems you prefer to use Autopano?
Dan,

To make a compatible release cable, you basically have to cannibalize one of the several cables which come with the Epic Pro, and splice it to one that fits the remote connector of the A7 - such as: remote shutter cord for A7

That cord has only three wires inside. When you cut off the end with the mini plug, you should be able to determine which color is which by using this guide:

common/ground -> outer ring
focussing -> middle ring
release shutter -> tip

The Epic Pro cord is a little trickier. Whichever one you choose to sacrifice, you'll have to find of the configuration of its pins to match up to the other cord. For example, if you decide to use one of the Nikon-compatible cords, you'd search for a pinout diagram for that type of Nikon remote connector, and that will allow you to figure out which wires in the Epic cable you need to use.

Once you've determined which wires in each half of the cable correspond, you just splice them together and away you go.

You definitely want the Epic Pro, and not the smaller models. It's much sturdier and can handle the A7 with just about any lens. (I usually use an 85mm or 135mm for pans.)

The software which comes with the pan head is basic, but does the job. No need to spend the money on Autopano until you've at least tried the bundled stuff.
 

UHDR

New member
any ways of stitching raw files together without converting first... much easier to have it stitch first to have the overall picture available, then do all the adjustment to colours and recovery.... but i will probably need a 200 cores i9 processor with 1TB ram.... :D
 
any ways of stitching raw files together without converting first...
The AutoPano Giga software can accept raw source files, but it still needs to process each one individually before stitching. The better approach is to use its Lightroom plug-in. You do your adjustments in LR as usual, then select the group and export them to 48-bit TIFF images which are automatically passed to the stitching program. After stitching you can save the resulting pan as a 48-bit image, preserving most of your ability to tweak it later. (be warned however, these files can get monstrous; I have some that are 15GBs!)
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Got away with one here. i was on a 10 foot ladder so it was handheld with my 85mm ZA lens from about 300 yards away but I shot 4 shots going left to right and it lined up perfectly. Guess Im pretty steady.

 
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