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Book Review: Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography Saturday, 16 January 2010 11:07 |  Author: Brian Opyd |   
I recently had a chance to read through Harald Woeste’s book Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography ($34.95). I found the book to be a good primer on panoramic photography techniques. It covers the photographic equipment you’ll need, a section on software, and an interesting set of real world example projects at the end of the book. If you are new to the world of panoramic photographer the first chapters are a nice introduction to the tools and techniques you will need to understand to capture images that can be later stitched into panoramas. Most useful was a section outlining some of the VR panoramic tripod heads that are currently available on the market. I found the brief summary of each model with pros and cons valuable and had wished I had read the book before I had purchased a VR panoramic head myself. Later in the book Woeste discusses image stitching and the various software packages that are available. Again he talks about the pros and cons but does not go into step-by-step instructions. If you are looking for hand holding through the stitching process this is not the book for you. While the book gives some good information you’ll be better off downloading some of the trial versions of the software mentioned in the book and experimenting with the software packages yourself. One of the more interesting components of the book were the final four chapters. Each chapter gives a play-by-play account of one of four of his real world projects to create panoramic image. He discusses some the challenges presented by the locations and the tools and techniques discussed previously in the book that he used to overcome those challenges. The book is well written although I think the stitching chapter assumes you have a basic knowledge of some of the terms used by software stitching. As with other books by publisher Rocky Nook I found the example photographs and illustrations were well done and added value to the descriptions in the writing. If you are just getting started in the world of panoramic photography this is a good book to add to your shelf. Add new comment
Last Updated ( Saturday, 16 January 2010 11:13 ) |
Panorama Stitching: Autopano Pro 2 vs. Autopano Giga 2 Wednesday, 13 January 2010 19:53 | Author: Brian Opyd |
Over the past several years panorama stitching software has come a long way. I can remember back when I was amazed as the free stitching utility software that came with my Canon EOS back in the early 2000’s. Since then I have recently taken a second look at panoramic stitching software and I have to admit I was amazed how far it has come. One package I had a good look at was the suite of tools provided by Autopano. You can find their website at www.autopano.net. Autopano has two software packages designed for photographers that like to spend time with their cameras and not in front of a computer. The Autopano Pro 2 and Giga 2 software packages have a lot in common. I’ll start with the commonalities and then move on to the differences. Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 January 2010 20:05 ) |
Review Of The Lenscoat Lens Cover For Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8 IS Lens Thursday, 07 January 2010 20:36 | Author: Brian Opyd |
Spending your hard earned cash on an expensive lens can be frightening. Enter the Lenscoat line of lens covers to protect your investment from scrapes, dings, bumps, and general harsh weather conditions. The Lenscoat lines of products are made of closed-cell neoprene. The covers are advertised as a thermal barrier to protect optics from rapid changes in temperatures as well as providing a more forgiving surface for your hands when working in cold weather. In addition the covers are meant to provide a light level of protection from scrapes and dings. The Lenscoat line is also sufficient to break up the visual impact of some of the massive ‘white’ monsters such as the Canon 400mm L series lenses when nature photographers are on location.
In summary, the product has potential for larger lenses, but for the 70-200mm it is something that I could live with, or live without. I do not seem much value if you are a careful photographer with a good bag and a willingness to treat your gear with care. If you are the type of photographer that is putting your gear under a lot of wear and tear, the investment might be better suited to your needs. The full line of the Lenscoat products can be found on their website at http://www.lenscoat.com. Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 January 2010 20:43 ) |
While the Lenscoat for the Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8 runs about $80 from most online stores. This seems reasonable given the total cost of the lens. However, after field testing the product for a month, I feel the return on the investment is minimal.