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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-09-2018, 05:29 PM
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It depends on your purpose, and the carrying capacity of the mount. If you use a wide angle, almost fisheye, as panoguy suggests, you also need the software to combine the images. I'm not sure what he uses. Some of the images possible with that setup are awesome. I don't own the 10-17.
I regularly use up to a 300mm with or without a converter if I want to capture a lot of detail, or the subject is a distance away. For me, a remote is not an option with these kind of shots. Depending on the solidity of your NN & tripod, you may need to wait between shots for vibration to stop after advancing to the next position. My first tripod was light, and I would wait up to 6 seconds if I had heavy gear on top. The wait can be longer if there are wind gusts, but is worth it if the day is right, and the light does not change too much in between shots.
When I first started, I used the Pentax 18-250 lens. While not as sharp as my primes, it did okay. I also found which focal lengths work for me. I mostly use primes now.
I take test shots of the darkest and lightest areas of my scene. Then I choose a manual setting that is the best compromise between the two. That way auto exposure does not kick in and ruin the panoramic. I spent hours once trying to adjust exposure on a scene to get a good result after I forgot. I regularly shoot a scene with a several different exposure/DOF settings. I shoot raw, because it gives me more ability to recover shadows and highlights.
I sometimes spend more time setting up and getting everything level than I do shooting the scene. It's easy to loose important parts of a scene to stair steps. You can also have problems if the ground is soft and one of the tripod legs starts to sink in. So I usually have something I can put under the foot if needed.
One last piece of the puzzle. What you can assemble is largely based on the processing power of your computer. Just because you can't process it now does not mean you should not shoot it. Some things only come around once in a lifetime. The next computer you get in a couple years will most likely handle it. Before my current laptop, I was at the edge of what I could process with my 2008 era laptop and a K-5IIs. I found that I could piece together several images into a block, then assemble those blocks into larger blocks. It's time consuming, but it works.
For more inspiration, go to the Panorama-orama - Post your Panos thread. Lots of talent on display, and folks willing to give advice.
Have fun with the panoramics. Look forward to seeing your work! :)
Roger
---------- Post added 04-09-18 at 07:42 PM ----------
I started by going to the lens database. For each lens, there is a chart that also includes the angles of view for APC and Full frame, if applicable. Overlap depends somewhat on the subject. I usually try to overlap a quarter to one third. If there is detail and strong contrast, I may use less. Less detail and contrast, I may overlap more.
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