12 replies to this topic

[Gunnar Creutz]

OK, here we continue the discussion from another forum.

It would of course be interesting to try to use a panoramic camera, but even 350 UK pounds (circa SEK 4200) is far too expensive for me at the moment.
Another problem with a panoramic camera would be that it isn't possible to show a 24 x 58mm image with an usual slide projector for 35 mm images. Or is it? If I had a projector for 60 x 60 mm images it would probably work. Just to present my own panoramas as QVTR's wouldn't actually satisfy myself.

Diego: "Another good choice is a 20 or 18mm super-wideangle lens. It's the lens I like best on my 35mm reflex cameras."

This would be the solution for me then, because I am only using film for colour slides and 35 mm reflex cameras, so it is a very cheap and basic equipment.
I have two camera houses: one Canon AE-1 and one Canon AV-1. Both are bought used. I just have three lenses: one Canon lens FD 50 mm 1:1.8, one Tokina 28 mm 1:2.8, and one Canon zoom lens FD 35-70 mm 1:4.
I use the 28 mm lens 70 percent of the time when photographing barrows, 66 percent of the time when photographing megalithic tombs, 57 percent of the time when photographing stone circles and erected stones, and 48 percent of the time when photographing runestones (all according to my photo database).
Sometimes I have borrowed a 24 mm lens (from my friend Ravn), and that had been great, so probably a 20 or 18 mm lens would be even greater. So when seaching for another lens to buy I probably would look for a good 24 mm or 20 mm lens.

Gunnar

[Diego]

To project a 24 x 58mm image you should use a 6x6 slide projector (usually quite expensive) and mask every slide.
I don't know the prices in Sweden, but here are the Italian list prices (converted into GBP) of some lenses that could interest you:

* Canon EF 20mm f/2,8 USM - 330 GBP
* Sigma 24mm f/2,8 - 150 GBP
* Tamron 24mm f/2,5 - 200 GBP
* Vivitar 19mm f/3,8 - 90 GBP
* Vivitar 24mm f/2,8 - 65 GBP

Hope this helps!

Diego

[Gunnar Creutz]

Thanks for the list of wideangle lenses, Diego.

[Gunnar Creutz]

Now I have studied some books about photography and they have told me how to easily calculate the distance needed when photographing an object of a certain size with a certain lens (or any other way around). So now I know that I definitely need something like a 20 mm super-wideangle lens.

Diego, please, can you give some references to pictures of stone circles at Stone Pages telling what lenses you actually used for those pictures?

Gunnar

[Diego]

Hello Gunnar,
Here is a short table describing the lenses I used to photograph some selected megalithic sites:

20mm
Callanish III (Scotland)
Clach an Trushal (Scotland)
Stones of Stenness (Scotland)
Skara Brae (Scotland)
Long Meg and her Daughters (England)
Men-an-Tol (England)
Chun Quoit (England)
Newgrange (Ireland)
Pentre Ifan (Wales)

28mm
Maiden Castle (England)
Harold's Stones (Wales)

50mm
Stonehenge (England)

80mm
Avebury (England)
The Pipers (England)
Lanyon Quoit (England)
Poulnabrone (Ireland)

135mm
Maes Howe (England)
Punchestown (Ireland)

180mm
Duloe (England)
Men Scryfa (England)

Hope this helps in your search for the "perfect lens"!

Diego

[Pete G]

I went to Stonehenge recently (special access to the inside for double the price... £8)
I wanted to take a tripod but was informed that I need to buy a commercial license.
I went without it armed with a digital
OLYMPUS CAMEDIA 2020Z and a manual pentax.
It rained then it thundered, then it flashed lightning everywhere and I thought "Glad I am not carrying a tall metal tripod shaped thing with me!"
I have downloaded a boat load of programs to make panoramas but havent had the time to learn them yet.
I have problems with the Digital camera. Batteries do not last ten minutes in cold weather and the panoramas function only seems to be available when it feels like it, or am I missing something in the menu system?
Any advice Diego?
I went to West Woods long long barrow last weekend, there were blue bells everywhere.
I managed to stitch together two pics of the Barrow.
I used to use a Pentax SFX with a 24mm f1.2 lens. Would this better for panoramas?
If so, what program is best for stitching them together?
Pete

[Diego]

Hello Pete,
If you really like panoramic images, I would strongly suggest you to shoot your photos as usual (alowing a 30% overlap between adjacent images) and then stitch them with an external software. This method is faster and easier than the one "built-in" your digital camera.
Can you please tell me if you are using a Mac or a PC Windows computer, so I could suggest you some specific "stitching software"? For your information, I'm using a Mac with a selection of software packages: Apple's QuickTime VR Authoring Studio and VR Toolbox's The VR Worx .

Regarding batteries, my suggestion is to buy at least two (or three) sets of rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. They are not very expensive, and you can keep them in your pocket, ready to use when the set in your camera begins to run out of energy.

Diego

[Edited by Diego (19-05-2000 at 21:59).]

[Pete G]

Hello Diego,
I use a PC for my graphics/photography.
I will try the software you recommend (I have about 14 packages/plugins to learn at the moment)
PC details: Pentium 500mhz 160Mb RAM
Voodoo3 3000 graphics card, Video grabbing card. Several large hard drives.
I scan with a Mustek 1200 flat bed scanner.
I want to scan my huge collection of slides.
Is the slide convert for the Camedia digital any good?
Or should I work harder and buy a Nikon touch scan?
when you say to shoot the photos as usual, do you mean with the digital or the conventional film camera?
I prefer to shoot slides because I was trained in photography and know film better than the subleties of electronic cameras.
The shutter on the camedia is not instant like my Pentax. I have missed several photos of my Baby daughter using the digital.
I used to own a portrait studio in Brixham, South Devon where I used a Wista 10X8 plate camera. (Slides cost me £50 everytime I pressed the shutter!)
People used to come for portraits and dress in our costums, Oldye fashion victoriana, Gangsters and Molls...etc
One day I had 10 Swedish teenage girls come into the shop who were not fussed about using the changing rooms. Boy I wish I had a panoramic camera back then!
Pete G

[Diego]

It's me again...

I want to scan my huge collection of slides. Is the slide convert for the Camedia digital any good? Or should I work harder and buy a Nikon touch scan?

I would definitely suggest you to save some £££ and buy a Nikon LS-30 CoolScan III or LS-2000 Super CoolScan slide scanner. The ICE function works very well eliminating dust, fingerprints and scratches from slides and negatives. I've tested both scanners and IMHO they are the best (so far) in the mid-price range. If you are looking something really cheap but better than the Camedia+Slide converter set, try the Acer ScanWit 2720S scanner.

when you say to shoot the photos as usual, do you mean with the digital or the conventional film camera?

Well, it is the same for both digital and conventional cameras. You must remember, however, that making panoramic movies is a different story...

The shutter on the camedia is not instant like my Pentax.

Yes, this is a problem related to every single digital camera costing less than £2000... Probably the Nikon D1 and the new Canon EOS D-30 don't show any click-lag!

Diego

[Gunnar Creutz]

Oh, really interesting to study all those pictures of sites you have listed, Diego.
Why do so many of the pictures, who are taken with a 20 mm lens, have dark corners?
It looks very thrilling in most of the pictures, but are they always intended by you? Is it a result from using a big lens aperture or from using a filter? Could these dark corners even be a problem with some or all 20 mm lenses if one doesn't want them in a picture?

Gunnar

[Diego]

Hello Gunnar,

Why do so many of the pictures, who are taken with a 20 mm lens, have dark corners?

Because I used to like very much Cokin graduated filters  (grey, violet, blue and brown). They are soooo useful to avoid the dreadful "white sky'" effect, when the background sky is cloudy and particularly dull. Now I try to use these filters only when I can't resist...

Is it a result from using a big lens aperture or from using a filter? Could these dark corners even be a problem with some or all 20 mm lenses if one doesn't want them in a picture?

Every 20mm lens used on a standard 35mm reflex camera shows a certain degree of vignetting (i.e. dark corners). The effect, however, is very subtle even in the most cheaper lenses. On some very good Canon, Nikkor and Zeiss lenses it is virtually unnoticeable.
However, you must note that when you scan a Cokin graduated filtered photo, you will certainly get a more contrasty image, so the darkened corner effect will be stronger. That is why you can notice it on many of my photos.

Diego

[Edited by Diego (20-05-2000 at 12:08).]

[Pete G]

Hello again Diego,
Thanks for the VR tips. I have downloaded several stitching tools and QTVR and have created two panoramas this weekend.
Stonehenge cursus and Normaton long barrows.
The files are still quite large (600k)
Do you have any tips on how to keep the file size down?
Pete G

[Diego]

Hello Pete,

Do you have any tips on how to keep the file size down?

There are two methods: the first one is to compress the movie to the maximum, using Photo JPEG and a quality level between 0 (zero) and 25.
The second method is shrinking the size of the panoramic image (before transforming it into a movie); remember, though, that there are some relationships between height/width that cannot be changed.
Try compression first, then (if you want to) I can give you some additional info.

Diego