Decisions on very wide side

[Guy Mancuso]

Well fortunately I may have landed some really high end 2 million and above homes interior design gigs.

Now for some decisions. i currently have the P25 plus back and NO i will not shoot a Nikon to do this work so that is completely out of the question. LOL

They want big and reason i bought this damn thing was to go big. The dilemma is what lens. I have the Mamiya 35mm as my widest and that is not wide enough and stitching is sort of my last resort but certainly a option. Now i could buy the 28mm mamiya lens which i did like but it does go soft in the corners with the P25 plus , i tested this out twice. i do happen to have i think the answer. I have a Alpa TC that is all setup for my Phase back now but with a 47mm which obviously not wide enough but a great stitching lens because the image circle is HUGE. Now a couple options selll the TC and get the SWA so i could stitch with the 47mm Or sell the 47mm Alpa and get a 24mm Alpa . Let's not even talk about how much this lens is. it hurts to think about it but I think the 24mm is really the answer. Than i would have a Alpa with 24mm and the Phase with 35mm and have pretty much all options covered. Than i could use the 24mm for landscape work also which i love super wides for. BTW the 24mm on my Alpa and Phase back is like a 17mm.

So I have three options sell the whole Alpa kit and get a Mamiya 28mm or Sell the TC buy a SWA and keep the 47mm or sell the 47mm and but the 24mm.

Option 4 quit and retire. LOL
Not a option

 

[Guy Mancuso]

If anyone is selling there Alpa 24mm or want my 47mm or wants to trade plus money . I'm all ears with empty pockets. LOL

 

[LJL]

Guy,
While I understand some of your desires and enthusiasm on this, my thoughts are to stay with what you have and do the stitching on a few multiple set shots. While the much wider 24mm for example will get you more coverage in a single shot, the perspective and distortion will not look as pleasing as stitching together maybe 2-4 shots. Better perspective control and it would not take but a few seconds on both the tripod and the computer. You are most likely going to be taking multiple overlapping shots of some sort anyway, so why not just use your existing glass to get you through this and then decide if it is something that really warrants the bigger switch and investment.

Sorry to be a bit of splash of cold water on your gear quest, but I do think your results would be much more pleasing without the distortion. Do a cylindrical stitch and blow up as large as you dare for some really nice look. The thing that convinced me of this was looking at the boat interiors that Nicolas Claris does with a 40mm on his Hy6 rig. The details are outstanding and there is virtually no distortion to disrupt things and create any jarring looks. Just something to think about.

LJ

 

[woodyspedden]

Guy

Although I am a total gear whore as you well know, I tend to agree that the stitching approach is best. You could use just a simple movement of the camera to get perhaps 8 to 10 shots max or go for the more technical route and use the RRS pano adapters to shift along the axis of the nodal point with fine precision. If you want to try that route I have the RRS system which I would be happy to loan to you for your eval.

I have started to really get into panos ( or just large stitched images) and I really like what i am getting. Programs like Autopano pro make this process very straightforward. I was doing a couple of experiments today and just using three images, spaced about 20 degrees apart and ended up with a beautifully stitched 230Mb final image. So you can go as large as you want and still end up with better distortion performance.

Here in the threads both Arne Hvaring and Jack have posted some really lovely panos which you should review.

Just a thought. by the way I was doing the stitched images with the hassy 28 and developed in Phocus to correct for the geometric distortions prior to saving as a Tiff and then importing the final images in to Autopano, Worked well

Woody

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Thanks Guy's . Stitching is certainly there for me and it has crossed my mind several times. I am going to run a test this weekend in my house and see what happens. I can simple go vertical with the back on the Alpa and just slide the Arca Swiss release in my BH 55 and get a 3 vertical stitch. Pretty simple actually

 

[woodyspedden]

Thanks Guy's . Stitching is certainly there for me and it has crossed my mind several times. I am going to run a test this weekend in my house and see what happens. I can simple go vertical with the back on the Alpa and just slide the Arca Swiss release in my BH 55 and get a 3 vertical stitch. Pretty simple actually

Hey Guy

Here is a three stitch pano that I just ran out my back porch and took in about 1 minute. I ended up with a file that is 7501 x 2971 pixels and about 200 Mb. On my monitor the silo at infinity is extremely sharp. You can see the mortar lines between the bricks with great clarity. No other processing was done. Hope this may serve as a kind of example.

Woody

 

[TRSmith]

Ok, total off-the-wall opinion after 2 glasses of red: Buy the Alpa 24. This sounds like a nice, fat job and if it were me, I'd consider it gravy and use it as an excuse to get the tool. Total rationalization is that the job will pay for the lens and everything after the job (and/or including the profit above and beyond the price of the lens) is total cream. Plus, when they see what you can do with the 24, they'll be all over you to do more stuff. :thumbup:

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Tim you know I love ya. I'm a gear slut and actually i would like that 24mm perspective . Sense of depth. Have to try some things but Jack loves the 24mm and maybe the best wide there is.

 

[Stuart Richardson]

I agree that stitching is probably the most practical. To be honest though, I would be with Tim here -- selling the 47mm and go for a 24mm. The 47mm never really made much sense to me on the Alpa (at least not on digital) -- to me, it's point is to go wider than you can possibly go with your existing gear. 47mm is no stretch for your existing kit -- you already have the 35mm. So while it might be a great lens, the TC and 47mm kit seems like more trouble than it is worth to me -- why give up the fully automated body and ease of use for a not-so-wide lens. I would either sell both the TC and 47mm and pick up the 28mm Mamiya lens (corners and all), or sell the 47 and get the 24mm, putting the alpa to work in a way that only it can accomplish.

 

[jlm]

too bad you don't have that horseman and rodie 35, easy shift-stitching,

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Yea someone stole that thing from me. LOL

FranklY i hate stitching. Clients can't see what your doing either. I like the idea of the 24mm. The 28mm i can't even find

 

[PeterA]

I TOLD you - NOT to buy the 47mm LOL..image circle smimage circle...:ROTFL:

If you go the 24mm try it FIRST - my feeling is that stitching is what you are going to end up doing anyway...and ( dare I say it?) a 35mm is perfect for this type of job - 24 on Alpa prob too wide:bugeyes: you will definately have to use shift and the 24 doesnt shift well.....depending on the look you want to deliver ..or need to.

Next time people want to criticize the 'non film' Hassy 28 - I will link them to this post.:wtf:


btw - congrats on your job. Post some pics.:thumbup:

Pete
unapologetic gear-head - cos thats what you use to make photos.

 

[Natasa Stojsic]

Well fortunately I may have landed some really high end 2 million and above homes interior design gigs.

Now for some decisions. i currently have the P25 plus back and NO i will not shoot a Nikon to do this work so that is completely out of the question. LOL

They want big and reason i bought this damn thing was to go big. The dilemma is what lens. I have the Mamiya 35mm as my widest and that is not wide enough and stitching is sort of my last resort but certainly a option. Now i could buy the 28mm mamiya lens which i did like but it does go soft in the corners with the P25 plus , i tested this out twice. i do happen to have i think the answer. I have a Alpa TC that is all setup for my Phase back now but with a 47mm which obviously not wide enough but a great stitching lens because the image circle is HUGE. Now a couple options selll the TC and get the SWA so i could stitch with the 47mm Or sell the 47mm Alpa and get a 24mm Alpa . Let's not even talk about how much this lens is. it hurts to think about it but I think the 24mm is really the answer. Than i would have a Alpa with 24mm and the Phase with 35mm and have pretty much all options covered. Than i could use the 24mm for landscape work also which i love super wides for. BTW the 24mm on my Alpa and Phase back is like a 17mm.

So I have three options sell the whole Alpa kit and get a Mamiya 28mm or Sell the TC buy a SWA and keep the 47mm or sell the 47mm and but the 24mm.

Option 4 quit and retire. LOL
Not a option

Well Guy, hence my confusion what to order but as I told you 24mm is on it's way..... as far as the Cameras/Frames goes I made my choice:

I ordered TC and ALPA 12 Max if I was like you I would go for the big one ALPA 12 XY for sure... I know it is overkill but than again you 100% know you are covered in those situations!!!

As I mentioned before I always buy the more expensive first and later deal with cheaper stuff, its easier for my cardiovascular system:ROTFL:

In your case... you are a big guy, so I would definitely go for at least ALPA 12 Max... you finish that gig and later buy your self a TC or 24mm... or both:thumbup:

Remember you can always buy TC, its the cheapest ALPA!!!

I would avoid SWA for now because it's interiors you are shooting not landscapes so you want maximum shift... this is why I suggest purchase the KING size or Queen size:thumbup:

On the other hand if in doubt, you can simply go for 24mm and you'll be able to maneuver... regardless, there are no mistakes made only room left for more options/upgrades, hehehehe:thumbup:

That is what I like about ALPA huge assortemnt from min. to max.... the only problem though is not enough money to get one of each.... as they say slowly but surely!!!

Well, I ordered two cameras and three lenses so I'm getting there....

All I'm thinking now is to do enough work so I can get P45+ in addition to my P30+ before the end of this year!!!

Guy, there's not a lot to worry really...

Don't forget my offer when I get my 24mm, you are welcome to try it:thumbup: unless you get it faster... hehehehe!!!

Sometimes you remind me of JB 007... You always get things before everyone else does

Worst case scenario... I have 28mm f4.5 D. AF, so you can buy one if you are in Auto/Cars industry... but forget it for interiors if the best is what you're looking for!!! Simply, it's not good enough compared to 24mm f/5.6 Schneider Apo-Digitar XL Lens period and I know that for sure!!!

 

[David Klepacki]

Guy,

If you get the 24mm, you will then have a stronger "need" to upgrade your back to a P65+ sooner, since the 24mm will make the most of that pixel volume and width. The above recommendations for stitching using a longer focal length typically produce a more pleasing perspective ... and will be easier on your wallet ... at least for now.

It is inevitable that you will looking at the P65+. It is just a matter of sooner or later.

 

[carbonmetrictree]

Hey Guy, I'm in the same dilemma as you. I demoed the 24xl, 28hr and the 35xl and had a tough time choosing only one lens for my 12Max. The 35XL was great, but I normally shoot wider and crop later if necessary, and I am also not too fond of stitching (I rather compose everything in camera if possible). One of the issues with the 24XL that I had was that the images were perfect, but the image circle is incredibly small compared to the other two lenses. So I would only be able to shift approximately 3-4mm, not a lot of flexibility if I am going to use only one lens for now. I decided on the 28HR because it is in the sweet spot for both lenses. It is wide enough for my wide shots, but not too wide that I will suffer in detail when I want to use a dramatic crop. The 28HR is significantly more than the other two lenses, but the resolution of the lens with a P45+ will enable me to crop in if I want to simulate a 35mm shot.

I would keep the Alpa gear because I feel that it will have a greater amount of resale value years down the road compared to the Mamiya equipment.



-Andrew

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Thanks folks . Well I have the TC so shifting is out really anyway . Unless i do it on a focusing rail type gadget and do a 2 or 3 shot vertical stitch. I do like the idea of the digitar stuff. At least there the best in the market and can't really go wrong. Guess i will have to run some focal length tests and see what fits the best

 

[Natasa Stojsic]

Guy,

If you get the 24mm, you will then have a stronger "need" to upgrade your back to a P65+ sooner, since the 24mm will make the most of that pixel volume and width. The above recommendations for stitching using a longer focal length typically produce a more pleasing perspective ... and will be easier on your wallet ... at least for now.

It is inevitable that you will looking at the P65+. It is just a matter of sooner or later.

I agree... this is why I decided to purchase P45+ or bigger sensor and still keep my P30+. However, if I can't, P45+ will do just fine... anyway I like P45+ more because of the long exposure:thumbup:

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Well I can't argue that point , i would love to have the P45 plus. Seriously the ultimate setup would be the P65 and P30 Plus backs together. I do love my P25 Plus though but someday i will move up. The P45 Plus backs with the new p65 coming out are coming down in price. I know Lance has several P45 plus backs coming in at pretty good prices too. Yes having the P25 plus i still have the long exposure setup which i will need for these projects for sure. Are folks using the 24mm center filter

 

[BJNY]

Guy,

If you get the 24mm, you will then have a stronger "need" to upgrade your back to a P65+ sooner, since the 24mm will make the most of that pixel volume and width.

It is inevitable that you will looking at the P65+. It is just a matter of sooner or later.

Will the 24mm even cover the P65+?

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Great question Billy. Not sure it would the image circle is pretty small