VR Panoramas > Taking Photographs

It is important to set up your camera properly. Careful attention to camera setup will result in panoramas that stitch more easily and look better. The basic principles of setting up a camera for panoramic photography applies to most digital cameras. The important settings are:

• Zooming “Out” to the widest angle - If you have a zoom lens, zoom out as far as possible!
  
  
• Exposure + Exposure Lock - It’s usually best to make all images with the same exposure settings. Some exposure variations can be corrected by using automatic exposure compensation, so if your camera has no manual exposure setting you may be OK. It is particularly challenging to make a 360 degree panorama when the sun is at an angle. For some images you’ll have the sun at your back and for others you’ll be shooting into the sun. In this case you may need to use automatic exposure. Have a look at this article (http://www.panoguide.com/technique/shooting.html) for a visual example.
  
  
• Flash OFF - you should avoid EVER using a flash gun in or attached to you camera or tripod if possible. Why? Because:
  • flash guns have a limited range and a limited field of coverage which is why if you use a wide angle lens the flash is normally disabled. Also in some cameras there is a risk that the built in flash will be partly blocked by the lens itself so you would end up with the shadow of the lens in the picture!
  • flash gives strong shadows, which then won't line up when you stitch images together because the light (from the flash) is moving as you rotate the camera
    
    
• Focus - it’s best to make all images with the same focus. The quality of the blend between one image and the next is reduced if there are noticeable differences in focus between the images. This may or may not be a significant effect, particularly if you use a wide angle lens. If you have no way to control focus on your camera, give it a try and see what happens!
  

• "White Balance" - some cameras allow you to get a light "reading" based on something white (a piece of blank paper perhaps). Basically, this helps the camera get the level of contrast right.

In addition, you must pay attention to where you set up the camera. Some good examples of where and where not to put it (can the resulting effects) can be found this site: http://www.panoguide.com/technique/setup.html