What’s the best low-cost way to shoot panoramas of small office spaces with a Canon Rebel XTi?
Asked 3/22/2012
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I want to photograph very small interiors, such as office cubicles, with a Canon Rebel XTi. I’m open to a lens recommendation, but I’d like to keep costs low and would prefer not to replace the camera if possible. Is a special wide-angle or fisheye lens necessary, or is there a better way to capture and assemble panoramic images in tight spaces?
Originally by user9106. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user9106
14y ago
2 Answers
5
You can capture a panoramic image with any lens and any camera.
You just take multiple images that together cover the entire scene you are trying to capture and combine them in software.
There are many programs that can automatically stitch together the images to create the panorama with a wide range of price and capabilities all the way from Photoshop to free and open source tools.
Tips for shooting panoramas:
Use a tripod
Leave a lot of overlap between images (around 30% overlap is enough to safely work with any software).
Use manual exposure, manual white balance and manual everything so the settings don't change between pictures.
In the past you had to make sure you rotate the camera around the lens entrance pupil, today software is so good it's not that important in most cases.
Originally by user2481. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2481
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
You don’t need a special panorama lens or a new camera. With a Rebel XTi, the lowest-cost approach is to shoot multiple overlapping frames and stitch them in software.
For best results:
- use a tripod
- leave about 30% overlap between shots
- set manual exposure, manual white balance, and keep settings consistent
- stitch the images later in panorama-capable software
A wider lens can make shooting easier in very tight spaces. A zoom in the 10–22mm range is a good fit because it gives you a wide view without fisheye distortion. If you want the cheapest ultra-wide option, an 8mm fisheye such as the Samyang/Rokinon style lens was suggested; autofocus is not very important at that focal length, especially stopped down. However, fisheye distortion is stronger, so a rectilinear ultra-wide zoom is usually the more natural-looking choice for interiors.
That said, office cubicles are very small, so even with a wide lens you may still need to stitch multiple images.
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