Taking 360 panoramic photo with EOS Rebel T6i

[darth_daniel]

Hi

I recently purchased a Canon EOS Rebel T6i with a tripod, wireless shutter release, focus 58mm 3 piece filter kit, Focus 58mm wide angle lens and EFS 10 - 55 mm image stabilizer. I was hoping to learn how to take 360 degree panoramic photos but I'm completely clueless on how and where to start.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

🙂

[Waddizzle]

"To get a start put just the real camera lens on your T6i and set it to a lower focal length.  Like 24mm for instance." 

If you are using Canon's Photostitch 3.1, then using a very wide angle lens will not work.  The application will read the EXIF data to obtain the focal lengths that you used, and automatically configure merge settings.  This is where using a prime comes in handy, because you know every shot will have the idnetical focal length.  Be aware of lens creep if you are using a hand held zoom.

If your image files do not contain shooting data,, then the application's merge settings prompts you for the focal length of the lens you used to capture the image frames.  The lowest focal length in the drop down box is 35mm, and the lowest custom focal length that you can configure is 20mm. 

Furthermore, Photostitch doesn't seem to handle shots that contain significant barrel distortion.  It will abort the merge.  I have gotten the most consistent results with shots taken using 50mm or 85mm on a full frame body.  Just never tried it with an APS-C though, but I suppose the results would be similar, as far as the focal lengths of the lenses are concerned.  Although, seeing how the application reads the focal length of the shots, it just may also read the camera body information, too.

Another photo stitching application that I have used is not so finicky, though.

[ebiggs1]

 I just stitched a pano using a Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM Zoom Lens for Canon @ 17mm and it did it without a hitch.

I don't use Photostitch beyond curiosity as you know I use Adobe 99% of the time. But it seems to not care what lens it is or what camera for that matter.

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

 I just stitched a pano using a Sigma @17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM Zoom Lens for Canon @ 17mm and it did it without a hitch.

I don't use Photostitch beyond curiosity as you know I use Adobe 99% of the time. But it seems to not care what lens it is or what camera for that matter.

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I have stopped using Photostitch, too.  I would think using a lens that did not communicate with the camera would be a much more sensible test.  Don't you?  If you were not prompted for a focal length, then the application read the EXIF data from the image file to obtain shooting information. 

When I use images shot with my manual focus Rokinon lenses, Photostitch prompts me for a focal length because the EXIF data is empty of shooting info.  The ComboBox dropdown menu offers a handful of choices: 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 100mm, plus "custom".

If you select "custom", then you are prompted to enter a focal length in mm.  If you enter a value below 20mm, then you get gonged with an error message telling you that your focal length is out of range. 

BTW  17mm x 1.3 = 22.1mm 

[ebiggs1]

"BTW  17mm x 1.3 = 22.1mm"

17mm = 17mm.  A lens focal length can not change no matter what.  Photostitch is designed to work with a T6i and a kit lens.

[Waddizzle]

"17mm = 17mm.  A lens focal length can not change no matter what.  Photostitch is designed to work with a T6i and a kit lens." 

17mm x 1.6 = 27.2mm

No matter how much you insist, the application will not accept images identified with 35mm equvialent focal lengths of less than 20mm.  I find it amusing to hear you, of all people, argue about something that you never use.  Spilled my coffee.

[ebiggs1]

Glad to see you are amused but even though what you say is true, this is still valid, "To get a start put just the real camera lens on your T6i and set it to a lower focal length.  Like 24mm for instance."  I guess that is what got you started?

I don't use Photostitch but the few times I have out of curiosity it worked as promised and it will do so for the OP and his gear.

Further....

" I just stitched a pano using a Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM Zoom Lens for Canon @ 17mm and it did it without a hitch." ....... was to show you it would work with the OP kit lens.  Since I don't have a kit lens to try, that is as close as I could come.

Clean up your coffee....I think you need another cup!

[Waddizzle]

"To get a start put just the real camera lens on your T6i and set it to a lower focal length.  Like 24mm for instance." 

If you are using Canon's Photostitch 3.1, then using a very wide angle lens will not work.

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Glad to see you are amused but even though what you say is true, this is still valid, "To get a start put just the real camera lens on your T6i and set it to a lower focal length.  Like 24mm for instance."  I guess that is what got you started?

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Actually, Ernie, just above is what got you started.  I simply pointed out that using a very wide angle lens will not work.  A 24mm focal length is not my idea of a "very wide angle lens", and I don't think it's yours, either. 

Like I said, Photostitch will also abort the merge if you feed it images with significant [overlapping] barrel distortion, too, because the vertical lines would lean in opposite directions near the side edeges on successive images, not to mention keystoning.  Instead of trying to make sense of very WA images, apparently a line has been drawn in the sand at 20mm.

Depending upon how the shots were taken with a 24mm lens, Photostitch may, or may not, be able to merge them.  I have found Photostitch to get pretty grumpy when working with images that are not rectilinear.

[ebiggs1]

What I suggested to the OP will work.  Why was there a need to further complicate it.  Photostitch is designed for that person.

It is an amateur program but even LR will not stitch photos that don't have the data it requires.  Usually happens when UWA lenses are used.

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

What I suggested to the OP will work.  Why was there a need to further complicate it.  Photostitch is designed for that person.

It is an amateur program but even LR will not stitch photos that don't have the data it requires.  Usually happens when UWA lenses are used.

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Actually, Ernie, I just simply pointed out that using a very wide angle lens will not work for stitching into panoramas.  Besides, using a wide angle half defeats the purpose, IMHO. 

Using an 85mm lens to shoot the images of the bridge, I obtained a highly detailed image of the entire bridge.  I printed it out on our large format printer, and th detail is awesome to behold, despite being B&W..  It's 36" tall, and over 10 feet wide.  I have also printed out smaller, 11x17, prints, of the original shots, framed and lined them up on a wall, too.

Using a 24mm lens, I could have captured the entire bridge in 3 or 4 shots, but without as much of the fine details.

[JackieP]

Does anyone know of a photostitch type software for mac?