Ok so I tested the Pano a bit here with regard to movements (you need to add the respective required extension tubes at the back of the camera to maximize IC):
+ 138HR: Tack sharp edge to edge in horizontal shift (sensor in horizontal position) 35mm left and right -> i.e. this lens is made for the Pano
+ 90HR: Also tack sharp edge to edge, almost the same as the 138HR, although the 138mm is a bit sharper in my view
+ 70HR: IC "ends" somewhere between 30 and 35mm. I'd say it is still perfectly useable in terms of sharpness somewhere between 25 and 30mm, which also yields immense room for shifting (and also not a problem for hex stitches in vertical sensor format where you cut out the extreme sides of the 35mm stitch portion anyways when going to say 4x5 aspect ratio)
+ The new shift mechanism is amazing -> fast and repeatable, meaning you can prepare your LCC library beforehand
The main gripe I have with the camera is that it only has 10mm rise; in my view, the allure of this system is be to create extreme stitches with the 70-90-138 lenses and having more rise would therefore be optimal. Essentially the Pano shows that there is shifting headroom especially with these focal longer lengths which is really interesting for high-res landscapes, etc.
This said, I think the most interesting scenario is to do 6 part stitches with the 90 / 138 HR whereby the sensor is in vertical position (three shots with 10mm rise, 3 shots with 10mm fall), utilizing the full 20mm rise/fall. The vertical orientation of the sensor mitigates the meagre 10mm rise to some extent in this scenario.
From there you can create nice 4x5 or 3x2 crops out of the stitch with markedly higher resolution and also a different look than when using the resulting effective focal length as a one shot. Meaning you can get quite wide with the 90HR in 3:2 in a hex stitch but with a different aesthetic (ie less distortion at the edges) than with straight up a 32HR / 40HR. The 10mm rise will limit the sky part, but one could also just barely tilt the camera up and then correct everything in post with auto align given there's more room for cropping.
In my view therefore the main use case is Pano + 90/138HR with 70HR as bonus option. This camera screams for the 138mm so to say.
All things considered, the Alpa XY still remains the king of stitching, but this is a very good and more compact alternative. The XY allows you to do crazy things such as with the 138mm go 45mm left and right with sensor in vertical position and then going 25mm up and down on top. The XY is built symmetrically which is why you could just flip it around with two stitching adapters to get the 45mm left and right. I suppose only the 138mm supports this or close to these movements.
Architectural and general purpose photographers will I suppose benefit from the higher inherent flexibility of a Plus on the rise side + compactness, but then again one could debate that the 32, 40, 50 HR lenses aren't that good beyond 10mm rise anyways ... I guess it also comes down to size and price then as the Plus is markedly more compact and cheaper.
Below a GIF of the shift mechanism in action - this makes the camera very enjoyable and quick to use and I think it will be a joy to use for someone already accustomed to Alpa cameras and who is into stitching.
On the stitching ... one important consideration: although the Pano makes creating Panos easy, technique is still very important; my Cube is currently in revision, so I had to resort to a smaller head which was not as sturdy. When you aren't careful while quickly shifting the sensor around (shifting is quick with Pano) you might move the tripod head a tiny bit which might lead to stitching errors. So a very sturdy tripod and a very good head are imperative to exploit this system on top of taking care while executing the stitch.
Which leads into final aspect worth mentioning in my view which is that the 138mm with the Pano is an impressive setup, ie also quite heavy and I would definitely only use this system with a neck strap given one is handling 70k in the field. Because of the heaviness of it all it requires careful working in the field, similar to when you are setting up a large format camera with a very heavy lens (eg 210 SS XL). Camera insurance recommended, I suppose and the need for a sturdy tripod + head make it expectedly heavier to lug around than say a mid-sized tripod with a small Arca leveler and the Plus ... ie what I want to say is that it is a totally different beast than the smaller Alpa bodies with the shorter focal lengths. A Plus with a 60XL or 43XL is significantly more compact, for example, than a Pano and a 138mm at the front meaning that it is also a question of logistics a bit, meaning it is say one thing to be content with a Plus and eg a compact 40/70HR and then quickly changing locations vs. pulling out the Pano with the big guns on a super sturdy support system and then storing everything in an oversized backpack / peli case.
... which in the end means there's a case for both ... a Pano for the special tasks and the Plus for the "standard" assignments. It definitely made me smile to create these super fast stitch moves!
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Best
Paul
